University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
8-17, 1-10SEC
Florida
18-3, 12-0SEC
Tennessee Falls to #8 Florida
November 02, 2014 | Volleyball
"You win with high hitting percentages and that is why Florida is a top 10 team," said UT head coach Rob Patrick. "I thought we served tough -- tougher than we have in the past -- and I was happy with that, but we had opportunities to dig quite a few balls and we didn't dig as many as we should have. Our players were in good positions to get digs but we weren't coming up with them. That was the difference in extending some of the plays and maybe taking away some of their kills and giving us some opportunities for kills."
For the second straight match, the duo of Kendra Turner and Ashley Mariani combined to supply the majority of Tennessee's kills. Turner finished the match with a team-high seven kills, followed by five from Mariani to account for 12 of UT's 21 kills on the day. It was the tenth time this season that no Lady Vol finished with 10 or more kills in a match.
Defensively, Tennessee (8-17, 1-10 SEC) was led by freshman Kelsey Bawcombe's eight digs while Raina Hembry and Turner each finished with a pair of block assists. Megan Hatcher and Lexi Dempsey each added five digs along the way, the latter also posting 19 assists.
No. 8 Florida (18-3, 12-0 SEC) saw three players with 10 or more attacks finish with hitting percentages better than .500. Alex Holston's 14 kills came on a .520 clip while Rhamat Alhassan -- who ranks second in the nation in hitting efficiency -- turned in nine kills with a .538 percentage. Ziva Recek completed the duo, posting six kills at .545.
Looking to avoid the sweep after falling into a 2-0 hole, Tennessee kept pace with the Gators for much of the third frame. Falling behind 7-2 to start the set, UT responded with six of the next nine points to pull within two at 10-8. Two kills from Jamie Lea -- her only kills of the match -- and a service ace from Kanisha Jimenez powered the short rally. UF maintained its edge in taking the next two points, but the Lady Vols remained within striking distance for much of the frame, using a kill from Hembry to get within 21-17. The rally was stemmed there, though, as the Gators scored four unanswered points to settle the match.
UT plays its final home match before hitting the road for three consecutive contests on Friday when defending SEC champion Missouri comes to town. That match will tip off at 7 p.m. ET at Thompson-Boling Arena. From there, the Lady Vols head to Auburn for a 2:30 p.m., Sunday showdown that will air on SEC Network +.
