University of Tennessee Athletics
Saturday, March 13
Fayetteville, AR
3 PM
University of Tennessee
at
Arkansas
Volleyball Preview: Tennessee Travels to Arkansas for Two-Match Series
March 12, 2021 | Volleyball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Lady Vol volleyball team hits the road for the first time this spring as they travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for a pair of matches against the Razorbacks on Saturday and Sunday.
First serve for both matches is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
BROADCAST INFO
Both matches will be available to live stream on SEC Network+.
LAST TIME OUT
Tennessee earned the series win last weekend over Mississippi State, defeating the Bulldogs, 3-1, in the opening match and sweeping MSU in match two.
MO IS ON FIRE
Sophomore Morgahn Fingall averaged 4.71 kills per set against Mississippi State, scoring a career-high 19 kills in the series' opening match. She followed up that performance with 14 kills in the second match. Since the start of the spring, Fingall has six consecutive double-digit kill performances and has cemented herself in the Lady Vol starting lineup.
For the season, Fingall is averaging a team-high 3.44 kills per set and is scoring 3.91 points per set.
BRICK WALL MAHAFFEY
In the fall, junior Danielle Mahaffey played as an outside hitter but with the emergence of Fingall has moved into the middle. That move has paid off as Mahaffey has tallied two-plus blocks a match, including a 10-block outing against Mississippi State.
In the first match of the MSU series, Mahaffey posted seven solo blocks and three assisted. Her seven solo blocks tied the single-match school-record set by Robin Maine against Eastern Kentucky on November 13, 1982.
Since moving to the middle, Mahaffey has hit .250 or better in four of six matches.
BRYANT IS DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Libero Madison Bryant anchored the Lady Vol backline against Mississippi State, averaging 4.71 digs per set. Her defense and passing was crucial for UT as the sophomore played a key role in digging tough attacks from the Bulldogs all weekend to sustain rallies and transition the Lady Vols into attack.
Bryant tallied 18 digs in the opening match and followed that with 15 digs in the second match on Saturday. The Anderson, South Carolina, native set a career-high in service aces in Saturday's match with three as the service pressure she applied to MSU forced it into making mistakes in reception and kept the Bulldog offense out of rhythm.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS
The Razorbacks enter the weekend with an 11-7 record and sit sixth in the conference.
Jillian Gillen leads the Hogs in kills per set, averaging 3.87 and totaling 259. She currently ranks seventh in the SEC in kills per set. Gracie Ryan is tasked with running the Arkansas offense and is third in the conference in assists per set with an average of 10.24.
Gillen leads the SEC in service aces per set, scoring 0.46 for a season total of 31.
SERIES HISTORY
Tennessee leads the all-time series 22-20 and has won three-straight. The Lady Vols and Razorbacks have split the last 10 matchups, 5-5.
UT tied up the Hogs in five sets the last time the two teams met, rallying from a two-sets-to-one deficit. In the meeting, Lily Felts put down 14 kills, while Mahaffey totaled 11 kills and seven total blocks.
UP NEXT
Tennessee wraps up its road swing at Alabama March 19 and 20. The series opener begins at 7 p.m. ET on the 19, with match two beginning at 3 p.m. on the 20.
First serve for both matches is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
BROADCAST INFO
Both matches will be available to live stream on SEC Network+.
LAST TIME OUT
Tennessee earned the series win last weekend over Mississippi State, defeating the Bulldogs, 3-1, in the opening match and sweeping MSU in match two.
MO IS ON FIRE
Sophomore Morgahn Fingall averaged 4.71 kills per set against Mississippi State, scoring a career-high 19 kills in the series' opening match. She followed up that performance with 14 kills in the second match. Since the start of the spring, Fingall has six consecutive double-digit kill performances and has cemented herself in the Lady Vol starting lineup.
For the season, Fingall is averaging a team-high 3.44 kills per set and is scoring 3.91 points per set.
BRICK WALL MAHAFFEY
In the fall, junior Danielle Mahaffey played as an outside hitter but with the emergence of Fingall has moved into the middle. That move has paid off as Mahaffey has tallied two-plus blocks a match, including a 10-block outing against Mississippi State.
In the first match of the MSU series, Mahaffey posted seven solo blocks and three assisted. Her seven solo blocks tied the single-match school-record set by Robin Maine against Eastern Kentucky on November 13, 1982.
Since moving to the middle, Mahaffey has hit .250 or better in four of six matches.
BRYANT IS DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Libero Madison Bryant anchored the Lady Vol backline against Mississippi State, averaging 4.71 digs per set. Her defense and passing was crucial for UT as the sophomore played a key role in digging tough attacks from the Bulldogs all weekend to sustain rallies and transition the Lady Vols into attack.
Bryant tallied 18 digs in the opening match and followed that with 15 digs in the second match on Saturday. The Anderson, South Carolina, native set a career-high in service aces in Saturday's match with three as the service pressure she applied to MSU forced it into making mistakes in reception and kept the Bulldog offense out of rhythm.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS
The Razorbacks enter the weekend with an 11-7 record and sit sixth in the conference.
Jillian Gillen leads the Hogs in kills per set, averaging 3.87 and totaling 259. She currently ranks seventh in the SEC in kills per set. Gracie Ryan is tasked with running the Arkansas offense and is third in the conference in assists per set with an average of 10.24.
Gillen leads the SEC in service aces per set, scoring 0.46 for a season total of 31.
SERIES HISTORY
Tennessee leads the all-time series 22-20 and has won three-straight. The Lady Vols and Razorbacks have split the last 10 matchups, 5-5.
UT tied up the Hogs in five sets the last time the two teams met, rallying from a two-sets-to-one deficit. In the meeting, Lily Felts put down 14 kills, while Mahaffey totaled 11 kills and seven total blocks.
UP NEXT
Tennessee wraps up its road swing at Alabama March 19 and 20. The series opener begins at 7 p.m. ET on the 19, with match two beginning at 3 p.m. on the 20.
Players Mentioned
DS/L
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
RS
/ Volleyball
OH/RS
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