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Dominant offensive effort lifts No. 10 Vols over Rebels

53 days ago
Tennessee Athletics
Photo: Tennessee Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Hitting a season-best .462 and averaging 16.3 kills per set, No. 10 Tennessee's offense was firing on all cylinders, as the Lady Vols swept Ole Miss (25-7, 25-19, 25-18) on Sunday afternoon at Food City Center.

The Big Orange (21-3, 12-2 SEC) finished the day with 49 kills on 47 assists and five aces to highlight UT's 14th sweep of the season. Tennessee successfully scored on 36 of its 46 sideout opportunities-good for 78 percent. The Lady Vol defense also had a solid showing, posting 45 digs and two blocks while holding the Rebels (10-16, 4-11 SEC) to just 29 kills on .156 hitting.

Tennessee was led on offense by graduate student outside hitter Jenaisya Moore, who netted 13 kills on an impressive .632 hitting and four digs. Junior outside hitter Erykah Lovett recorded her seventh double-double of the season, tallying 11 kills, 11 digs and one ace.

Graduate student right side Morgahn Fingall just missed double-digit kills, finished with nine on the day to go along with five digs, two aces, one assist and one block. Graduate student middle blocker Raeven Chase also added nine kills, while sophomore middle blocker Keondreya Granberry chipped in seven kills.

Redshirt freshman setter Caroline Kerr had a strong outing, posting 41 assists-13.7 assists per set- to go along with six digs, two aces and a solo block. Graduate student libero Yelianiz Torres rounded things out with a match-best 15 digs.

Lady Vols started off the match on fire thanks to a 14-3 run and never looked back, outhitting Ole Miss .654 to .036 for the set. Tennessee won the frame, 25-7, the fewest points the Big Orange has allowed in a period all season and marking the 19th time this year the Lady Vols held an opponent to 15 or less points in a set. Three players recorded four kills to lead a balanced offensive attack.

The second period began with a back-and-forth exchange, resulting in a tied score of 6-6. However, the Lady Vols managed to break free and establish a commanding 13-6 advantage, maintaining their dominance throughout the set. Once more, they outperformed the Rebels with an impressive hitting percentage of .443 compared to the Rebels' .113. The Lady Vols maintained a well-balanced offensive strategy as they secured a decisive 25-19 victory.

In the final frame, UT took an early lead by winning the first point and would never trail the rest of the set, securing the Sunday sweep. Tennessee achieved an impressive 17 kills with a hitting percentage of .500 in the last period. Lovett's performance in the set included four kills and three digs.

Up next, the Big Orange travel to Baton Rouge to take on LSU for the second time this season Friday night at 8 p.m. This match will also be live streamed on SEC Network+.