University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
14-11,8-5SEC
Georgia
18-7,9-5SEC
Lady Vols Rally to Win Five-Set Thriller Over Georgia
November 12, 2022 | Volleyball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Erasing a two-sets-to-one deficit, the Lady Vols volleyball team rallied to defeat Georgia at home in Thompson-Boling Arena in five sets (25-15, 21-25, 15-25, 25-23, 15-13) on Friday night – extending their win streak to four straight.
Junior Jasmine Brooks shined bright in the match, setting a career-high at 20 kills as she helped spark UT's comeback. The Toney, Alabama, native hit .310 on the night, picked up four digs and posted one solo block and one assisted block.
Sophomore Erykah Lovett and senior Morgahn Fingall also scored double-digit kills for the Lady Vols. Lovett put away 14, while Fingall notched 12. Both players finished with a double-double as Lovett added 13 digs and Fingall 11.
Tennessee's (14-11, 8-5 SEC) block was effective against UGA as it earned 10 total blocks and held its opponent to a .154 hitting percentage. Danielle Mahaffey led UT with two solo blocks while assisting in four more. The graduate added seven kills on a .538 hitting performance.
The Lady Vols cruised through the opening frame, winning 25-15. They scored 17 kills on a .483 hit percentage, led by Lovett with five. Fingall and Brooks chipped in with four and three kills, respectively.
UT threw up three blocks in the first as its pressure at the net held the Bulldogs to a .080 hit percentage.
Georgia (18-7, 9-5 SEC) responded in the second set as it dialed up the service pressure and scored four aces to win the set 25-21. The Bulldogs' attack found a rhythm as they put down 14 kills and hit .243. Brooks and Lovett tallied four kills each for UT.
Errors in attack and five UGA service aces hurt the Lady Vols in the third set as Georgia pulled away for a 25-15 win.
With its back against the wall, Tennessee hit back in the fourth with 19 kills. Brooks was the spark plug as she notched eight kills on a .278 hit percentage to lead UT to a 25-23 fourth-set victory. Georgia kept it close with 13 kills of its own and five more aces.
The Lady Vols fell behind in the fifth set but used a 6-0 run to rally again and take a 13-9 lead. Brooks accounted for three points in the run as she notched a pair of kills and recorded a block. UGA chipped away and made it a one-point match at 14-13 before Brooks scored her 20th kill of night to win the set and match for Tennessee.
UP NEXT
Tennessee is at No. 19 Kentucky on Wednesday, Nov. 16. First serve between the Lady Vols and Wildcats is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington.
