University of Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vols Fall on the Road to No. 3 Kentucky
October 16, 2020 | Volleyball
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Tennessee Lady Vol volleyball team dropped a three-set match at No. 3 Kentucky (15-25, 16-25, 15-25) Friday night at Memorial Coliseum.
Tennessee (0-1, 0-1 SEC) was led out of the middle by Ava Bell and Raquel Perinar. Bell paced the Lady Vols with eight kills, while Perinar finished with six against the Wildcats (1-0, 1-0 SEC).
Bell made her much anticipated return to the Lady Vol lineup after suffering from injury last season that cut her year short. The Austin, Texas, native made the most of her return as she hit .353 on the night.
Perinar made the move from outside to middle blocker during preseason camp and filled the role well, hitting .545 and notching a pair of blocks.
Sophomore Kailey Keeble recorded the second double-double of her career on Friday. The Walland, Tennessee, native had a team-high 13 assists and 10 digs.
Kentucky was led on the night by Avery Skinner as she totaled 13 kills on a .542 hitting percentage. Madison Lilley led UK with 42 assists.
The Wildcats came out strong Friday night, hitting .421 in the opening set en route to a 25-15 first set win. Tennessee and Kentucky played a tight second set early on with the Lady Vols staying within striking distance, but the Wildcats used a 6-1 run to open it up, eventually winning the set 25-16.
UK hit .484 in the final set on its way to a 25-15 third set victory and a 3-0 match win.
Lady Vol Debuts
The Lady Vols return to Memorial Coliseum in Lexington Saturday night for their second match against the third-ranked Wildcats. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will air on SEC Network+.
Tennessee (0-1, 0-1 SEC) was led out of the middle by Ava Bell and Raquel Perinar. Bell paced the Lady Vols with eight kills, while Perinar finished with six against the Wildcats (1-0, 1-0 SEC).
Bell made her much anticipated return to the Lady Vol lineup after suffering from injury last season that cut her year short. The Austin, Texas, native made the most of her return as she hit .353 on the night.
Perinar made the move from outside to middle blocker during preseason camp and filled the role well, hitting .545 and notching a pair of blocks.
Sophomore Kailey Keeble recorded the second double-double of her career on Friday. The Walland, Tennessee, native had a team-high 13 assists and 10 digs.
Kentucky was led on the night by Avery Skinner as she totaled 13 kills on a .542 hitting percentage. Madison Lilley led UK with 42 assists.
The Wildcats came out strong Friday night, hitting .421 in the opening set en route to a 25-15 first set win. Tennessee and Kentucky played a tight second set early on with the Lady Vols staying within striking distance, but the Wildcats used a 6-1 run to open it up, eventually winning the set 25-16.
UK hit .484 in the final set on its way to a 25-15 third set victory and a 3-0 match win.
Lady Vol Debuts
- Redshirt freshman Emily Merrick made her Tennessee debut, playing in two sets and scoring two kills.
- Freshman Jasmine Brooks started for UT on Friday night and earned three kills against UK.
- Junior transfer Natalie Hayward started at setter Friday and recorded 12 assists and five digs.
The Lady Vols return to Memorial Coliseum in Lexington Saturday night for their second match against the third-ranked Wildcats. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will air on SEC Network+.
Players Mentioned
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