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Tuesday, October 3, 2017

2017 Match Notes: vs Auburn and Alabama

The Alabama schools head to Knoxville this week as Tennessee takes on Auburn this Wednesday and the Crimson Tide on Sunday.

  • MATCH NOTES

    • Tennessee is 30-18-1 all-time vs Auburn. The Vols won the only meeting last season. The teams are 5-5 in their last ten meetings, and 7-3 in their last ten in Knoxville.

    Tennessee is 35-16 all-time vs Alabama. The Vols won the only meeting last season. The teams are 6-4 in their last ten meetings, and 7-3 in their last ten in Knoxville.

    Five-set matches between these teams are relatively rare. Since 2001, only two games vs Alabama were decided 3-2 — the last was in 2006. Only three games with Auburn have gone to five in that time period.

    The Tigers are starting to make a push in the rankings. Auburn is #40 in the RichKern.com poll, #38 in the Pablo Rankings, and #21 in the RPI.

    The Vols are 0-2 in televised matches this season. They’ve only played Auburn once before on TV since 2001, a sweep loss in 2015.

    This Wednesday’s match is Dig Pink night. Tennessee has held a Dig for the Cure/Dig Pink match every year since 2008. In previous years the team — clad in those iconic pink jerseys — raised money with auctions of UT volleyball items, pledged donations per dig, fans raising money per minute on a treadmill, and other games and events before and during the match. But in the past two years or so, there have been some cutbacks: no pink jerseys, no big fundraisers, and not much promotion or followup. No matter whether the plans are big or small, though, it’s the cause that is the most important aspect of Dig Pink night — breast cancer awareness and support for people with the disease. The table below has the stats for the past ten years of Dig Pink matches, including the amount raised during the games. In the first seven years of the event, the team and fans contributed over $10,000. This year’s opponent is Auburn, a team they have faced during three previous Dig Pink matches. The Lady Vols are 6-3 overall.

    UT BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH MATCHES
    2008 Auburn W 3-0 $1000+
    2009 Auburn W 3-0 $1000+
    2010 Auburn W 3-0 $1300+
    2011 Alabama W 3-0 $2650+
    2012 Missouri W 3-2 $1600+
    2013 Arkansas L 1-3 $1800+
    2014 Kentucky L 0-3 $ total not
    announced
    2015 Florida L 0-3
    2016 Mississippi W 3-0
    2017 Auburn
  • LINKS OF INTEREST

    • This week’s AVCA Coaches Poll

    The first official RPI of the season is out. The Lady Vols rank 61st.

  • MATCH SCHEDULE
    • AUBURN TIGERS
    10-3, 3-1 SEC
    Wednesday, October 4, 8:00pm ET
    Knoxville TN // SEC NETWORK // LIVE STATS
    ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
    12-5, 1-3 SEC
    Sunday, October 8, 1:00pm ET
    Knoxville TN // SEC NETWORK+ // LIVE STATS
  • NATIONAL & CONFERENCE STATISTICAL RANKS (updated)
    aces
    per set    		 assists
    per set    		 blocks
    per set    		 digs
    per set    		 kills
    per set    		 hitting
    percent    		 opp hit
    percent
    STAT
    NCAA
    SEC    		 1.23
    184
    9    		 12.92
    50
    4    		 1.48
    301
    13    		 15.79
    86
    3    		 13.71
    54
    4    		 .226
    94
    8    		 .170
    49
    3
    STAT
    NCAA
    SEC    		 1.17
    215
    11    		 11.52
    187
    11    		 2.88
    15
    3    		 14.52
    176
    5    		 12.52
    166
    11    		 .236
    69
    7    		 .175
    72
    5
    STAT
    NCAA
    SEC    		 1.39
    107
    4    		 11.02
    237
    13    		 2.63
    31
    4    		 15.37
    117
    4    		 12.05
    219
    12    		 .189
    197
    12    		 .173
    63
    4