Tennessee volleyball defeats Missouri in four sets
Tennessee defeated Missouri 3-1 to win their third SEC match of the season on Sunday afternoon.
Tennessee volleyball defeated the Missouri Tigers 3-1 on Sunday afternoon inside Thompson-Boling Arena. The win marks Tennessee’s first win over Missouri since a 3-2 win on Oct. 5, 2012 in Knoxville. Entering the match, Missouri ranked third in the SEC standings.
Tennessee (10-7, 3-5 SEC) won the opening set 25-22 in thrilling fashion. With 12 ties and six lead changes, the Lady Vols were able to come out on top behind strong blocking to hold off the Missouri attack. In addition, the Lady Vols were offensively sound with 13 team kills. They were led in defense by junior Erica Treiber and redshirt sophomore Breana Jeter, who combined for seven blocks in the set.
The Lady Vols extended their lead to 2-0, as they won the second set 25-20. The home side continued their dominance on both sides of the net, finishing with 16 team kills and five team blocks in the set.
Missouri (12-8, 5-2 SEC) would take the third set 25-17. Down 2-3 in the set, the Tigers went on a 9-0 scoring run and never looked back. Mizzou finished the set with 14 team kills. They were led in attack by Leketo Member-Meneh who had 14 kills behind 31 attacks after three sets.
Tennessee finished off the match winning the fourth and final set, 25-21. After going down 13-15, a crucial timeout allowed the Lady Vols to regroup and score two straight points after the break. The home side continued their strong defensive play with four team blocks in the set. One of the blocks came at a pivotal moment when sophomore Tessa Grubbs and Treiber teamed up to block a Missouri attack to earn match point. An error by Missouri’s Sydney Deeken would end the match.
Tennessee held off a strong Missouri attack to finish the match with 14 team blocks. Treiber led the Vols both offensively and defensively finishing the match with 15 kills and eight blocks.
Despite finishing the match with 58 team kills behind 153 team attacks, the Tigers committed too many errors. Five different Missouri players combined for 35 errors.
Tennessee is currently on a two-game win streak, and will look to build on its momentum as they travel to Lexington. The Lady Vols will face No. 8 Kentucky on Sunday, Oct. 22. The match will air at 1:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network+ on WatchESPN.
Feature image courtesy of UT Sports
Edited by Ben McKee
