University of Tennessee Athletics
Saturday, November 19
Knoxville
4 PM
University of Tennessee
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Mississippi State
Volleyball Preview: Senior Weekend Against Mississippi State
November 18, 2022 | Volleyball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee volleyball team welcomes Mississippi State to Rocky Top for its final home series of the season. The Lady Vols and Bulldogs square off inside Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET and on Sunday at noon.
TICKETING PROCEDURE
Starting this fall, tickets to all Tennessee Athletics events will be digital and can be accessed through a mobile device to improve security and reduce the risk of ticket fraud as well as make the process more convenient for fans.
Fans will gain admission into all venues via a unique QR code which will be scanned directly from a mobile device. For quick and easy entry into Tennessee Athletics venues, fans are encouraged to download the Tennessee Athletics app from the App Store (iPhone) and Google Play (Android).
Digital tickets can be managed via a mobile device or desktop web browser, but a mobile device is required for venue access on matchdays.
Your mobile device is the ticket on gameday. All valid digital tickets will display a moving barcode or a hold near reader (tap-and-go) icon. PLEASE NOTE: SCREENSHOTS OF TICKETS WILL NOT SCAN AT THE GATE AND WILL NOT ALLOW ENTRY!
BROADCAST INFO
Saturday's match will be available to stream on SECN+ or through the ESPN app. Match two on Sunday will be broadcast on SECN with Kevin Barnett and Paul Sunderland describing the action.
LAST TIME OUT
UT played at Kentucky Wednesday night, going four sets against the No. 18 Wildcats. Morgahn Fingall carried the load offensively with 20 kills.
SENIOR CELEBRATION
Tennessee will honor its five seniors on Sunday, Nov. 20 before the match at 11:50 a.m. ET. Three of the five seniors - Natalie Hayward, Danielle Mahaffey, and Abigail Matoso - have exhausted their eligibility, while Fingall and Kylie Robinson still have the option to return for a fifth and sixth year respectively.
The seniors have left their mark on Rocky Top with Hayward ranking fourth all-time in career assists and Mahaffey at sixth in program in total blocks. Fingall – a right-side attacker – recently reached the 1,000 career kill milestone and is No. 9 in Tennessee history in kills during the rally-scoring era.
Matoso and Robinson – transfers into the program this season – have stepped up for their teammates throughout the year. Matoso came off the bench against South Carolina on Oct. 8 and dug a season-high nine balls to help UT win a five-set thriller over the Gamecocks. Robinson has shown her versatility and team-first attitude, playing as both a setter and defensive specialist this season.
MS. 1,000
Fingall has shined this season, registering over 300 kills for the second consecutive season. In Tennessee's Nov. 5 match against LSU, Fingall eclipsed the 1,000 career kill milestone in the second set. She is the 23rd player in program history to reach the 1,000-kill milestone and the 10th to do so in the rally-scoring era – 2001 to present.
She currently leads the Lady Vols in kills and kills per set this season at 379 and 4.21. She also leads the SEC in kills per set and ranks 28th nationally. Heading into the stretch run, Fingall has put together 22 double-digit kills outings and has seven double-doubles this season.
FINAL PUSH
Tennessee and Mississippi State come into the weekend looking to solidify its positions for the NCAA Tournament. UT sits at No. 44 in the RPI, while State is No. 47.
WINDICATORS
Tennessee is 11-4 when it hits better than .250 this season and is 12-3 when it wins the second set. During Eve Rackham Watt's tenure, UT is 59-8 when it hits .250 or better.
Under Rackham Watt, the Lady Vols are 68-11 when they win the second set.
SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE
2022 Record: 13-11 (6-8 SEC)
Series Record: UT leads 51-14
Last Meeting: Nov. 14, 2021 – A 3-2 win for Mississippi State in Starkville.
Key Player/Stat: Mississippi State ranks among the SEC's top five in digs per set (15.82 – 1st), assists per set (12.22 – 5th) and kills per set (13.12 – 5th). Gabby Waden leads the Bulldogs with 3.62 kills per set on a .286 hitting percentage. She has totaled 10-plus kills during 22 of her last 24 outings. Waden has produced four double-doubles this season, her latest coming against No. 18 Kentucky with 16 kills and 13 digs.
