#24 Lady Vols Battle, Fall Short in Five-Set Thriller at #1 Wisconsin

Sunday, September 3

Madison, Wisc.

2 p.m.

University of Tennessee

5-1,0-0SEC

Wisconsin

5-0,0-0Big Ten

Tennessee

Wisconsin

#24 Lady Vols Battle, Fall Short in Five-Set Thriller at #1 Wisconsin

September 03, 2023 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

MADISON, Wisc. – The No. 24 Tennessee Lady Vols fought hard Sunday afternoon during a five-set thriller at No. 1 Wisconsin, but the Big Orange fell just shy of the upset, 3-2 (25-16, 25-23, 18-25, 20-25, 15-13).

Graduate right-side hitter Morgahn Fingall paced the Lady Vols (5-1) with 22 kills, five digs and three service aces. Graduate outside hitter Jenaisya Moore added 14 kills and three digs on the day, while sophomore middle blocker Keondreya Granberry and junior outside hitter Erykah Lovett recorded nine kills each. Granberry led the team in blocks with four, and Lovett finished with 15 digs and a pair of blocks.

Redshirt sophomore Emily Beeker had a strong outing, posting a career-best eight kills with a .500 hitting percentage and two blocks. Redshirt freshman setter Caroline Kerr recorded the first double-double of her career after tallying personal bests in assists (55) and digs (11). Graduate libero Yelianiz Torres led all players with 16 digs and four aces to go with five assists.

As a team, Tennessee had 13 aces throughout the match but struggled with attacking errors, finishing with 30. Wisconsin (5-0) out hit UT .313 to .205 and combined for 16 blocks compared to Tennessee's six.

After trailing by nine points early, the Lady Vols rallied in the first set to pull within two points at 17-15 thanks to a pair of kills by Fingall and Moore. Wisconsin's attack held off a comeback, though, as the Badgers out hit UT .586 to .167 in the frame.

Both teams went back and forth in the second set. The Lady Vols used a 5-1 run late in the frame to force a Badger timeout at 22-22, but a few balls landed in Wisconsin's favor down the stretch. Fingall had five kills in the set, while Moore and Granberry added four and three kills, respectively. The defense got settled in, holding UW to just a .194 hitting percentage, but UT's 11 attack errors in the frame were too much to overcome.

The third set was all Tennessee. After being tied 8-8, the Lady Vols never looked back, winning the frame 25-18. UT hit .360 in the set and landed six aces to keep the momentum on its side. The Big Orange spread out the attack, as five different players recorded multiple kills.

The Lady Vols kept it going in the fourth frame thanks to an impressive .412 hitting percentage and 18 kills. The Badgers wouldn't go quietly, but the Tennessee attack and three aces kept the momentum on their side.

Wisconsin struck first in the final set jumping out to a quick 6-1 lead. The Big Orange rallied back to make it 10-10. Both teams swapped points, but the Badgers had the crowd and momentum on their side. With the set at 14-13 in favor of UW, Tennessee blocked a shot that just missed landing in bounds and ending the match.

Up next, Tennessee continues its tour of the Midwest next weekend with matches against Loyola Chicago and Marquette. The Lady Vols open with Loyola on Friday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ before facing the Golden Eagles on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. That match will be live streamed on FloSports ($).