Lady Vols fall in five set thiller
The Tennessee volleyball team came up just short in its first match of the Flyer Invitational on Friday night, as it fell to Dayton in five sets.
Joutside hitter Tessa Grubbs led Tennessee registering 23 kills – two away from her career-high of 25 – to provide a constant spark.
After a rough first set in which the Lady Vols lost 25-12, Tennessee recovered to take the second set 25-20.
Head coach Eve Rackham adjusted the lineup to create momentum, as senior Brooke Schumacher and juniors Alyssa Andreno and Asha Phillips helped shift the pace.
After a tight third set in which Dayton made a comeback to win the set by two, Tennessee dominated the fourth set. The Lady Vols got off to a slow start in the fifth and final set and couldn’t recover, losing 25-13.
The final set proved intense, as the teams constantly battled within two points of one another.
At one point in the set, Tennessee sat within just one point of the Flyers at 12-11. Tennessee failed to capitalize, however, as Dayton poured on 13 more points to Tennessee’s two.
Besides Grubbs, Schumacher, Andreno and Phillips, Tennessee showed promise from other players as well.
Junior Sedona Hansen led the team in digs with 11 on the night. Hansen also recorded a season-high in assists with 32. Senior Erica Treiber, always a stable force for Tennessee, led the team with four blocks and registered nine digs, second on the team for Friday’s match.
The Lady Vols finish up the Dayton Flyer Invitational with two games on Saturday. The first game is a 10:30 a.m. (ET) against Ohio State, and the second matchup is slated for 4:30 p.m. (ET) against Evansville.