UP NEXT
Tennessee will spend Thanksgiving on the road in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, as it plays two matches against the Crimson Tide on Wednesday, Nov. 23 and on Friday, Nov. 25.
TICKETING PROCEDURE
Starting this fall, tickets to all Tennessee Athletics events will be digital and can be accessed through a mobile device to improve security and reduce the risk of ticket fraud as well as make the process more convenient for fans.
Fans will gain admission into all venues via a unique QR code which will be scanned directly from a mobile device. For quick and easy entry into Tennessee Athletics venues, fans are encouraged to download the Tennessee Athletics app from the App Store (iPhone) and Google Play (Android).
Digital tickets can be managed via a mobile device or desktop web browser, but a mobile device is required for venue access on matchdays.
Your mobile device is the ticket on gameday. All valid digital tickets will display a moving barcode or a hold near reader (tap-and-go) icon. PLEASE NOTE: SCREENSHOTS OF TICKETS WILL NOT SCAN AT THE GATE AND WILL NOT ALLOW ENTRY!
BROADCAST INFO
Saturday's match will be available to stream on SECN+ or through the ESPN app. Match two on Sunday will be broadcast on SECN with Kevin Barnett and Paul Sunderland describing the action.
LAST TIME OUT
UT played at Kentucky Wednesday night, going four sets against the No. 18 Wildcats. Morgahn Fingall carried the load offensively with 20 kills.
SENIOR CELEBRATION
Tennessee will honor its five seniors on Sunday, Nov. 20 before the match at 11:50 a.m. ET. Three of the five seniors - Natalie Hayward, Danielle Mahaffey, and Abigail Matoso - have exhausted their eligibility, while Fingall and Kylie Robinson still have the option to return for a fifth and sixth year respectively.
The seniors have left their mark on Rocky Top with Hayward ranking fourth all-time in career assists and Mahaffey at sixth in program in total blocks. Fingall – a right-side attacker – recently reached the 1,000 career kill milestone and is No. 9 in Tennessee history in kills during the rally-scoring era.
Matoso and Robinson – transfers into the program this season – have stepped up for their teammates throughout the year. Matoso came off the bench against South Carolina on Oct. 8 and dug a season-high nine balls to help UT win a five-set thriller over the Gamecocks. Robinson has shown her versatility and team-first attitude, playing as both a setter and defensive specialist this season.
MS. 1,000
Fingall has shined this season, registering over 300 kills for the second consecutive season. In Tennessee's Nov. 5 match against LSU, Fingall eclipsed the 1,000 career kill milestone in the second set. She is the 23rd player in program history to reach the 1,000-kill milestone and the 10th to do so in the rally-scoring era – 2001 to present.
She currently leads the Lady Vols in kills and kills per set this season at 379 and 4.21. She also leads the SEC in kills per set and ranks 28th nationally. Heading into the stretch run, Fingall has put together 22 double-digit kills outings and has seven double-doubles this season.
FINAL PUSH
Tennessee and Mississippi State come into the weekend looking to solidify its positions for the NCAA Tournament. UT sits at No. 44 in the RPI, while State is No. 47.
WINDICATORS
Tennessee is 11-4 when it hits better than .250 this season and is 12-3 when it wins the second set. During Eve Rackham Watt's tenure, UT is 59-8 when it hits .250 or better.
Under Rackham Watt, the Lady Vols are 68-11 when they win the second set.
SCOUTING MISSISSIPPI STATE
2022 Record: 13-11 (6-8 SEC)
Series Record: UT leads 51-14
Last Meeting: Nov. 14, 2021 – A 3-2 win for Mississippi State in Starkville.
Key Player/Stat: Mississippi State ranks among the SEC's top five in digs per set (15.82 – 1st), assists per set (12.22 – 5th) and kills per set (13.12 – 5th). Gabby Waden leads the Bulldogs with 3.62 kills per set on a .286 hitting percentage. She has totaled 10-plus kills during 22 of her last 24 outings. Waden has produced four double-doubles this season, her latest coming against No. 18 Kentucky with 16 kills and 13 digs.
UP NEXT
Tennessee will spend Thanksgiving on the road in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, as it plays two matches against the Crimson Tide on Wednesday, Nov. 23 and on Friday, Nov. 25.
Players Mentioned
RS
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
DS
/ Volleyball
S
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