14 hours ago
Tennessee Athletics
Photo: Tennessee Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The 12th-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols recorded their fifth sweep in six conference matches and won their 10th contest in a row, defeating LSU 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-13) on Sunday afternoon at the Food City Center.
The Big Orange (15-1, 6-0 SEC) once again opened strong with a quick win in the first set and went on to control both the second and third frames to complete the sweep. With the first set victory, UT improved to 15-0 when winning the first set. The sweep marked the 12th sweep by the Lady Vols this season, and eighth in the last nine matches.
Graduate student right side Morgahn Fingall led the Big Orange with 17 kills while hitting .593 and six digs and two blocks, while junior outside hitter Erykah Lovett posted her fourth double-double of the season with 13 kills and 10 digs. Graduate student outside hitter Jenaisya Moore added seven kills while hitting .316 to go along with three blocks. Helping guide the offense was redshirt freshman setter Caroline Kerr, who posted an all-around performance 39 assists, five digs, four kills and an ace.
As a team, UT recorded 49 kills while holding LSU (7-8, 2-3 SEC) to 28 and had a hitting percentage of .444 compared to the Tigers’ .212. Tennessee also recorded five service aces, as junior defensive specialists Abby Ekeler and Ashllyn King along with graduate student libero Yelianiz Torres joined Kerr and Lovett with one a piece.
Defensively, King netted six digs on the day, while Torres chipped in five digs. At the net, sophomore middle blocker Keondreya Granberry had three kills and three blocks. Graduate student middle blocker Raeven Chase finished with three kills on four attacks and a block as well.
With the win, Tennessee improved to 7-0 on Rocky Top this season. Sunday’s crowd of 2,274 marked the largest attendance for UT since October 27, 2021.
The Big Orange came out hot in the opening frame, as Fingall led the offense with seven kills on 10 attacks. UT used a 7-1 run during the set to blow things open, and Tennessee’s .484 hitting and 93.8 sideout percentage in the period were too much for LSU to overcome.
During the second set, Tennessee trailed the Tigers 7-10 early but used a 9-1 rally to power a 25-17 victory. Fingall tallied six kills and had an impressive hitting percentage of .750 during the frame. Lovett was right behind her, earning five kills and hitting .444.
UT controlled the third frame, never trailing and taking the set 25-13 to complete the sweep and win their 28th set in the last 29. Fingall and Lovett led Tennessee once again in kills, tallying five and four, respectively. Chase also recorded three kills in the period.
Up next, Tennessee continues its homestretch with a pair of top-25 matches at Food City Center next weekend. The Lady Vols kick things off Friday against No. 25 Auburn at 6:30 p.m. UT then hosts the No. 22 Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday for a 5 p.m. first serve.
