University of Tennessee Athletics
Saturday, September 21
Knoxville
12:30 PM
University of Tennessee
6-4
3
vs
0
Georgia Southern
5-6
1
2
3
F
Ga. Southern
15
18
13
0
Tennessee
25
25
25
3
Lady Vols Take Down Georgia Southern in Three Sets
September 21, 2019 | Volleyball
Tennessee sets a new season high with a .400 hitting percentage en route to back-to-back home sweeps
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – University of Tennessee volleyball took the second match of the Tennessee Classic in straight sets against Georgia Southern (25-15, 25-18, 25-13).
Tennessee (5-4) has now won 15 straight in the Tennessee Classic and has 23 straight wins in home tournaments dating to 2014.
The middles helped the Lady Vols to a quick start in the match as sophomore Ava Bell posted four kills on five swings while senior Alyssa Andreno tallied four kills of her own en route to a 25-15 first set win.
Tennessee controlled much of the match as it was able to stifle the Georgia Southern (5-5) attack allowing the offense to get into a flow.
The Lady Vols never trailed after the opening set victory, holding the Georgia Southern attack to just a .133 hitting percentage. One of the key pieces to stopping the Eagles attack was Anderno. The Stafford, Virginia, native finished the match with a team-high four blocks.
As a team, Tennessee tallied 8.5 blocks (2.83 blocks per set) in the three-set victory. Five Lady Vols had two or more blocks in Tennessee's second-straight sweep.
From Coach Rackham:
On playing a tough non-conference schedule:
"We've played a really challenging non-conference schedule. We've been on the road for three weeks. It's nice to be home. We've been able to play different teams or different conferences who play different styles. Our team is starting to get into a groove we've been played in a consistent lineup for the last two matches. And that's helpful for them to be able to play their roles at a bit higher level. We're looking forward to finishing our non-conference on a high note."-- Coach Eve Rackham
On Alyssa Andreno:
"I'm just proud of Alyssa, what she's been able to do for us. She's just been our emotional leader. She's our engine that makes this team go and she's been hitting for a really high percentage and doing a great job communicating on the block." -- Coach Rackham
On playing North Dakota State:
"North Dakota State's a good team and they're going to challenge us. We've been talking about what's happening on our side of the net and playing playing volleyball and working to make this team better each weekend. Our plan against North Dakota State to play a consistent, clean game."-- Coach Rackham
From Alyssa Andreno:
On what was working offesively:
"We were just firing on all cylinders. Without passing and without Sedona putting us in good situations, we wouldn't have the opportunity to get ball. So, the credit goes to our passers and Sedona for putting us in good one-on-one situations. She was finding us in seams on the block. She just puts us in a situation to be successful." – Senior Alyssa Andreno
On her leadership role and competitive streak:
"Ever since I was little, my parents have always told me to compete. I like to win and it is always gives me kind of an edge. The leadership thing just kind of came naturally to me." – Senior Alyssa Andreno
Standout Stat
The Lady Vols close out the Tennessee Classic at Thompson-Boling Arena Saturday night against North Dakota State. First serve is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. and will air on the SEC Network+.
Tennessee (5-4) has now won 15 straight in the Tennessee Classic and has 23 straight wins in home tournaments dating to 2014.
The middles helped the Lady Vols to a quick start in the match as sophomore Ava Bell posted four kills on five swings while senior Alyssa Andreno tallied four kills of her own en route to a 25-15 first set win.
Tennessee controlled much of the match as it was able to stifle the Georgia Southern (5-5) attack allowing the offense to get into a flow.
The Lady Vols never trailed after the opening set victory, holding the Georgia Southern attack to just a .133 hitting percentage. One of the key pieces to stopping the Eagles attack was Anderno. The Stafford, Virginia, native finished the match with a team-high four blocks.
As a team, Tennessee tallied 8.5 blocks (2.83 blocks per set) in the three-set victory. Five Lady Vols had two or more blocks in Tennessee's second-straight sweep.
From Coach Rackham:
On playing a tough non-conference schedule:
"We've played a really challenging non-conference schedule. We've been on the road for three weeks. It's nice to be home. We've been able to play different teams or different conferences who play different styles. Our team is starting to get into a groove we've been played in a consistent lineup for the last two matches. And that's helpful for them to be able to play their roles at a bit higher level. We're looking forward to finishing our non-conference on a high note."-- Coach Eve Rackham
On Alyssa Andreno:
"I'm just proud of Alyssa, what she's been able to do for us. She's just been our emotional leader. She's our engine that makes this team go and she's been hitting for a really high percentage and doing a great job communicating on the block." -- Coach Rackham
On playing North Dakota State:
"North Dakota State's a good team and they're going to challenge us. We've been talking about what's happening on our side of the net and playing playing volleyball and working to make this team better each weekend. Our plan against North Dakota State to play a consistent, clean game."-- Coach Rackham
From Alyssa Andreno:
On what was working offesively:
"We were just firing on all cylinders. Without passing and without Sedona putting us in good situations, we wouldn't have the opportunity to get ball. So, the credit goes to our passers and Sedona for putting us in good one-on-one situations. She was finding us in seams on the block. She just puts us in a situation to be successful." – Senior Alyssa Andreno
On her leadership role and competitive streak:
"Ever since I was little, my parents have always told me to compete. I like to win and it is always gives me kind of an edge. The leadership thing just kind of came naturally to me." – Senior Alyssa Andreno
Standout Stat
- For the first time this season, Tennessee eclipsed .400 hitting percentage as a team. Last year's season-high was .404 hitting percentage at Auburn. The Lady Vols also tallied 51 kills on the afternoon, an average of 17.00 kills per set.
- Senior Sedona Hansen earned her fourth double-double of the season and 51st of her collegiate career with 35 assists and 10 digs. After her performance this afternoon, she sits at 2,834 assists in her collegiate career and 964 career digs.
- Sophomore Danielle Mahaffey helped pave the way for the Lady Vols offensively tying her career-high with 12 kills. She finished hitting at the .435 mark for the afternoon. Mahaffey also notched eight digs and three block assists in the match.
- Senior Alyssa Anderno registered a .700 hitting percentage in the match, besting her previous of career high of .667 against Louisiana-Monroe in 2016. She finished the match with eight kills on 10 attacks.
The Lady Vols close out the Tennessee Classic at Thompson-Boling Arena Saturday night against North Dakota State. First serve is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. and will air on the SEC Network+.
Team Stats
GS
UT
Kills
25
51
Errors
14
13
Attempts
83
95
Hitting %
.133
.400
Points
31.0
64.5
Assists
23
41
Aces
2
5
Blocks
4.0
8.5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
8
Aces
2
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
MB
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