CHICAGO – The duo of Morgahn Fingall and Jenaisya Moore once again led the offensive charge for 18th-ranked Tennessee, as the Lady Vols defeated Loyola Chicago, 3-1 (25-22, 25-20, 23-25, 25-22), at Gentile Arena on Friday night.
Fingall eclipsed the 20-kill margin for the second match in a row, tying her season best with 22 to lead all players. The graduate right-side hitter posted a .381 hitting percentage and finished with seven digs, two aces and a block. Moore, a graduate outside hitter, recorded a season-high 17 kills while hitting .455.
Freshman outside hitter Mackenzie Plante had a career day after coming into the match late in the second set. She posted career bests in kills (9) and digs (6) while matching her personal high in blocks (2). She hit .412 in the match and landed back-to-back points in the second set to swing the frame in Tennessee’s favor.
“I thought Kenzie played great,” head coach Eve Rackham Watt said. “She came in and really stabilized the servicing unit, which is something she does a really nice job of, and I thought she had a great offensive night. One of the things I told the team was that a great thing about having depth is that someone come in off the bench and help us the way she did. For her to do it as a freshman in that environment, I thought she was terrific.”
Setter Caroline Kerr, the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week, eclipsed the 50-assist margin for the second match in a row, tallying 51 in the contest to go along with seven digs, two kills and a block. Graduate libero Yelianiz Torres recorded team highs with 13 digs and three aces. Junior defensive specialist Ashllyn King added seven digs and a pair of aces herself, as three Lady Vols finished with multiple aces in the match.
Holding down the front row, sophomore Keondreya Granberry posted five kills and four blocks while notching career bests in assists (2) and digs (2). Redshirt sophomore Emily Beeker earned her first start of the season and recorded five kills and two blocks.
As a team, Tennessee (6-1) out hit the Ramblers (2-5) .357 to .295 in the match. Both teams were very even in the matchup, as the contest included a combined 22 tied scores and eight lead changes even after the Lady Vols never trailed in the opening frame.
In the first set, UT scored the first three points of the match to gain the early momentum. After Tennessee went up 21-15, the Ramblers responded with a 7-2 run to pull within two points, but…
Fingall eclipsed the 20-kill margin for the second match in a row, tying her season best with 22 to lead all players. The graduate right-side hitter posted a .381 hitting percentage and finished with seven digs, two aces and a block. Moore, a graduate outside hitter, recorded a season-high 17 kills while hitting .455.
Freshman outside hitter Mackenzie Plante had a career day after coming into the match late in the second set. She posted career bests in kills (9) and digs (6) while matching her personal high in blocks (2). She hit .412 in the match and landed back-to-back points in the second set to swing the frame in Tennessee’s favor.
“I thought Kenzie played great,” head coach Eve Rackham Watt said. “She came in and really stabilized the servicing unit, which is something she does a really nice job of, and I thought she had a great offensive night. One of the things I told the team was that a great thing about having depth is that someone come in off the bench and help us the way she did. For her to do it as a freshman in that environment, I thought she was terrific.”
Setter Caroline Kerr, the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week, eclipsed the 50-assist margin for the second match in a row, tallying 51 in the contest to go along with seven digs, two kills and a block. Graduate libero Yelianiz Torres recorded team highs with 13 digs and three aces. Junior defensive specialist Ashllyn King added seven digs and a pair of aces herself, as three Lady Vols finished with multiple aces in the match.
Holding down the front row, sophomore Keondreya Granberry posted five kills and four blocks while notching career bests in assists (2) and digs (2). Redshirt sophomore Emily Beeker earned her first start of the season and recorded five kills and two blocks.
As a team, Tennessee (6-1) out hit the Ramblers (2-5) .357 to .295 in the match. Both teams were very even in the matchup, as the contest included a combined 22 tied scores and eight lead changes even after the Lady Vols never trailed in the opening frame.
In the first set, UT scored the first three points of the match to gain the early momentum. After Tennessee went up 21-15, the Ramblers responded with a 7-2 run to pull within two points, but…
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