University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
15-13,9-9SEC
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Mississippi State
13-17,2-16SEC
Lady Vols Sweep Bulldogs for Fourth Consecutive Match
November 30, 2019 | Volleyball
Tennessee tallies a season-high 12 service aces in the regular season finale at Mississippi State
STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Tennessee volleyball team closed out the regular season with a sweep at Mississippi State (25-10, 25-18, 25-18) on Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Vols' (15-13, 9-9 SEC) service pressure on the Bulldogs (13-17, 2-16) proved vital. For the fourth consecutive time in the series, they have beaten MSU in straight-set fashion.
Led by a career-high four aces from sophomore outside hitter Lily Felts, Tennessee tallied a season-high 12 aces in the match. When the Lady Vols weren't getting aces, their service pressure helped set up their block.
Junior middle blocker Addisyn Rowe set a new season-high with seven blocks in the three-set win as Tennessee combined for nine total blocks in the match. Rowe also tied for a game-high nine kills as Felts also totaled nine in the victory.
With the help of the block and service pressure, the Lady Vols limited the Bulldogs to just 27 kills, the fewest by any SEC opponent in the Eve Rackham era.
On the final point of the match, it was a senior-to-senior connection. After she received the pass, setter Sedona Hansen had a backset to middle blocker Alyssa Andreno, who was running a slide. Andreno powered the ball down the sideline to give the third set and the match to Tennessee at 25-18.
The Lady Vols controlled the match from the outset, going on a 5-0 run to start the opening set. This included Felts first of four aces and two blocks from Rowe. With the help of its service pressure, Tennessee continued to build its lead throughout the first.
Mississippi State managed to record just six kills in the set and hit -.032 percent with seven hitting errors. Only one Bulldog hitter had a positive hitter percentage with the Lady Vols cruised to a 25-10 win in the first set.
The opening set helped set the tone for the rest of the match as MSU was limited to a season-low 27 kills and a season-low .068 hitting percentage.
With the win, Tennessee finished the regular season with five wins in its last six matches of the regular season. This stretch included three wins in straight-set fashion. The Lady Vols finish tied for seventh in the conference standings, tying with LSU after the Tigers lost to Missouri on Saturday.
From Coach Rackham:
On Sedona Hansen and Alyssa Andreno connecting on the final play:
"I told the team in practice yesterday, whether you're playing on the road or you're playing at home, the last match of the year still feels like senior night. I was excited for them to be able to have the last two contacts of the match and just to finish the season like that."—Coach Eve Rackham
On service pressure and blocking:
"Serving and blocking are all connected. The last couple of weeks of this season, our team has started to understand service pressure, and certainly tonight. It showed with the amount of aces we're able to get. Even the balls that didn't go down, it put us in a situation to block more balls and defend more balls. I was excited by that."-- Coach Rackham
On winning five of the last six matches of the season:
"I wish this team had a little bit more time. I felt like all year, we were going to get there and this team was going to get better. We got better as the year went on. You always want to be playing your best volleyball at the end of the year. We were and we ran out of time to be able to continue this season. But we have a lot of young players and a lot of people who are returning who have been through the season. There were a lot of people that saw a lot of playing time and I that will help us going into the offseason."-- Coach Rackham
From Alyssa Andreno:
On the emotions after the win:
"It was bittersweet. We were super excited because we won and winning on the road in the SEC is always exciting. It's the end of another chapter with not only the four seniors, but also this team and we won't be with the same people again. It was the realization that this is the last time we're going to play together. It was emotional, but it was it was happy emotions. We were happy that we won. And we were just appreciative of the time that we got to spend together this year." – Senior Alyssa Andreno
On connecting with Sedona Hansen on the last point:
"It a perfect way to end the match. We've worked so hard these past four years and it was a good cap on the ending of our career. Sedona and I have lived together for all four years. For four years, we've worked so hard. It was just a great way to end not only my personal career, but also our career together."– Senior Alyssa Andreno
Standout Stat
- With Tennessee allowing the Bulldogs to score just 10 points in the opening set of the match, it ties the fewest points scored by an SEC opponent in the rally-scoring era.
Match Notables:
- For the second consecutive match and the fourth time this season, Lily Felts led the team in kills, posting nine on Saturday.
- Addisyn Rowe's seven blocks in the win were just one off her career high of eight. She recorded her career-high last season in a five-set victory at Georgia (Oct. 2, 2018). Her 2.33 blocks per set in the match is a new career high.
- The Bulldogs .068 hitting percentage, a season-low for MSU, is just the third time this season they have been held below .100 percent hitting.
Next Up
The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will air Sunday night.
The selection show will air on ESPNU with the broadcast scheduled for 8:30 p.m. (ET).
