University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
2-4 (0-0SEC)
Nebraska-Omaha
2-4 (0-0Summit)
Lady Vols Fall to Omaha, 3-0
September 06, 2014 | Volleyball
AMES, Iowa -- The Tennessee volleyball team suffered a 3-0 (18-25, 17-25, 22-25) defeat to Omaha on Saturday night in the final match of the 2014 Iowa State Challenge. UT departs Ames empty handed in the win column and has now dropped its last four contests.
"We didn't play well in the first couple sets and it's the same story: we're making too many unforced errors," said Tennessee head coach Rob Patrick. "But I was pleased that we were able to put in some of our youngest players, our least experienced players, who went out and played very hard in the third set and put us in a position to turn the tide. We just couldn't close it out and that's going to be a process to learn."
Thirteen Lady Vols (2-4) saw action on Saturday night with all five true freshmen on the travel roster playing some significant points. Kanisha Jimenez turned in another strong match, pacing Tennessee with a team-best seven kills. The rookie from Puerto Rico also had 12 digs, matching libero Bridgette Villano for the team-high mark in the category. Jimenez took 19 swings on the night and converted at a .319 clip.
Another freshman, Kendra Turner, made just her second appearance on the season when she entered the match early in the third set. She delivered a kill that sparked a quick 3-0 spurt from the Lady Vols that gave them a 6-4 advantage. Turner would go on to finish with four kills in the frame at a .375 clip.
Five freshmen appeared in the match and as many as four saw time in the third set. Kendra Turner led the way for the Lady Vols in that final game, tallying four kills to go along with a .375 attack percentage.
Kelsey Bawcombe, a freshman from Temecula, California, got her first career start on Saturday night and finished with four kills, two digs, and a block.
"Kendra played a really good match," Patrick said. "She's been doing some good things in practice and improving every day so we have her a chance today to go in there. She really competed. I also thought Kelsey Bawcombe competed really hard tonight in attacking the ball and playing at the net.
Also, Kanisha has been a really solid player for us in six rotations. We're asking a lot out of our young players and I think at one point three of our front row players out there were all freshmen. I was very pleased with their competitiveness and what they're lacking is simply that they've just played fewer matches than the people they are competing against."
Jimenez closed out the tournament with a team-high 17 kills followed by Jamie Lea and Raina Hembry with 16 apiece. Lea tallied six against Omaha on Saturday night.
Trailing 2-0, Tennessee looked poised to extend the match when it took a 9-6 lead towards the beginning of the third set. Two kills from Turner helped carry the 4-1 run that put the Lady Vols in front. Omaha (2-4) would fight back, though, and brought things level not long thereafter at 16-16.
Again UT rallied, rattling off six of the next nine points to get within arm's reach of a third set win at a 22-19 advantage. But that was as close as Tennessee would come as Omaha did not allow another Lady Vol point the rest of the way. Six straight points to the Mavericks sealed the match, sending UT to its fourth straight loss.
As a team, UT swung just .078 for the match, converting 29 kills on 116 swings. UNO's staunch defensive effort at the net was a key facet to Tennessee's struggles on the attack as the Mavericks posted 20 total blocks on the night.
Jamie Lea had
A quick turnaround awaits the Lady Vols who will return to action on Tuesday night at Evansville. That match begins at 8:30 p.m. ET.
