University of Tennessee Athletics
VB CENTRAL: Senior Night vs. Arkansas
November 25, 2014 | Volleyball
Nov. 25, 2014 
VS
November 26, 2014 | 6 p.m. ET
THOMPSON-BOLING ARENA | Knoxville, Tenn.
ARKANSAS
TENNESSEE
WK14
BROADCAST INFO
- Wednesday's match will be broadcast to a national television audience on the SEC Network. Adam Amin will handle play-by-play duties and will be joined by analyst Maria Taylor.
- The SEC Network can be found on DirecTV channel 611 and DISH Network Channel 408. Comcast, Time Warner, and other cable subscribers should check local listings.
- The SEC Network can also be accessed online or via a mobile device through WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app. Click here and log in using your satellite or cable account information.
PROMOTIONS
- Wednesday is Senior Night at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tennessee volleyball will honor the four-year career of senior middle blocker Shealyn Kolosky prior to first serve.
- Wednesday is also Fan Appreciation Night! Admission is free to all spectators.
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THE SERIES
- Wednesday marks the 35th meeting all-time in a dead-even series between Tennessee and Arkansas. The Lady Vols and Razorbacks have split the previous 34 meetings evenly with the series record knotted at 17-17. UT is 7-7 in Knoxville against Arkansas while holding a slight 8-7 edge in Fayetteville. Head coach Rob Patrick is 16-16 all-time against the Razorbacks, but is 9-3 in matches against current Arkansas head coach Robert Pulliza.
- Sept. 26, 2014: Arkansas prevailed over Tennessee in a 3-0 decision in Fayetteville -- the SEC opener for both programs. UT was led by nine kills from Kendra Turner while Jamie Lea added eight more. Lexi Dempsey had 29 assists while Claudia Coco, who recorded her first career start, had a team-high nine digs.
- Oct. 13, 2013: The Razorbacks topped the Lady Vols 3-1 in Knoxville. UT won the first set going away at 25-13, but Arkansas responded with three consecutive wins to pull out the road win. Shealyn Kolosky had 11 kills and Lexi Dempsey tallied 40 assists.
- Oct. 14, 2012: Tennessee swept its way past Arkansas at Barnhill Arena. The SEC victory was the fourth in a row for a Tennessee squad that would finish the year with its fifth straight NCAA Tournament berth.
TENNESSEE (8-22, 1-15 SEC)
- UT played only one match last week, falling 3-2 against South Carolina at Thompson-Boling Arena, despite a trio of double-double efforts. Ashley Mariani (18k, 10d), Kanisha Jimenez (13k, 13 d), and Lexi Dempsey (27a, 12d) each recorded double-doubles despite the loss. Kendra Turner also had 12 kills to give Tennessee three players in double figure kills.
- Libero Megan Hatcher had 21 digs last Wednesday, her third 20+ dig effort this season and second in the last four matches. Hatcher has now overtaken fellow defensive specialist Bridgette Villano for the team lead in kills per set. Each half of the duo ranks inside the SEC's top 20 in digs per set. Hatcher's 3.07 is the 11th-best mark in the league with Villano right behind her in 13th at 3.05.
- Middle blockers Iesha Bryant and Raina Hembry also rank inside the SEC's top 20 in blocks per set. The duo has combined to lead the team in total blocks in 26 of UT's 30 matches this year, each pacing the squad 13 times, respectively.
- Bryant stands 8th in the conference, averaging 0.99 b/s and Hembry, who has had the team lead in blocks in three of the last four matches, ranks 15th at 0.93 b/s.
- Wednesday's match is the final home match of the season for Tennessee, which will honor the career of its lone senior, middle blocker Shealyn Kolosky, prior to first serve.
- Kolosky experienced immediate success at UT after she arrived as a true freshman in 2011 as one of the most highly touted recruits out of her native Illinois. She started all 32 matches of her true freshman campaign, averaging 1.52 k/s and 0.78 b/s to help the Lady Vols capture their first outright SEC championship.
- Kolosky is the team's representative on the UT Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and has consistently been one of the team leaders in community service.
ARKANSAS (14-15, 8-8 SEC)
- Arkansas enters the midweek contest in sixth place in the league standings having dropped each of its last two matches.
- The Razorbacks fell in a pair of home matches last week, suffering a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Texas A&M as well as a 3-1 loss to No. 6 Florida.
- Senior outside hitter Meredith Hays, the only senior on the 2014 squad finished with 10 kills against the Gators. She is the SEC's leader in kills per set 4.30 and hammered 24 kills in only three sets in the Razorbacks' first matchup with Tennessee back on Oct. 5.
- Freshman setter Bailee Hankerson has turned in a nice season for Arkansas, recording her 1,000th assist against UF last week. She is just the sixth Razorback to accomplish the feat in program history.
- Middle blocker Chanell Clark-Bibbs had 14 kills in Arkansas' loss to Texas A&M. She has recorded double figure kills in seven of the Razorbacks' last nine matches.
- The Razorbacks are 3-6 in true road matches this season, including a 3-4 mark in SEC road play. Arkansas has won its last two road matches: a 3-2 victory at Georgia (Nov. 9) and a 3-0 win at Auburn (Nov. 7).
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UP NEXT
- Tennessee plays its season finale on Saturday when it travels to meet Alabama in a 2 p.m. ET matchup at Foster Auditorium in Tuscaloosa.
- UT will be looking to level the season series with the Crimson Tide, having dropped its first meeting with UA by a 3-1 score line in Knoxville on Oct. 5.
- After falling behind 2-0, UT battled back to claim the third set and nearly had the fourth before falling by a tight 29-27 margin to end the match. Jamie Lea had 11 kills in the match and Kanisha Jimenez added nine.
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Game Notes
Players Mentioned
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