No. 22 Tennessee Falls to No. 9 Purdue, 3-0

Saturday, September 18

West Lafayette, IN

12:30 PM

University of Tennessee

8-2,0-0SEC

Purdue

8-1,0-0Big Ten

Tennessee

Purdue

September 18, 2021 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score Season Stats

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The 22nd-ranked Tennessee volleyball team suffered just its second loss of the season Saturday, falling to No. 9 Purdue (19-25, 22-25, 23-25) at Holloway Gymnasium.

Tennessee (8-2) faced its third top-10 opponent of the season in the ninth-ranked Boilermakers. It is just the seventh time in program history the Lady Vols have played three or more top-10 foes in a single season.

UT hit .210 in the match, totaling 43 kills along with 40 assists, 46 digs and six total blocks. Purdue (8-1) hit .272 with 47 kills, 42 assists, 51 digs and eight blocks.

Morgahn Fingall led UT in kills versus Purdue, putting down 14 on a .250 hitting percentage. Breana Runnels also reached double-figures in kills Saturday, scoring 11.

Natalie Hayward posted her fourth double-double of the year as she dished out 31 assists and recorded 10 digs.

Leading UT in blocks was Danielle Mahaffey with three. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native added three kills and a dig to her final stat tally.

Purdue won the opening set 25-19 as it hit .350, while limiting UT to a .159 hit percentage. Caitlyn Newton and Grace Cleveland led Purdue with six and five kills, respectively, in the set.

The opening set was halted for around 15 minutes as the fire alarm in Holloway Gymnasium sounded. After a check of the building by firemen, the match was allowed to resume.

Purdue, which entered the weekend ranked seventh nationally in hitting percentage, continued to swing well as it hit .379 in the second set. Cleveland led the Boilermakers in kills with six as they took the set, 25-22.

Runnels led UT in kills in the set as she totaled six on 12 attempts. Fingall and senior Lily Felts each added three.

Tennessee did not go quietly, battling Purdue to the end of the match in the third set. Over the course of the final frame, the score was tied or changed hands 18 times. The Lady Vols hit .225 in the set and held Purdue down to a .133 hitting percentage.

Fingall posted seven kills to lead UT in the third.

With the score tied at 23-23, Purdue took the lead on a kill by Taylor Trammell, before an attack error by UT ended the set and the match. Purdue won the final set, 25-23.

STACEY CLARK CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Breana Runnels and Morgahn Fingall were named to the all-tournament team for their performance over UT's three matches. Runnels scored 23 kills and hit .231, while notching 12 digs. Fingall tallied 28 kills on the weekend, hit .290, recorded 10 digs and three blocks.

All-Tournament Team
Maggie Castleman, Purdue Fort Wayne
Kylee Quigley, Jacksonville State
Morgahn Fingall, Tennessee
Breana Runnels, Tennessee
Raven Colvin, Purdue
Grace Cleveland, Purdue
Jena Otec, Purdue
MVP: Jena Otec, Purdue

STAT LEADERS
Kills – Morgahn Fingall (14)
Assists – Natalie Hayward (31)
Digs – Madison Bryant (12)
Blocks – Danielle Mahaffey (3)

UP NEXT
Tennessee returns home for a five-match homestand, beginning Saturday, Sept. 25 versus Arkansas. The Lady Vols will play Arkansas again on Sept. 26, before welcoming Auburn to Thompson-Boling Arena for a Wednesday night showdown on Sept. 29. The homestand wraps up with Texas A&M on Oct. 2 and 3.