No. 14 Tennessee dominates in the Bluegrass State
Lady Vol Volleyball faced No. 22 Kentucky on Sunday
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WVLT) - 14th-ranked Tennessee traveled to the Bluegrass State on Sunday to take on No. 22 Kentucky. The Lady Vols would win in straight sets marking UT’s first win against a ranked UK team since beating the No. 23 Wildcats, 3-1, on Nov. 23, 2016.
Sunday, Tennessee extended its streak of sweeping opponents. For the fifth match in a row and the ninth time this season, Tennessee swept their opponent, going on the road to Rupp Arena to beat the No. 22 Kentucky Wildcats.
It was the first win by the Lady Vols in Lexington since Nov. 24, 2010, which was also a 3-0 sweep for the Big Orange. As a team, Tennessee finished with 10 team blocks despite missing its starting middle blocker Keondreya Granberry.
The defense posted 54 digs and held the Wildcats (2-7, 1-1 SEC) to just .134 hitting.
Offensively, three different Lady Vols finished with double-digit kills, as UT recorded 50 kills on .282 hitting. Fingall, a graduate student right-side hitter, led the way for Tennessee, posting her second double-double on the year with 17 kills on .361 hitting, 10 digs, four blocks, and an ace.
On defense, the redshirt sophomore middle blocker duo of Emily Beeker and Pawlik were massive at the net for Tennessee. Beeker ended with six blocks and three kills, while Pawlik tallied five kills and four blocks, including the match-winner.
Tennessee ended the third set on a 9-1 run to complete the sweep.
Up next, Tennessee heads to the Magnolia State to take on Mississippi State and Ole Miss. The Lady Vols open with the Bulldogs on Friday at 6 p.m. ET before facing the Rebels on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
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