VB Preview: #14 Lady Vols Open SEC Play vs. Missouri

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The 14th-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols will look to carry their momentum and early success this season into their SEC opener, as the Big Orange hosts Missouri at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

The Lady Vols (9-1) begin league play with the Tigers, who are currently 8-3. The match will be televised nationally on ESPN2 and tickets are available for $10.

For fans planning to attend, note that Tennessee's clear-bag policy will be in effect again this season. All fans should enter through Gate B.

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!

RACKHAM WATT APPROACHING MAJOR MILESTONE

In her sixth season on Rocky Top, head coach Eve Rackham Watt is just one win away from reaching the 100th victory of her career. She's on pace to be the second-fastest coach in program history to achieve the mark and the fastest in the modern era of Tennessee volleyball (since 1982).

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 opening the year 9-1. UT ranks inside the top three nationally and leads the SEC in assists per set (2nd/13.59), hitting percentage (2nd/.334) and kills per set (3rd/14.71). With elite hitters leading the way, the group continues to get better with the development of redshirt freshman setter Caroline Kerr.

FINGALL NAMED AVCA NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

For the second time in her career, Morgahn Fingall was named the AVCA National Player of the Week on Sept. 12 after averaging 6.57 points per set and 5.71 kills per set—both of which led the SEC—while hitting .421 in wins over Loyola and No. 24 Marquette.

HIGHEST RANKING SINCE 2012

Tennessee moved up to 14th in the AVCA rankings this week. That marks the highest ranking for the Lady Vols since being No. 14 during the Week 2 poll in 2012.

KERR TABBED SEC PLAYER & FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

For the second week in a row, the SEC Player of the Week hailed from Rocky Top, as Tennessee's Caroline Kerr earned the top conference honor along with SEC Freshman of the Week. This marked the third week in a row in which Kerr received conference honors, winning SEC Setter of the Week last Monday and SEC Freshman of the Week two weeks ago. She ranked second in the SEC with 11.00 assists per set for the week to help spearhead UT's attack in sweeps over Chicago State and Evansville. In addition to her assists, she contributed to the Big Orange's scoring by averaging 2.00 points, 1.50 aces and 1.33 kills per set throughout the weekend.

LADY VOLS AT HOME

Tennessee is 59-17 when playing at home under Eve Rackham Watt. During the last three seasons, the Lady Vols boast a 31-7 record when playing at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. This season, UT has swept all five opponents faced on its home court.

BREAK OUT THE BROOMS

So far this year, the Lady Vols boast seven sweeps in just 10 matches. Over the last three seasons, UT has swept 31 opponents, including 22 at home. The Big Orange swept Mizzou in their last meeting.

LADY VOLS START 5-0

Tennessee won its first five matches to begin the year, marking the second time the team achieved this feat under the direction of head coach Eve Rackham Watt. The previous time was in her first season on Rocky Top in 2018, when the Lady Vols went 26-6 for the year. Prior to that, UT only started 5-0 three times between 2005-17.

FINGALL'S HOT START

Morgahn Fingall has been on fire to begin this season. While her numbers are slightly down from last year thanks to the addition and improvement of other attackers around her, she continues to be a nightmare for opposing defenses.
For the year, the right side hitter is averaging 4.00 kills per set and 4.68 points per set. She's recorded double-digit kills in seven matches, including two 20-kill efforts.
She ranks inside the top 50 nationally in both categories, checking in at 38th in points per set and 42nd in kills per set.
Last week, Fingall was named the AVCA National Player of the Week for the second time in her career in addition to SEC Player of the Week and SEC Offensive Player of the Week for her performances at Loyola and No. 24 Marquette. The graduate student averaged 6.57 points per set and 5.71 kills per set—both of which led the SEC for the week—while hitting .421.
During UT's match at Marquette, Fingall opened the contest on fire, recording nine kills on 10 attacks in the first set to set the tone early. For the match, she finished with 18 kills on .471 hitting, a season-high six blocks and three digs to lead the Lady Vols to a sweep against the ranked Golden Eagles. Against Loyola Chicago, she matched her season-best in kills with 22 on .381 hitting to go along with seven digs and two aces.
To begin the season, Fingall earned MVP honors at the Tennessee Classic after posting 28 kills on a .338 hitting percentage, 12 digs, five blocks and two aces.
During UT's West Coast trip and road match at No. 1 Wisconsin, Fingall tallied 47 kills, 20 digs, six blocks, four aces and four assists. Against the Badgers, she went for a season-best 22 kills in the five-set thriller.

