University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
14-3, 6-1SEC
South Carolina
11-5, 3-3SEC
No. 22 Tennessee Sweeps South Carolina, Wins Series
October 09, 2021 | Volleyball
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Earning its 11th sweep of the season and fourth against an SEC opponent, the 22nd-ranked Tennessee volleyball team defeated South Carolina in three sets (25-22, 25-20, 25-17) Saturday at the Carolina Volleyball Center.
Tennessee (14-3, 6-1 SEC) hit an impressive .376 versus South Carolina (11-5, 3-3) en route to the three-set win. The Lady Vols put away 46 kills, notched four service aces and threw up seven total blocks on the evening.
The Gamecocks put down 39 kills on a .293 hit percentage, tallied three aces and five blocks.
Lily Felts did a little bit of everything for UT Saturday as she totaled a team-leading 13 kills on a .400 hitting percentage. The Knoxville native scored three key service aces in the third set and came away from the match with nine digs and two block assists.
Breana Runnels reached double-figures versus South Carolina as she put down 12 kills. The Bakersfield, California, native finished with nine digs.
Natalie Hayward dished out 34 assists, dropped in five kills and finished with five digs and two blocks as the setter continues to put in solid all-around performances.
In the middle, Ava Bell and Nicole Shanahan combined for 10 kills – Bell finished with seven and Shanahan with three – with Shanahan leading the team with three blocks. Bell closed out the night with two blocks.
Both teams hit well in the opening set with UT hitting .419 and South Carolina .370. Felts and Runnels both tallied five kills in the opening set to lead Tennessee to a 25-22 first set win.
It was more of the same in the second set as Felts and Runnels again put down five kills each as they helped the Orange & White win 25-20 and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Down 16-13 in the second, a kill from Felts and back-to-back attack errors by the Gamecocks tied the set up at 16-16. USC got the lead back after a quick kill, but a service error and back-to-back kills from Felts and Runnels put UT up 19-17.
It was all Lady Vols from then on as they stretched the lead out and took the second set.
Down early in the third set, Tennessee chipped away and took the lead before the 15-point media timeout. Coming out of the timeout, it was all Lady Vols as they finished the match on a 10-4 scoring advantage.
Shanahan picked up all three of her kills in the final frame, while as a team, Tennessee hit .414 and scored 14 kills, three service aces and put up three total blocks. UT won the third set, 25-17.
With the victory, head coach Eve Rackham Watt becomes the fourth-winningest coach in program history. Rackham Watt is 67-30 overall and 43-20 in SEC play. Her .691 win percentage is the second-highest in Lady Vol volleyball history.
STAT LEADERS
Kills – Lily Felts (13)
Assists – Natalie Hayward (34)
Digs – Lily Felts (9), Breana Runnels (9)
Blocks – Nicole Shanahan (3)
UP NEXT
Tennessee stays on the road next week as it travels to Athens, Georgia, to face the Georgia Bulldogs. UT and UGA will only play once, with the match scheduled for Friday, Oct. 15. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the match can be seen on SEC Network+.
