In front of a huge crowd, Tennessee gave the fans what they wanted with a four set win over Alabama (25-23, 25-16, 16-25, 28-26). More soon.
UPDATE: Kanisha Jimenez controlled the match with 18 kills, 14 digs, and four blocks. Erica Treiber put back eight blocks, while hitting .316 with nine kills. Kendra Turner, making her season debut at home, had eight kills and hit .222. Lexi Dempsey was impressive with 39 assists, eight digs, three blocks, and three kills (including the match winner). Bridgette Villano dug up 15 balls while Megan Hatcher added 11 of her own. The Vols won despite being outhit by the Tide — just the 20th time that’s happened in the rally scoring era. Their .161 average was the 13th lowest in a win during that timeframe.
Late in the fourth set with Tennessee fighting back from a deficit, the refs made a terrible call. And the third largest crowd of the past three seasons got fired up! With their team down 22-18, the Tennessee fans got rowdy and didn’t let up for the rest of the match until the Vols had secured the win. I have not missed a single Tennessee home game in nine years. So I can tell you that tonight was the loudest I’ve ever heard TBA during a volleyball match! And the team seemed to really appreciate it — coming out of the locker room after the match for a curtain call.
Vols stem the Tide
