Four Lady Vols Garner AVCA All-America Recognition

LEXINGTON, Ky. – After helping Tennessee to one of its best seasons in program history, four Lady Vols garnered AVCA All-America status for their play this season, the organization announced Wednesday.

Right side Morgahn Fingall, the 2023 AVCA Southeast Region Player of the Year, was tabbed to the AVCA All-America First Team. She joins Beverly Robinson (1982) as the only Lady Vols in program history to achieve this feat. After being named a Second Team All-American last year, Fingall became the only player in program history to be tabbed a First or Second Team All-American in back-to-back seasons.

Setter Caroline Kerr claimed a spot on the All-America Second Team, joining Julie Knytych (2004-05) and Mary Pollmiller (2011) as the only setters in program history to earn All-America recognition. Outside hitter Jenaisya Moore and libero Yelianiz Torres received All-America Honorable Mention accolades. With four honorees, the 2023 Tennessee squad matched the program record for most selections in a single season, joining the 2004, 2005 and 2011 teams.

A total of 25 Lady Vols have earned All-Americans in UT history. Since head coach Eve Rackham Watt took the helm, eight different players have received All-America recognition after just two were honored during the previous six seasons before her arrival.

A member of the AVCA All-Region and All-SEC teams, Fingall finished with 457 kills on .321 hitting, 193 digs, 84 blocks and 30 aces to lead the Lady Vols to one of their best seasons in program history. She ranked second in the SEC in kills per set (4.31), third in points per set (5.00) and ninth in hitting percentage. Fingall led the conference with 4.38 kills per set during league play, and she ranked inside the top 20 nationally in both kills and points per set.

Fingall was the No. 4 overall pick as well as the first SEC player and first outside hitter taken in the 2023 Pro Volleyball Federation Draft, being selected by the Grand Rapids Rise in the first round. She was a do-it-all player for the Big Orange this year, recording double-digit kills in 27 matches, including six 20-kill performances, posting five double-doubles, notching multiple aces in eight contests and finishing five matches with at least five blocks.

She concluded her time as a Lady Vol as one of the best players in Tennessee history. She was a three-time All-SEC performer and won SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors in 2022 and 2023. Her 1,632 career kills were the fifth-most in the program record books, while her 3.51 kills per set ranked ninth. During the 25-point rally-scoring era, she posted the second- and fifth-highest totals for kills in a single season with 483 in 2022 and 457 in 2023, setting the UT record for total kills during the era. She also ranked second and third in kills per set thanks to 4.39 in 2022 and 4.31 in 2023.

One of the best setters in the nation, Kerr finished with 1,245 assists, 210 digs, 70 kills, 40 blocks and 33 aces during her first season of competition. She ranked third nationally, second in the SEC and led all NCAA freshmen in assists per set at 11.75, recording 14 40-assist efforts and five 50-assist performances on the year.

The Champaign, Ill., native earned AVCA All-Region honors and was tabbed to the All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman teams. Kerr received 11 SEC weekly honors on the year, including seven SEC Freshman of the Week and two SEC Player and Setter of the Week awards each. For the season, her 11.75 assists per set marked the second most in a single season during the 25-point rally-scoring era in Tennessee history, while her total assists ranked third.

In her lone season with the Lady Vols, Moore made a huge impact in helping elevate the UT offense. The AVCA All-Region honoree finished with 394 kills on .302 hitting, 150 digs and 44 blocks on the year. She ranks seventh in the SEC in kills per set (3.72) and ninth in points per set (4.02). She recorded double-digit kills in 23 matches this season, including a pair of 20-kill efforts. Moore's second on the team in kills behind Fingall, as the duo is one of the best in the SEC.

The Germantown, Md., native shined during the Lady Vols' victory at No. 20 Florida, recording career bests in kills (23) and digs (16) to earn her second double-double of the season and posting six kills on .750 hitting in the fifth set. In Tennessee's NCAA Tournament second round matchup against No. 21 Western Kentucky, Moore had a match-high 19 kills—10 of which occurred in the third set—to complete the sweep and help the Lady Vols punch their ticket to the regional semifinals for the first time since 2005.

Moore was selected 28th overall in the Pro Volleyball Federation earlier this week, being taken by the Columbus Fury in the fourth round. She ended her collegiate career with 1,235 kills and 447 digs.

Fingall, Kerr and Moore spearheaded one of the best offenses in the country, ranking inside the top five nationally and leading the SEC in kills per set (2nd/14.75), assists per set (3rd/13.60) and hitting percentage (5th/.304).

Leading the back row defense for the Big Orange, Torres recorded 403 digs, 102 assists and 31 aces for the year. The Lady Vols paced the SEC in kills per set allowed (11.39) and assists per set allowed (10.78), while ranking second in the conference in both opposing hitting percentage (.194) and aces per set allowed (0.82).

For the season, Torres was a three-time SEC Defensive Player of the Week recipient. She averaged a team-best 3.91 digs per set, which ranked seventh in the SEC and eighth for a single season in the UT record books during the 25-point rally-scoring era. The AVCA All-Region recipient concluded her career with 1,456 digs, 309 assists and 99 aces.

University of Tennessee Athletics

Players Mentioned

Morgahn Fingall

Caroline Kerr

Jenaisya Moore

Yelianiz Torres

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