VB Week Preview: #8 Lady Vols Host Mississippi State for Senior Night, Conclude Regular Season at South Carolina

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The eighth-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols wrap up the regular season this week with matches against Mississippi State and South Carolina.

The Big Orange (23-3, 14-2 SEC) opens with the Bulldogs on Wednesday at 5 p.m. for Senior Night at Food City Center. UT will honor eight individuals from the program before the match begins. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to support the Lady Vol seniors during one of their final matches on Rocky Top. Fans can purchase tickets at AllVols.com. The match will be streamed on SEC Network+.

Tennessee wraps up the regular season with a road trip to Columbia, South Carolina, to face the Gamecocks. The matchup will be Saturday at 1 p.m. and will be streamed on SEC Network+. The Lady Vols will look to preserve their perfect record on the road in league play, having won all eight SEC contests away from home this year.

TICKETING PROCEDURE
Tickets to all Tennessee Athletics events are 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!

LADY VOLS IN THE RANKINGS
The Big Orange currently sits at No. 8 in the AVCA polls. The only higher ranking UT has ever achieved was sixth in the final poll of the 2005 rankings, following Tennessee's Final Four run. Since that came after the postseason, UT's eighth-place ranking this year marks the program's best placement during the regular season ever. The Lady Vols have been a mainstay in the polls since Week 2 of the season.

FINGALL CLIMBING THE LEADERBOARD
One of the top attackers in program history, right side Morgahn Fingall continues to climb UT's career kills list. With 1,522 career kills, she's just two away from moving into fifth all time. For the year, her 4.12 kills per set are fourth in the SEC and ranks 32nd nationally. She's fourth in the league and 26th in the country in points per set at 4.81.

BIG ORANGE ATTACK AMONG NATION'S ELITE GROUPS
Tennessee's attack has been stellar this season, and it's the primary reason for the Lady Vols being 23-3. UT currently ranks second nationally in kills per set with 14.71, fourth in assists per set (13.46) and sixth in hitting percentage (.303). The Lady Vols lead the SEC in all three categories.

SIDEOUT SUCCESS KEY FACTOR FOR UT EACH MATCH
One element of Tennessee's impressive season that's easy to miss has been the Big Orange winning the battle on sideouts. The Lady Vols are scoring 67 percent of the time when opponents serve, while capitalizing on 47 percent of their own point-scoring opportunities. Tennessee has recorded a sideout percentage of 70 percent or better in 41 sets this year, while holding foes to a sideout percentage of less than 50 percent in 34 sets.

LADY VOLS IN THE SEC WEEKLY HONORS
Tennessee's play this season hasn't gone unrecognized. With many impressive outings from the Lady Vols, the SEC has honored UT players a combined 22 times. Here's the breakdown of each honor won:

7x Freshman of the Week
5x Defensive Player of the Week
4x Player of the Week
4x Offensive Player of the Week
2x Setter of the Week

BREAK OUT THE BROOMS
So far this year, the Lady Vols boast 16 sweeps. Over the last three seasons, UT has swept 40 opponents, including 26 at home. The Big Orange has swept nine SEC opponents and went on a streak of 18 straight set wins between Loyola (4th set) and Mississippi State (2nd set). Tennessee has swept its last three opponents and has won 12 straight sets.