The Lady Vols volleyball team hit the road this past weekend to face SEC foes Georgia and Auburn in Athens, Ga. and Auburn, Ala.
Georgia
Georgia prevented a Tennessee comeback in the fifth set to win 3-2 in Athens on Friday.
The Georgia Bulldogs (9-6, 1-3 Southeastern Conference) jumped out of the gate early by winning the first two sets 25-17 and 25-23 against the 20th-ranked Lady Vols (10-3, 2-2).
“We didn’t come out with a lot of energy at the beginning of the match,” UT coach Rob Patrick said. “Georgia was playing at a really high level, and we weren’t able to match their energy and play, so they were able to control the first two games.”
The Lady Vols rallied after the break, winning the third and fourth sets 25-19 and 27-25.
“I was really proud of the team after the break,” Patrick said. “We controlled the net over the next two games to get back in the match.”
Tennessee grabbed an early lead in the fifth frame, but Georgia scored five straight points to reclaim the lead and gain the momentum that carried the Bulldogs to a 15-10 victory in the final frame.
“We broke down on our side of the net,” Patrick said. “We made a couple of unforced errors that left Georgia in the game, and they were able to pull it out.”
Senior Nikki Fowler led the Lady Vols with 20 kills in the match, and junior Kayla Jeter followed with 19 kills for her second consecutive match.
Auburn
The Lady Vols achieved their first SEC road win of the season by defeating Auburn 3-1 on Sunday afternoon in Auburn, Ala.
The lady Vols controlled the match by winning a four-set match by scores of 25-15, 21-25, 25-22, and 25-19.
“I thought our passing was very good,” Patrick said. “Our two setters Emily Steinback and Kylann Scheidt did a nice job of giving us a consistent and good offense throughout the entire match.”
Tennessee had four players with nine kills and posted a season-high .421 clip. Fowler led the Lady Vols with 18 kills on .389 hitting. Jeter had 15 kills with a .519 average. Sophomore DeeDee Harrison had 12 kills, while senior Leah Hinkley had nine kills.
“Auburn always plays really well at home,” Jeter said. “One of our starters went down, and we rallied around that. We were able to come together and push through the whole match.”
The Big Orange had four freshmen play in the match and coach Patrick said the experience on the road was valuable for the rest of the season.
“We have played a lot of really good teams on the road,” Patrick said. “Our preseason really helped us prepare for the SEC season. We now have a lot of freshmen that has seen the intensity of SEC volleyball. They won’t be surprised too much when we go on the road again.”
