Lady Vols Battle No. 18 Kentucky, Fall in Four Sets

Wednesday, November 16

Lexington, KY

7 PM

University of Tennessee

14-12,8-6SEC

Kentucky

17-6,12-2SEC

Tennessee

Kentucky

November 16, 2022 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Aided by 20 kills from Morgahn Fingall, the Tennessee volleyball team battled 18th-ranked Kentucky to four sets (18-25, 25-21, 19-25, 24-26) Wednesday night, but fell to the Wildcats at Memorial Coliseum.

Tennessee (14-12, 8-6 SEC) total 46 kills as a team and posted 10 total blocks on the night. Fingall led all players with 20 kills and added four block assists to her final stat line. The right-side attacker took 50 swings and hit .360.

Setter Natalie Hayward tied her career-high in kills with nine and dished out 28 assists. At the net, she posted one solo block and three assisted blocks.

Freshman middle blocker Keondreya Granberry led the team with eight block assists. In attack, she pitched in with four kills.

Kentucky (17-6, 12-2 SEC) scored 67 kills as a team while hitting .268. Reagan Rutherford led UK with 16 kills, while Adanna Rollins (15), Azhani Tealer (12) and Elise Goetzinger (11) all reached double-figures. The Wildcats equaled the Lady Vols in blocks at 10.

Both teams were sluggish in attack in the opening frame, but Kentucky's service pressure gave it the edge and kept UT out of rhythm. The Wildcats tallied three aces in the set to go along with 14 kills and four blocks as they won, 25-18.

Tennessee responded in the second with 11 kills on a .333 hitting percentage to win the set, 25-21. On the defensive side of the net, the Lady Vols posted three total blocks, led by Granberry with two block assists. UT's net-front presence held UK to a .238 hit percentage.

Kentucky – the nation's leading kills-per-set team – broke out in the third with 19 kills. Erin Lamb did the damage with seven, while Rollins scored four. Goetzinger and Rutherford each tallied three in the set as UK won, 25-19.

The fourth set was tight as the Wildcats scored 18 kills, but the Lady Vols kept pace with 11 kills of their own and five blocks. Kentucky edged UT at the service line with three aces and took the set, 26-24.

UP NEXT
Tennessee is back home on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 19-20 as it plays host to Mississippi State. First serve on Saturday is slated for 4 p.m. On Sunday, UT will honor its seniors before the match starting around 11:45 a.m.