| VOLLEYBALL RESULTS |
Tennessee 3, Kentucky 1
|
Auburn 3, Georgia 0
|
Florida 3, South Carolina 0
|
Lady Vols Capture SEC Championship, Beat Kentucky 3-1
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - In front of the fifth-largest crowd in Tennessee history, 1,648 enthusiastic fans witnessed something special, as the No. 15 University of Tennessee Lady Vol volleyball team knocked off No. 16 Kentucky, 3-1 (28-30, 25-20, 30-28, 25-18), to win the Southeastern Conference Championship outright on Wednesday evening at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Tennessee has now won two regular-season titles in its history, with this being the first outright crown for the program. UT shared the title in 2004 and also has three SEC Tournament Titles to its credit.
The victory also marked 12 straight-wins for the Lady Vols, which is the fourth longest streak in Tennessee history. UT also defended TBA this season, going a perfect 13-0 in the friendly confines, while also breaking the overall and average attendance records for the fourth-consecutive year.
On the evening, four Lady Vols hit .270 or better, in juniors DeeDee Harrison (.444) and Leslie Cikra (.370), sophomore Kelsey Robinson (.274) and freshman Shealyn Kolosky (.421). The Big Orange outhit the Wildcats .291-.205 and is now 25-1 in matches when out-hitting the opposition.
Robinson collected her 21st double-double on the year, registering a team-best 26 kills to go along with 13 digs. Harrison tied a season-best in kills against UK, totaling 15. Cikra and freshman Tiffany Baker also recorded double digit kills, as Cikra blasted 14, while Baker recorded a double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs.
Freshman Mary Pollmiller dished out 64 assists, which was the most in a four-set match this season. UT’s 72 kills was also a season high in a four set match, bettering its previous-best output of 60 against Virginia Tech in September. She also tallied her seventh double-double, by adding 11 digs. This season, she has 13 matches of at least 50 assists.
Defensively, five Lady Vols recorded 10 or more digs, led by sophomore libero Ellen Mullins, who had 24. Freshman Nikki Brice was the other Lady Vol to record double digit digs, as she tallied 11 on the night, while also adding a team-best two serving aces. Kolosky led the team in block, sending five Wildcat attacks back, two of which were solo.
The opening frame was a seesaw battle throughout. The squads traded the first five points of the set before UK would score two straight to grab a 7-5 lead. Tennessee would score five of the next six to take a two-point advantage, 10-8, as Robinson had four kills and Harrison and Cikra combined for a block.
The Big Orange led by as many as four, 18-14 and 19-15, before Kentucky would cut its deficit to one, 20-19. UT and UK would trade the next six points, as UT held a slim 23-22 lead.
Kentucky would even things up at 23, but a kill from Robinson gave UT its first match point at 24-23. Kentucky would fight it off and three more to be exact, as UT had opportunities to close out the frame at 25-24, 26-25 and 27-26.
Kentucky took a one point lead, 28-27, but a kill from Cikra kept UT alive at 28-28. It was not meant to be however, as the Wildcats would take the next two and grab an early 1-0 lead in the match, winning the set 30-28.
The opening set was a battle of high potent offenses, as both squads hit over .300. The Lady Vols recorded six more kills but also had six more errors.
The teams split the first 10 points in the second set, as the frame was deadlocked at five early. During that span, Cikra and Robinson combined for three kills, in addition to a Kolosky solo block a UK attack error. Another attack error by the Wildcats plus a Robinson kill gave Tennessee a two-point advantage, 8-6.
The Lady Vols pushed their lead out to three, 11-8, after kills from Baker and Cikra and a Kentucky serve that went into the net. Kentucky would even the set up at 13, before back-to-back kills from Pollmiller gave the Big Orange the lead, 15-13.
The frame would be tied 15 and 16 before UK would take a 17-16 advantage. That’s when the Orange and White took control, scoring six-straight points to take a commanding 22-17 advantage. During that run, Harrison had a pair of kills, Robinson added a blast, Cikra and Harrison combined to send a UK attack back and the Wildcats had two attack errors.
