Alabama
12-11,4-8SEC
Tennessee
11-12,5-8SEC
Alabama Falls to Tennessee, 3-0, Sunday in Tuscaloosa
11/10/2019 5:02:00 PM | Volleyball
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama volleyball closed its weekend with a three-set loss to Tennessee Sunday afternoon at Foster Auditorium.
Alabama (12-11, 4-8 SEC) fell to Tennessee (11-12, 5-8 SEC) in straight sets by identical 25-18 scores in each. For the fifth-straight match, junior Doris Carter finished with double-digit kills, leading the team with 14. Junior Meghan Neelon was one dig short of her second consecutive double-double, finishing the match with 18 assists and nine digs. Junior Kaylee Thomas led the defense with 11 digs, putting her seven away from the 1,000th of her career.
FROM HEAD COACH LINDSEY DEVINE
"It comes back to mental preparation and understanding that for these matches in SEC you have to really be confident in your training and trust your training. When you have that moment of self-doubt when an opponent pushes back at you, like at the beginning of a match, and you abandon your training and the scouting report then all the sudden your opponent has you."
STAT LEADERS
- Kills – Doris Carter (14)
- Assists – Meghan Neelon (18)
- Aces – Ginger Perinar (2)
- Digs – Kaylee Thomas (11)
SET-BY-SET
- Set One (Tennessee 25, Alabama 18): Tied at 6-6 in the opening set, Tennessee went on a 9-3 run to lead 15-9 at the media timeout. The Lady Vols held onto their six-point advantage, leading 20-14 at Alabama's first called timeout. Tennessee reached set point with seven-point lead, 24-17, and closed it two points later at 25-18.
- Set Two (Tennessee 25, Alabama 18): With Alabama leading 3-2 early, five unanswered points from Tennessee swung the lead in the visitors' favor, 6-3, before the Tide took a timeout. Alabama would remain within three points until, at 13-10, the Lady Vols surged ahead with a 5-0 run to lead 18-10 before the Tide spent its second timeout. Still facing an eight-point deficit later at 20-12, a 3-1 run allowed Alabama to gather some momentum and Tennessee looked to halt it with a timeout with the lead trimmed to 21-15. Each team scored three points as the Lady Vols reached set point at 24-18 and then a Tide attack error ended the frame at 25-18.
- Set Three (Tennessee 25, Alabama 18): Tennessee opened the set with four unanswered points before Alabama score three in a row to draw within one. The Lady Vols kept a slim lead until, up 11-9, a 4-0 run extended the advantage to 15-9 at the media timeout. Soon after ahead 19-11, back-to-back Alabama points cut into the deficit and Tennessee took its first timeout ahead 19-13. The teams traded evenly to put the score at 24-18 and the Lady Vols sealed the sweep with a kill to earn yet another 25-18 set victory.
KEYS TO THE MATCH
- After earning 18 and 19 blocks over the previous two matches, Alabama only managed six in Sunday's loss
- The Tide hit .206 as a team, its second-lowest total in SEC play, while Tennessee finished with a .419 clip
UP NEXT
Alabama begins a three-match road swing on Friday, Nov. 15 with a rematch against Missouri (16-6, 8-4 SEC) at 6:30 p.m. CT.
For the latest information on the team, follow @AlabamaVball on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Volleyball on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook
