Tennessee volleyball completes first SEC road win, sweeps Alabama 3-0
Two freshmen stepped up to lead Tennessee to a 3-0 win over Alabama, its first road win in conference play.
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 16, 2016 -Middle blocker Raina Hembry #9 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the match between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Hayley Pennesi/Tennessee Athletics
After having some success at home so far in SEC play, Tennessee volleyball finally got its first taste of victory on the road in conference play. Tennessee defeated Alabama by a final score of 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-23). The win on Friday evening brought Tennessee’s record to 14-8 (4-5 SEC) on the season.
Tennessee took advantage of some costly errors by Alabama in the first set to take a commanding lead early on. They ended up winning the opening set by 10 points.
The Crimson Tide was much more competitive during the second set. Most of the set went back and forth with the score being knotted up at 19 at one point. Tennessee responded by winning five of the next six points to put the set away. The final score for set two was 25-22.
But in the third set, the Vols needed a comeback to secure the road win. Alabama was up 23-21 in the closing stages of the set, but Tennessee secured the next four points to win the match in straight sets.
It was a big night for several freshmen from Tennessee. Alyssa Andreno had her career-high in blocks with eight, and setter Sendona Hansen had a double-double with 14 digs and 33 assists. Senior Raina Hembry also had a big night with 12 kills, three digs and four blocks.
The Vols will be back at home on Sunday to face off against Auburn at 1:30 p.m.
Edited by Dalton King
Featured image by Hayley Pennesi, courtesy of Tennessee Athletics
