Lady Vols Battle No. 8 Purdue to Five Sets, Fall in a Heartbreaker

Friday, December 2

Louisville, Ky

4 PM

University of Tennessee

17-14,11-7SEC

Purdue

21-10,11-9Big Ten

Tennessee

Purdue

Lady Vols Battle No. 8 Purdue to Five Sets, Fall in a Heartbreaker

December 02, 2022 | Volleyball

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Lady Vols volleyball team dropped a heartbreaker to No. 8-seeded Purdue Friday night at L&N Arena in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, falling in five sets (25-14, 14-25, 25-22, 22-25, 11-15).

Tennessee (17-14) was led on the night by senior Morgahn Fingall who scored 25 of UT's 62 kills. Sophomore Erykah Lovett added 10 with 12 digs to notch a double-double – her 14th of the year.

The Lady Vols hit .222 as a team and posted 12 blocks on the night. Freshman Keondreya Granberry and senior Natalie Hayward each recorded six blocks – six assisted for Granberry and two solo and four assisted by Hayward.

Hayward dished out 48 assists and picked up seven digs and two kills to round out her night.

Purdue (21-10) finished with 61 kills as a team – led by Eva Hudson with 23. She finished with a double-double, notching 14 digs. Madeline Koch was second on the squad with 10 kills.

The Boilermakers kept pace with the Lady Vols in blocks, finishing with 11. Raven Colvin posted four solo blocks and three assisted blocks to lead her team.

Tennessee cruised past Purdue in the opening set, winning 25-14. UT hit .432 in the frame and scored 17 kills with just one attack error. Hayward chipped in a pair of aces and two block assists to help secure the set, while Fingall powered home seven kills.

The score was flipped in the second as Purdue bounced back to take the set, 25-14. The Boilermakers tallied 16 kills on a .577 hit percentage and picked up two aces and three blocks to tie the match.

In a scrappy third set, UT emerged victorious with a 25-22 win. Neither team hit for a high percentage as both squads posted four total blocks. Granberry led the Orange & White with four assisted, followed by junior Jasmine Brooks with a pair. Hayward and sophomore Ashllyn King recorded one ace apiece en route to Tennessee's third set-win.

Continuing the trend of score reversals, Purdue again tied up the match as it claimed the fourth set, 25-22. The Boilermakers used 15 kills and a .343 hit percentage to edge out UT at .257 and 16 kills. The teams were even in total blocks with each posting two, while Purdue managed one ace on the Lady Vols.

In the fifth, Tennessee out-hit Purdue .286 to .278 but struggled in sideout situations, allowing the Boilers to sustain runs. Fingall scored five of UT's six kills in the frame. For Purdue, Hudson led the way with seven of its 10 kills.

The Boilermakers turned up the service line pressure in the fifth, notching three to win 15-11.

QUOTES
Eve Rackham Watt, Head Coach, Tennessee
"It was two great teams playing each other. Unfortunately, it had to be in the first round. But I think we played great, I thought Purdue played great, congratulations to them. I thought the match could have gone either way. Both of us had really, really good moments and both of us had moments where we weren't as good, but credit to them for the way they played in the fifth (set). We had some chances for sure, and our serve and pass game broke down a little bit, so I think that's probably where the game was lost."

(On Natalie Hayward and Morgahn Fingall)
"It's hard to put, for Natalie, three years into one press conference. What she's done for the program, what she's done from a leadership standpoint, and what she's done for our team culture - those are all the things off the floor that people don't get to see. I think she's one of the best setters in the country. There are not a lot of setters who do what she does in terms of her offensive production, her serving production, and her ability to set the ball. She came to us, she transferred to us, and trusted us to help her become a better setter and we got so much more in return as a program. Just thankful for everything she did for us. And Morgahn - talking about Morgahn is fun because it has been such an evolution to watch her grow up from her freshman year to her senior year. The level of player she's become, one of the best opposites in the country just carries us match after match. Not a lot of opposites are playing six rotations, and she's done that all year long. She's been a go-to for us, as well as one of our captains and leaders. So, these two I think, for us, just stand for everything that our program stands for. I could talk about that for a long time. Just really proud of the way they played tonight, but proud of what they've done for us all year long."

Natalie Hayward, Senior, Setter
(On the team's resiliency throughout the season)
"I think tonight was like a perfect way to describe almost the entire year. We've been really good, and we've had our moments, but it's kind of been just a roller coaster all year. I think we got better as the year went on with all that adversity. Obviously, adding Danielle (Mahaffey) really, really helped, but you don't get that without the growth of everybody else on the team, and I don't think anybody went the opposite way as we kept moving forward. So, I think that's a really good sign of where Danielle and I are kind of leaving this, but I think it's going to keep going forward because that's just the way this program is ran. They're going to keep pushing, no matter if next year has more obstacles or not. That's a part of the journey, but I think they're going to be just fine."

(On her time at Tennessee)
"I will forever be indebted to this place for what it has done for me. It has made me a better person. The people I've been around have just invested in me, and you can't help but give it your all when people are so invested in your career and your development. So, it's a two-way street. There's just so many people that have your back, and you can't not want to go to war with them every single day, and that's just how I approach every single day. Our coaches work tirelessly to give us everything that we need, so the way I'm wired is why would I not give everything I have. And I think as I've learned about the Lady Vol legacy, that's what you do and that's how you go about your days."