University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
20-3,11-2SEC
Georgia
15-10,6-7SEC
#10 Lady Vols Pick Up Win No. 20, Top Georgia in Four Sets
November 10, 2023 | Volleyball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 10 Tennessee's Morgahn Fingall and Jenaisya Moore each eclipsed 20 kills to fuel the 10th-ranked Lady Vols to a 3-1 victory (22-25, 25-13, 25-23, 25-19) Friday night against Georgia at Food City Center.
With the win, UT reached 20 wins this season, marking the third time the Big Orange have accomplished that feat under Eve Rackham Watt and the 25th time in program history. The Lady Vols (20-3, 11-2 SEC) earned 58 kills during the match and hit .365. The Big Orange also had six service aces during the victory over the Bulldogs (15-10, 6-7 SEC).
Graduate student right side Fingall collected 21 kills and added six blocks while hitting .425. This marked the fourth time Fingall eclipsed 20 kills this season, and she also recorded her 1,500th kill of her career during the match. This mark places her sixth in the all-time kills list in Tennessee history, surpassing Kristen Andre (1,498).
Graduate student outside hitter Moore joined Fingall on the attack, racking up 20 kills while hitting a team-best .474. Graduate student middle blocker Raeven Chase, sophomore middle blocker Keondreya Granberry and junior outside hitter Erykah Lovett recorded eight, five and four kills, respectively.
As a team, UT recorded 12 blocks with Chase leading the way with nine, a season high for her. The nine rejections also ties a season high for blocks by a Lady Vol this season. Moore, Granberry and Lovett also recorded multiple blocks. Redshirt-freshman setter Caroline Kerr notched 54 assists, while junior defensive specialist Abby Ekeler set a career high with three aces.
Friday's attendance of 2,088 marks the ninth-largest crowd in program history at Food City Center. Tennessee now has reached top-ten attendance marks four times this season.Â
Moore had the hot hand to open the match, accounting for UT's first three kills. Georgia responded with a 6-0 run to pull ahead, and the Bulldogs hit .452 to prevent the Lady Vols from getting any momentum. Moore and Fingall both posted five kills each, while Kerr tallied 14 assists.Â
UGA opened the second period by jumping out to a 5-3 advantage, but the Big Orange answered with a massive 13-2 run to swing the momentum in its favor. The Lady Vols never looked back in the set, outhitting Georgia .562 to -.043 and recording three aces and six blocks. UT won the frame 25-13, marking the 18th time this season Tennessee held an opponent to 15 or less points in a set. Â
The Lady Vols took the early lead in the third period and never relinquished it despite a late push from the Bulldogs. Tennessee had 16 kills on .306 hitting in the frame. Fingall posted six kills to lead the offense, while Moore added five of her own.
The decisive fourth frame was back and forth to start, however while trailing 8-9, UT rattled off three consecutive points and didn't relinquish the lead during the 25-19 set victory. Tennessee secured the victory after scoring the final four points of the match. Fingall and Moore both eclipsed 20 kills during the fourth, marking the first time since August 27, 2022 against Purdue that two Lady Vols had 20 or more kills in the same match.
Up next, the Big Orange take on Ole Miss for the second time this season Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. This match will also be live streamed on SEC Network+.