Up 23-20, a Harrison shot and an attack error wide by Kentucky’s Whitney Billings ended the set, 25-20, and tied the match up at one apiece. The UT defense really stepped up, limiting a potent Wildcat offense to just .161, while hitting at a clip of .314.
Storming out of the gates in the third set, the Lady Vols quickly grabbed a 4-1 lead, aided by a pair of kills from Harrison and a laser from Cikra. Kentucky would not go down without a fight, tying the set up at points seven through eleven.
With the set tied at 11, UT scored four of the ensuing five, as Kolosky tallied a pair of kills along with a kill off the arm of Robinson and a UK attack error, making the score 15-12 and forcing a Wildcat timeout.
Kentucky responded out of the break, scoring the next three to even the set up at 15. The teams went back-and-forth until the match was 20-19 in UK’s favor. A Kentucky miscue, a Robinson kill and a service ace by Brice allowed the Big Orange to regain the lead, 22-20.
A kill from Robinson gave the Lady Vols set point, 24-22, but the Wildcats scored the next two to knot the score at 24 all. Tennessee fought off a pair of set points, 27-26 and 28-27, before three consecutive kills from Cikra, Robinson and Baker ended the set 30-28 and gave UT a 2-1 lead in the match.
In the third frame, there were 17 ties and five lead changes, which was the most in any set of the match. Kolosky hit a blistering .556 in the set, as Tennessee outhit the Wildcats .246-.204.
The fourth set was one for the ages, as the Lady Vols fought through adversity in the form of UK jumping out to a quick 8-3 advantage. Following a timeout, a kill from Baker, a block from Baker and Kolosky and another Brice serving ace cut the deficit to two, 8-6.
Tennessee got to within three twice, 10-7 and 11-8, but the Wildcats pushed their advantage to five points at 13-8 and 15-10. From that point on, the Lady Vols overwhelmed UK. A Cikra kill sparked a 6-0 rally to give UT a 16-15 lead. With Mullins at the service line, Cikra blasted three more kills; Baker added one of her own along with a UK attack error that went wide.
Kentucky tied the set up at 16, but back-to-back kills from Baker and Robinson and a combined block by Kolosky and Baker gave the Orange and White the lead for good at 19-16.
After a Robinson kill made the score 21-18, the lone senior on the squad, Kelsey Mahoney, stepped up to the service line and closed out the set. The Lady Vols ended the match on a 5-0 run, as after the Robinson kill, UT took advantage of two Kentucky attack errors, another kill from Robinson and a blast from Harrison that ended the set, 25-18, and the match.
Auburn Closes 2011 Season with 3-0 Sweep of Georgia
AUBURN – The Auburn volleyball team sent the Tigers’ two seniors – Kelly Fidero and Christina Solverson – out in style as they defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-21) in the final match of the season for both teams Wednesday night at the Student Activities Center.
Auburn (11-19, 5-15 SEC) avenged the season’s earlier loss to Georgia (11-19, 7-13 SEC), and the Tigers have now defeated the Bulldogs three out of the last four meetings.
“We kind of struggled throughout the middle part of the year,” Auburn head coach Rick Nold said. “But we talked a lot today about just coming out with a lot of energy and using the emotion of the night for the seniors. We did a good job of serving and keeping them back on their heels. It was good to see us come out ready to play.”
All three sets were closely contested; the lead changed hands five times in the first two sets and six times in the final game. In the match, the score was tied a total of 30 times; however, the Tigers managed to close out the Bulldogs each time.
“Every game was really tight all the way to about 18 or 20,” Nold said. “To see us, at that point, make steps and come together defensively, I thought we did a good job of making adjustments on those points to get a little edge.”
