Fingall, Moore Pace Lady Vols in 3-1 Win at Loyola

Friday, September 8

Chicago, Ill.

7 p.m.

University of Tennessee

Loyola Chicago

KNOXVILLE, TN - August 25, 2023 - Outside hitter Morgahn Fingall #7 of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers during the game between the Texas State Bobcats and the Tennessee Lady Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Emma Corona/Tennessee Athletics

Photo by: Emma Corona/Tennessee Athletics

September 08, 2023 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

CHICAGO – The duo of Morgahn Fingall and Jenaisya Moore once again led the offensive charge for 18th-ranked Tennessee, as the Lady Vols defeated Loyola Chicago, 3-1 (25-22, 25-20, 23-25, 25-22), at Gentile Arena on Friday night.

Fingall eclipsed the 20-kill margin for the second match in a row, tying her season best with 22 to lead all players. The graduate right-side hitter posted a .381 hitting percentage and finished with seven digs, two aces and a block. Moore, a graduate outside hitter, recorded a season-high 17 kills while hitting .455.

Freshman outside hitter Mackenzie Plante had a career day after coming into the match late in the second set. She posted career bests in kills (9) and digs (6) while matching her personal high in blocks (2). She hit .412 in the match and landed back-to-back points in the second set to swing the frame in Tennessee's favor.

"I thought Kenzie played great," head coach Eve Rackham Watt said. "She came in and really stabilized the servicing unit, which is something she does a really nice job of, and I thought she had a great offensive night. One of the things I told the team was that a great thing about having depth is that someone come in off the bench and help us the way she did. For her to do it as a freshman in that environment, I thought she was terrific."

Setter Caroline Kerr, the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week, eclipsed the 50-assist margin for the second match in a row, tallying 51 in the contest to go along with seven digs, two kills and a block. Graduate libero Yelianiz Torres recorded team highs with 13 digs and three aces. Junior defensive specialist Ashllyn King added seven digs and a pair of aces herself, as three Lady Vols finished with multiple aces in the match.

Holding down the front row, sophomore Keondreya Granberry posted five kills and four blocks while notching career bests in assists (2) and digs (2). Redshirt sophomore Emily Beeker earned her first start of the season and recorded five kills and two blocks.

As a team, Tennessee (6-1) out hit the Ramblers (2-5) .357 to .295 in the match. Both teams were very even in the matchup, as the contest included a combined 22 tied scores and eight lead changes even after the Lady Vols never trailed in the opening frame.

In the first set, UT scored the first three points of the match to gain the early momentum. After Tennessee went up 21-15, the Ramblers responded with a 7-2 run to pull within two points, but the Lady Vols closed out the set to take the early advantage. Moore led the Big Orange attack with five kills, while Fingall added four in the frame. UT out hit Loyola .343 to .205 in the opening set.

The second set went back and forth with 13 ties and six lead changes. With the Ramblers looking to rally and take the lead at 21-20, the Big Orange scored the final four points to win the frame. Plante recorded back-to-back kills in the run, and Torres finished things off with a pair of aces. Fingall had five kills and an ace to lead the way.

Loyola won the third set thanks to an 8-1 run to swing the momentum in the Ramblers' favor. Fingall added six kills in the frame, while Plante posted five. Loyola out hit the Lady Vols .361 to .333.

UT quickly fell behind 5-1 in the fourth set but clawed its way back to tie things up at 13-13. With the frame even at 19-19, the Lady Vols won three straight points to pull ahead and put the match away. Both teams hit really well in the frame, but it was the Big Orange holding the advantage in the period with a .481 mark.

"I thought that was as resilient as we've had to be all year," Rackham Watt said. "It was a really tough environment and a really tough team that we were playing against. I thought we were great offensively and not so good defensively. Both teams put up good offensive numbers. I thought our ability to stay in it and make plays at the end were the difference."

Up next, Tennessee ends its Midwest tour with a match at No. 24 Marquette on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. Fans can live streamed the match on FloSports ($).