University of Tennessee Athletics
MATCH CENTRAL: vs. No. 6 Illinois
August 29, 2019 | Volleyball
No. 19 Tennessee looks to extend six-match winning streak in season openers Friday against the Fighting Illini
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 19 University of Tennessee volleyball team opens up the regular season Friday night in Thompson-Boling Arena against No. 6 Illinois.
The Lady Vols come off a home exhibition match against defending Big South Champions, High Point. The Lady Vols defeated the Panthers in front of the Thompson-Boling crowd in three sets.
Last season, the Fighting Illini were one of four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Final Four before falling to Nebraska in five sets. Illinois returns AVCA First Team All-American Jacqueline Quade who had 4.24 kills per set last season.
The first serve of the match is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. (ET) in Thompson-Boling Arena with the match airing on SEC Network.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Tennessee is one of just five programs in the nation to start the season with three matches against teams who finished the 2018 season in the Top 25 in RPI. The Lady Vols open with a home-and-home series against Illinois who finished No. 2 in the RPI.
Cincinnati, who finished No. 24 in the RPI, is Tennessee's next opponent at the Spartan Invitational next weekend in East Lansing, Michigan.
LAST TIME
Tennessee vs. High Point (Aug. 24)
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
Versus Illinois
Series: 2-4
Last: Sept. 2, 2011 L, 1-3 Champaign, Illinois
Returning All-American outside hitter Tessa Grubbs enters the season just 15 kills shy of becoming the 22nd member of the 1000-kill club in program history. Last season, Grubbs tallied 453 kills, the fourth most by a Lady Vol in the rally-scoring era.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
Senior setter Sedona Hansen enters the season fourth all-time in program history in career double doubles with 47 just 15 matches off the all-time program record.
She currently ranks ninth all-time in career assists with 2,539 while ranking 22nd in digs with 872. Hansen is just 128 digs away from becoming just the third player in Tennessee history to have 2,000-plus assists and 1,000-plus digs.
SEASON OPENERS
Tennessee has won its last six season openers including a four-set win over No. 22 Michigan State last season. This also marks the sixth time the Lady Vols will play a ranked opponent in the season opener.
In those six matches, Tennessee holds a 2-3 record with a win over Michigan State last season and a win over No. 9 Arizona State in 1983.
RANKED VS. RANKED
Since 2004, Tennessee has played in 30 ranked vs. ranked matchups, holding a near .500 record at 14-16 with a 7-6 record in home matches.
The last time a ranked opponent came into Thompson-Boling Arena came last season when the No. 22 Lady Vols defeated No. 13 Florida in straight sets. The last time two top-20 teams matched up against each other in Knoxville came in 2012 when No. 15 Tennessee defeated Iowa State in five sets.
AGAINST THE BIG TEN
In coach Eve Rackham's first season on Rocky Top, Tennessee went 2-0 against Big Ten opponents which is their best record against the Big Ten in program history, tying their record of 2-0 in the 1983 season. As both a head coach and assistant coach Rackham holds a record of 7-9 vs. the Big Ten. This includes a 1-1 record against Illinois with the win coming in 2013 (3-0).
NEXT UP
The Lady Vols travel to Champaign, Illinois to complete the home-and-home weekend with No. 6 Illinois on Sunday. The Fighting Illini were 15-2 last season with both losses coming to top-10 teams in No. 3 Minnesota and No. 6 Wisconsin.
The match will air on Big Ten Network with the first serve scheduled for 2:00 p.m. (ET).
The Lady Vols come off a home exhibition match against defending Big South Champions, High Point. The Lady Vols defeated the Panthers in front of the Thompson-Boling crowd in three sets.
Last season, the Fighting Illini were one of four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Final Four before falling to Nebraska in five sets. Illinois returns AVCA First Team All-American Jacqueline Quade who had 4.24 kills per set last season.
The first serve of the match is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. (ET) in Thompson-Boling Arena with the match airing on SEC Network.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Tennessee is one of just five programs in the nation to start the season with three matches against teams who finished the 2018 season in the Top 25 in RPI. The Lady Vols open with a home-and-home series against Illinois who finished No. 2 in the RPI.
Cincinnati, who finished No. 24 in the RPI, is Tennessee's next opponent at the Spartan Invitational next weekend in East Lansing, Michigan.
LAST TIME
Tennessee vs. High Point (Aug. 24)
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
- No. 19 University of Tennessee defeated the Panthers in three sets with three freshmen making their debuts for the Lady Vols at Thompson-Boling Arena.
- Freshman setter Kailey Keeble set up fellow freshman and right side hitter Morgahn Fingall to clinch the match in the third set.
Versus Illinois
Series: 2-4
Last: Sept. 2, 2011 L, 1-3 Champaign, Illinois
- Tennessee defeated lost a closely contested four-set match to No. 7 Illinois with each of the first three sets being decided by just two points each.
- Kelsey Robinson led the way with 22 kills in the match, recording a double-double with a team-high 17 digs in the match.
Returning All-American outside hitter Tessa Grubbs enters the season just 15 kills shy of becoming the 22nd member of the 1000-kill club in program history. Last season, Grubbs tallied 453 kills, the fourth most by a Lady Vol in the rally-scoring era.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
Senior setter Sedona Hansen enters the season fourth all-time in program history in career double doubles with 47 just 15 matches off the all-time program record.
She currently ranks ninth all-time in career assists with 2,539 while ranking 22nd in digs with 872. Hansen is just 128 digs away from becoming just the third player in Tennessee history to have 2,000-plus assists and 1,000-plus digs.
SEASON OPENERS
Tennessee has won its last six season openers including a four-set win over No. 22 Michigan State last season. This also marks the sixth time the Lady Vols will play a ranked opponent in the season opener.
In those six matches, Tennessee holds a 2-3 record with a win over Michigan State last season and a win over No. 9 Arizona State in 1983.
RANKED VS. RANKED
Since 2004, Tennessee has played in 30 ranked vs. ranked matchups, holding a near .500 record at 14-16 with a 7-6 record in home matches.
The last time a ranked opponent came into Thompson-Boling Arena came last season when the No. 22 Lady Vols defeated No. 13 Florida in straight sets. The last time two top-20 teams matched up against each other in Knoxville came in 2012 when No. 15 Tennessee defeated Iowa State in five sets.
AGAINST THE BIG TEN
In coach Eve Rackham's first season on Rocky Top, Tennessee went 2-0 against Big Ten opponents which is their best record against the Big Ten in program history, tying their record of 2-0 in the 1983 season. As both a head coach and assistant coach Rackham holds a record of 7-9 vs. the Big Ten. This includes a 1-1 record against Illinois with the win coming in 2013 (3-0).
NEXT UP
The Lady Vols travel to Champaign, Illinois to complete the home-and-home weekend with No. 6 Illinois on Sunday. The Fighting Illini were 15-2 last season with both losses coming to top-10 teams in No. 3 Minnesota and No. 6 Wisconsin.
The match will air on Big Ten Network with the first serve scheduled for 2:00 p.m. (ET).
Players Mentioned
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