Senior Kelly Fidero went out on a high note, sharing the team lead with nine kills on 32 attacks. She finished one kill shy of her second double-double of the season as she racked up 10 digs on the night. She also helped on three of the Tigers’ 11 blocks on the night. Fellow senior Christina Solverson earned the start at setter and led the Tigers with 20 assists in the match along with a kill and three digs.
“Tini did a great job distributing the ball,” Nold said. “She was really able to keep their block off-balance. And it was good to see Kelly come out with two blocks and a kill to end the match. They’ve had a great career, and they’ve had a lot to do with the success the program has had recently. It was lucky for me to have the two of them (for my first season).”
Solverson took a moment to reflect on her career and ending the season with a victory.
“It’s really nice to sum up – for me – my career,” Solverson said, “for the team, to end on a good note and get that good start for next season. I’m really going to miss my teammates. I’ve just become such good friends with them. We really are a family here at Auburn and it shows.”
Junior Brittney Rhude shared the team lead with Fidero with nine kills of her own, hitting a team-best .615 with just one error in 13 attacks. Sophomore Chloe Rowand also had a strong night to close out the year, posting seven kills on 11 attacks for a .545 hitting percentage; she also had a team-best and matched a career-high with six blocks. Junior MacKenzy Harper got the start at libero and led the team with 18 digs.
Georgia was led by Kathleen Luft’s 11 kills. Allison Summers had 19 digs and Kathleen Gates led the Bulldogs with 33 assists.
The Tigers had 45 kills to Georgia’s 38 and out-hit the Bulldogs .287 to .170. Auburn won the digs battle 41-38 and was the better serving team with three aces – two from Harper – to go along with eight errors. Auburn was exceptional at the net with 11 blocks to Georgia’s four.
Neither team could pull away in the opening set as the teams traded sideouts 33 times. Georgia finally pulled ahead to a 14-12 lead but that would be their biggest margin as the Tigers would go on a 5-2 run to take a 17-16 lead on a Rowand solo block. From there, Auburn’s lead would extend to 20-18, forcing a Georgia timeout. The Bulldogs would call another timeout with a kill from Kathia Rud made it 23-20, giving Auburn their biggest lead at that point. Another kill from Rud brought it to set point, and a block from Rowand and Rhude gave the Tigers the opening set win. Auburn hit an outstanding .342 in the set with 17 kills and just four errors.
The second set would see Auburn jump out to a 4-1 lead, but the Bulldogs would storm back to tie things up at 7-7. Georgia would take its first lead at 12-11, leading by as many as two at 19-17. From there, though, Auburn would go on a 6-1 run to take a 23-20 lead as Harper’s term of service included an ace and kept the Bulldogs out of system for four straight rallies. After an Auburn timeout at 23-21, a kill from Rhude was followed up by a block from Rud and Camila Jersonsky to finish off the second set at 25-21.
Auburn led most of the way in the third set, going ahead 4-3 and never trailing until the Bulldogs went on a 5-2 run to take their first lead at 20-19 after a Tiger ball handling error. But once again, the Tigers finished strong, winning six of the final seven points to close out the match. Fidero was responsible for the final two points of the night and of her career, joining Jersonsky for a block to set up set point and getting a kill on her final collegiate attack to end the match and an outstanding four-year career.
“I can’t really describe the feeling,” Fidero said. “It’s like something out of a dream to get the chance to score the last point in my last game. I told Chelsea before the play, ‘Set me. There’s no doubt this ball is going down.’”
No. 17 Gator Volleyball Closes Regular Season with 20th Sweep of 2011
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 17 Florida volleyball team finished the regular season with its seventh straight win, sweeping South Carolina in three sets (25-14, 25-16, 25-20) on Wednesday evening. Florida improves to 24-5 on the season and finishes 17-3 in SEC play. The Gators are undefeated when playing three sets, going a flawless 20-0. UF finishes the season tied for second in the SEC, as Kentucky failed to clinch a share of the SEC title after falling to 2011 SEC Champion Tennessee in four sets this evening.
