VB Weekend Preview: #12 Lady Vols at Mississippi State/Ole Miss

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Continuing a four-match road streak, the 12th-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols head to the Magnolia State this weekend to face Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

The Big Orange kicks off the weekend Friday night with a 6 p.m. ET first serve against the Bulldogs at the Newell-Grissom Building. That match will be live streamed on SEC Network+. UT then heads to Oxford to play the Rebels in a Sunday afternoon contest at Gillom Athletics Performance Center, which begins at 2:30 p.m. and will also be live streamed on SEC Network+.

One of the hottest teams in the country, Tennessee has swept its last five opponents and is off to one of the best starts in program history. The Big Orange boasts a well-rounded, veteran lineup that has UT with its highest ranking in 17 years.

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 11-1. UT ranks inside the top 5 nationally and leads the SEC in hitting percentage (2nd/.324), kills per set (2nd/14.60) and assists per set (4th/13.40). With elite hitters leading the way, the group continues to get better with the development of redshirt freshman setter Caroline Kerr.

BREAK OUT THE BROOMS
So far this year, the Lady Vols boast nine sweeps in just 12 matches. Over the last three seasons, UT has swept 33 opponents, including 23 at home. The Big Orange is currently riding a five-match sweep streak, which is the best stretch for the Lady Vols since the squad posted a program-record of six straight sweeps in 2010.

SIDEOUT SUCCESS KEY FACTOR FOR UT EACH MATCH
One element of Tennessee's impressive season that hasn't been touched on much has been the Big Orange winning the battle on sideouts. The Lady Vols are scoring 68 percent of the time when opponents serve, while scoring on 50 percent of the time when UT serves. Tennessee has recorded a sideout percentage of 70 percent or better in 21 sets this year, while holding foes to a sideout percentage of less than 50 percent in 19 sets.

HIGHEST RANKING SINCE 2006
Tennessee moved up to 12th in the AVCA rankings this week. That marks the highest ranking for the Lady Vols since being No. 12 during the Week 1 poll in 2006.

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 10 times in five weeks. In total, the Lady Vols have won three SEC Player of the Week honors, three Freshman of the Week awards, two Offensive Player of the Week recognitions, one Defensive Player of the Week honor and one Setter of the Week award. On Monday, three Tennessee players earned four conference honors after sweeps against Missouri and No. 22 Kentucky.

DON'T LET 'EM GET HOT
Winning the first set is crucial to winning the match, as the Lady Vols are 11-0 when taking the opening frame this year. If you don't get UT in the first set, good luck, because it doesn't get easier. In the second and third sets, respectively, Tennessee is outscoring opponents 298-206 (+92 points) and 291-201 (+90 points). That's compared to 292-224 (+68 points) in the first frame.

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.

VB Weekend Preview: #12 Lady Vols at Mississippi State/Ole Miss

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Players Mentioned

Morgahn Fingall

Caroline Kerr

University of Tennessee Athletics