Tennessee volleyball defeats Georgia in five sets
Tennessee defeated Georgia in five sets on Wednesday evening to win its first road game of the season.
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 14, 2016 -Middle hitter Erica Treiber #7 of the Tennessee Volunteers during the match between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Hayley Pennesi/Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee (9-7, 2-5 SEC) defeated Georgia 3-2 on Wednesday night at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens. The win marks Tennessee’s first road win of the season.
Georgia (12-7, 2-4 SEC) dominated the opening set, winning 25-15. The Bulldogs got the offense rolling finishing the set with 16 team kills. The Vols committed eight errors in the set and were unable to keep pace offensively, producing only seven kills. Georgia’s offense was led by T’ara Ceasar and Rachel Ritchie who combined for 12 kills behind 23 attacks.
The Lady Vols would take the second set 25-23. In a set that featured 11 ties and three lead changes, the score remained close until the end when Ceasar had an attack error that allowed Tennessee to win set point.
Georgia took a 2-1 lead in the match after winning the third set 25-17. The Lady Vols six errors cost them several point opportunities. Georgia maintained it’s strong offensive play finishing the set with 17 team kills.
In the fourth set, Tennessee would win 27-25 to even the match at 2-2. The Lady Vols were defensively sound with five team blocks in the set. Tennessee had trouble finishing out the set when sophomore Sedona Hansen committed a net violation allowing Georgia to tie things up at 24-24. The Vols allowed Georgia to tie the set again at 25-25 before two straight kills from senior Stephanie Buss and sophomore Tessa Grubbs forced the match into a fifth set.
Tennessee took the fifth set 15-5. Georgia ran out of gas offensively, as they produced only three team kills. The Vols finished the set with 10 team kills.
Stephanie Buss and Tessa Grubbs finished the match with a combined 29 kills behind 65 attacks. Sophomore Sedona Hansen and freshman Callie Williams set up play successfully throughout the match combining for 58 assists.
With the win, Tennessee picks up its second conference win this season. The win also marked Tennessee’s first conference road win since defeating Alabama in straight sets on Oct. 28, 2016, in Tuscaloosa.
The Lady Vols will look to build off their momentum, as they return home to host Missouri on Sunday afternoon inside Thompson-Boling Arena. The match will air at 1:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network+ via WatchESPN.
Edited by Ben McKee
Feature image courtesy of Tennessee Athletics