Florida hit .457 on the match, led by senior Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.), who registered her 20th double-digit kill performance of the season with 11 kills. She added eight digs for 13.0 points on the evening. Fellow senior Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.) was right behind her teammate with nine kills to go along with 16 assists, scoring 11.0 points against the Gamecocks. Florida’s middles were flawless once again, as Chloe Mann (Gainesville, Fla.) and Betsy Smith (Atlanta, Ga.) combined to go .600 with 12 kills on 20 swings. Senior Stephanie Ferrell (Los Angeles, Calif.) contributed seven kills on .455 hitting while junior right-side hitter Tangerine Wiggs (Seattle, Wash.) tied her season-high hitting percentage with .714 (5-0-7).
On the defensive end, the Gators were led by redshirt freshman libero Taylor Unroe (Muncie, Ind.), who had one of her best matches of the season with a match-high 14 digs and only one reception error out of 17 attempts. Unroe received more serves than any other player on both sides of the net. Sophomore setter Chanel Brown (Tempe, Ariz.) dished a match-high 21 assists against the Gamecocks, combining with Murphy for the Gators’ fifth match with .400+ hitting efficiency.
“I think that offensively right now, we lead the nation in our hitting efficiency and tonight was no different,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “A lot of this happens because of Taylor Unroe and her serve receive and the work with Holly (Pole), Stephanie (Ferrell) and Kristy (Jaeckel), but we’re pretty good with our sideout offense. Teams just have a hard time running points on us when we pass, set and hit as well as we do, and did tonight.”
The last regular season start for the Gators began with a rally against the Gamecocks for the first several points. A Jaeckel bullet down the line put her behind the service line for an ace that drove the Orange and Blue on a 6-0 run, 10-4. Brown set up Ferrell for an attack that shut the Gamecocks down for another six straight points with Smith serving, giving the Gators a 16-5 advantage. Mann drove a Murphy set into the South Carolina defense, pushing Florida ahead, 19-7. The Gamecocks battled, but came up short after an Anderson-Murphy block put the Orange and Blue two points from the set win at 23-12. Murphy ended the first frame with an attack that left South Carolina stunned, 25-14. Murphy’s set-winning attack marked her 1,500th point of her career.
Florida eased into the second frame with a 4-0 start. The Gamecocks tried to put together an offense that could break through the Florida defense, but a Smith-Murphy block assured them it would be no easy task, 8-3. A Jaeckel service ace pushed the Orange and Blue ahead, 11-5, and a Ferrell solo stuff increased the lead to 13-6. South Carolina managed to rattle up the Gators, and took advantage of the opportunity with a 5-0 run to decrease the Florida lead to 15-12. Wiggs slammed one through the seam in the block to give the Gators a 19-14 lead. Ferrell ended the second set with a bullet down the line, giving Florida the 25-16 set win and a 2-0 advantage going into intermission.
Coming out of intermission was a competitive South Carolina team that fought for every point. The Gamecocks took an early 3-0 run that put them ahead of the Orange and Blue, 5-2. Florida continued to trail the Gamecocks until a Murphy attack tied the set at 10-10. The Gators failed to take the lead and were forced into a timeout after South Carolina’s 4-0 run, 14-10. A Gamecock service error ignited a spark in the Orange and Blue that drove them on a 7-0 run with Unroe behind the service line to take their first lead of the third set, 22-19. Back-to-back Jaeckel kills put Florida one point from the match win, and Murphy delivered the final attack that secured the victory at 25-20.
The Gators now wait to learn their postseason fate. The NCAA selection show airs live at 6 p.m. on Sunday, November 27th on ESPNU.
“We look at it in terms of a regular season where we have won 24 matches; that is a terrific season,” Wise said. “Would we love to have a couple back? Sure. There is not a blip on the screen. Those are five losses— all top 20 teams. What we haven’t done is a no-show. This team has come and battled every night. There have been some nights where the other team is better and that happens in athletics, but it wasn’t because we didn’t compete in those matches.”