CONSTANT PRACTICE AND A YEAR OF PREP HAS KERR PERFORMING AT A HIGH LEVEL

Coming into the 2023 campaign, a major spot had to be filled at setter with the departure of three-year starter Natalie Hayward. On paper, this would be a big drop off in production with the next in line having never played a point of collegiate volleyball before this year. In real life, Caroline Kerr had other plans.
While redshirting her freshman season on Rocky Top, Kerr understood the situation and knew she wouldn't play over a veteran at the position, but that didn't stop her from preparing each week like she was the starter. The reason? A drop off at that position wasn't an option for her. She wanted to be ready when the season started.
That hard work didn't happen exclusively last season, though. Kerr put in plenty of hours over the summer—often by herself with the help of a wooden sloped platform and some high-rising nets—in order to be the best setter she could be.
The result? Kerr currently ranks fifth nationally and leads the SEC in assists per set with 11.29. Her assists per set lead all freshmen and all Power 5 players.
As a team, Tennessee leads the SEC in the same category and ranks second in the country with an average of 13.59 assists per set.
She's a big reason for Tennessee's early offensive success as well, helping the Lady Vols boast the nation's second-ranked hitting offense (.334) and checking in at third in kills per set (14.71).
In just four weeks, she's been honored by the SEC on three occasions, including being named SEC Player and Freshman of the Week on Monday after averaging 11.00 assists per set to help spearhead UT's attack in sweeps over Chicago State and Evansville.
She's posted 30 or more assists in all but one match this season, including a pair of 50-assist performances.
A native of Champaign, Ill., two of Kerr's top performances have come against midwestern foes. In a contest against No. 1 Wisconsin, she posted a career-best 55 assists in the five-set thriller. She followed that up a week later by going for 48 assists in just three sets in UT's sweep over No. 24 Marquette.

MOORE THRIVING ON ROCKY TOP

Jenaisya Moore joined the Lady Vols after four years at Ohio State as one of the top transfers in the nation, and the graduate student has wasted no time making an impact at Tennessee.
So far this season, she boasts 3.53 kills per set while hitting .342. Her 120 kills trail only Morgahn Fingall's 136. The duo has quickly become one of the most potent offensive fronts in the country. The two are consistently among the SEC's top attackers for the week.
Against Loyola and No. 24 Marquette, she posted 32 kills in seven sets for an average of 4.57 kills per set. Had it not been for Fingall, she would've had a strong case for SEC weekly honors, especially considering she hit an impressive .467 for the weekend.
For the season, she leads the team with eight double-digit kill performances. At Loyola, she went for a season-best 17 kills.

FINGALL, MOORE TEAMMATES ONCE AGAIN

Morgahn Fingall and Jenaisya Moore make up one of the top attacking duos in the nation. Fingall is a reigning All-American, while Moore was one of the best transfers in the most recent cycle after helping Ohio State to a deep NCAA Tournament run.
While it's their first season competing together collegiately, this isn't their first time being teammates. Both Lady Vols spent their final year of high school playing on the Metro Volleyball Club of D.C.
Moore described the duo as "Iconic" in club volleyball, and now, they're making waves again on the collegiate stage.
The two are averaging a combined 7.53 kills per set while hitting .339, which spearheads the Lady Vol attack that ranks third and second, respectively, in the nation in those two categories as a team.

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Players Mentioned

Morgahn Fingall

Natalie Hayward

Caroline Kerr

Jenaisya Moore

University of Tennessee | Official Athletics Site