Tennessee Comes Back to Down Bulldogs in Five Sets

Friday, November 11

Knoxville, Tenn.

6:30 p.m.

University of Georgia

18-7,9-5SEC

Tennessee

14-11,8-5SEC

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Georgia	15	25	25	23	13	2
Tennessee	25	21	15	25	15	3

November 11, 2022 | Volleyball

Box Score

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Georgia women's volleyball team fell to Tennessee Friday evening in a hard fought five set match at Thompson-Boling Arena (15-25, 25-21, 25-15, 23-25, 13-15).

Georgia falls to 18-7 overall and 9-5 in SEC play with four matches remaining in the regular season.

Senior Kacie Evans and junior Sophie Fischer paced Georgia's offense with 18 and 15 kills respectively.

At the service line, Georgia laid down 15 aces, setting a new season high and tipping the double-digit mark for the fourth time in 2022. Evans tallied a career-best six while redshirt-sophomore Mackenzie Norris picked up three. Norris has recorded an ace in each of the last 10 matches.

Redshirt-junior setter Alexa Fortin recorded her second-straight double-double with a team-best 14 digs, dishing out 19 assists. It was her fifth double-double of the season.

Norris led Georgia's blocking with six in the match.

Tennessee (14-11, 8-5) capitalized on early Georgia errors to go out in front 5-0 to open the match. Georgia cut the lead to three, but a 3-0 run put the Lady Vols ahead 15-9 going into the first set media break. Tennessee continued to hold the Bulldog offense as the Lady Vols won the opening stanza 25-15.

The Bulldogs found a quick lead in the second, widening the advantage to four on a 4-1 run and an Evans ace to prompt a Lady Vol timeout, 10-6. Georgia kept the run alive after the break, going ahead 13-6. Following a second timeout, Tennessee strung together seven points to erase Georgia's lead, tying the set at 15-all. Knotted at 20, A kill and an ace from Evans sparked a 5-1 run to finish the frame 25-21, tying the match.

A 4-0 run put Georgia ahead 7-4 in the third set and exhausted an early Tennessee timeout. After the break, Georgia won seven of the next nine points to widen the lead to 14-6. Georgia's offense continued to fire, going up 20-8 in the third. Five-straight from the Lady Vols narrowed Georgia's lead to seven, 20-13. The Bulldogs finished the third set on a 4-0 run, taking the set 25-15 and a 2-1 lead in the match.

Tennessee rattled off six-straight points early in the fourth to go ahead 7-4 and force a Bulldog break. After a second timeout, Georgia worked to whittle the lead down to two and force a Lady Vol timeout, 14-12. Four-straight points including two more aces from Evans put Georgia up 16-15. Tennessee responded with a 6-1 run to go ahead 21-18. Georgia cut it to one late, 24-23, but Tennessee held on to win the set 25-23 and force a fifth.

Back-to-back blocks from Fischer and Tori Harper gave Georgia the 4-3 lead in the fifth. The run was lengthened to five on Georgia's 15^th ace of the match, forcing a Tennessee timeout, 6-3. Georgia led by one at the end change, but a 4-1 run by Tennessee after put the Lady Vols in front 10-9. Down 13-9, Georgia sided out on a block then back-to-back Evans kills made it a one-point game, 13-12. Tennessee drew set point, but a Bulldog block kept the set alive, 14-13. Tennessee held on to win the set 15-13 and the match.

Georgia returns to Stegeman Coliseum to host the Ole Miss Rebels in a two-match series Friday and Saturday. The Bulldogs and Rebels open the series Friday, Nov. 18 at noon, ET.