With 11 wins in their last 12 matches, the Lady Vols are back in the national rankings — barely! In the latest AVCA poll Tennessee received 7 votes. Unofficially, that makes the Lady Vols the 35th ranked team in the nation.

Auburn is giving Tennessee all they can handle. In the fifth set UT leads 8-7. A fire alarm in the building has delayed the match for the past 30 minutes. The teams are warming up and play should begin soon.

UPDATE: Tennessee wins 3-2 (23-25, 25-11, 25-19, 20-25, 16-14). Kylie Marshall had a double-double with 14 kills and 14 digs. Nikki Fowler and Milan Clarke also notched double-digit kills (Mindy Flynn may have as well, if not she was close). More later.

UPDATE 2: What a road trip! On Saturday I went to see the football team from my second favorite school play an Alabama-based team they were expected to beat easily — but they just barely won with a last minute score. Then Sunday I go to see the volleyball team from my alma mater play an Alabama-based team they were expected to beat easily — but they just barely scrape past them in the fifth set! A nerve-wracking weekend, but both teams kept it exciting! Tennessee has the story.

Tennessee gets a Friday night off this weekend before traveling to Auburn on Sunday. I’m hoping to make the match. Right now my plan is to go to the East Carolina vs UAB football game in Birmingham, Alabama on Saturday night before heading down to Auburn Sunday morning for the volleyball game. Of the five away matches I’d planned on going to this year, two of them got scrubbed the day before. So I’m crossing my fingers that nothing comes up this time! I’m assuming my ban on photo posting applies to away games too, so no pics I’m afraid!

• In the 29 matches Auburn has played this year they have utilized over 20 different starting line-ups.

• Since the 1999 season, Tennessee has won 14 of the last 15 match-ups against Auburn, the lone loss being last year. Their set record vs Auburn in that time is 45-9.

• Only three times in the 35 times the teams have met has the match gone to five sets — the last in 1993.

• The win against Auburn earlier this year gave Coach Patrick his 230th win at Tennessee — a school record.

• Every non-first year player on the team except Nikki Fowler and Laurén LaFlamme have at least one current career high against Auburn.

• Auburn (6-23, 1-17)
Tennessee leads the all time series 22-12-1.
Tennessee won earlier this year 3-0 (25-15, 25-23, 28-26).
Game time is Sunday, November 23rd at 1:30pm CT
Follow the match with Gametracker

I’m re-working the way I post stats on the Roster page to make them more… informational? Is that a real word? Anyway, you can check out Nikki Fowler’s career stats to see what I’m talking about. I’m using her as the guinea pig for testing since she has a good amount of stats in every category and she only has two seasons worth of data to sift through. If you have any other ideas or suggestions for stats I should add feel free to let me know.

Tennessee split their last home matches of the season, falling to Florida but defeating South Carolina. Four players matched or exceeded career highs this weekend.

• Tennessee is 9-39-1 all time vs Florida, and 27-25 all time vs South Carolina.

• Two Lady Vols jumped into the record books after this weekend’s matches. With 307 blocks, Mindy Flynn is now #10 on Tennessee’s career blocks chart. And with 953 digs, Kylie Marshall is now #10 on the career digs list.

• Tennessee is 9-3 in regular season home closing matches under Coach Patrick.

• With their 13th SEC win of the season, the Lady Vols have tied their second best regular season conference win total. The 2005 squad went 13-3, while the 2004 team went 15-1.

• Tennessee finished with a home record of 11-3 this season. Their only losses were to teams currently ranked in the top 25: #16 Illinois, #19 Kentucky, and #14 Florida.

• Against Florida on Friday, the Lady Vols broke the home attendance mark of 1,000 for only the fourth time in school history. All but one of those matches were against the Gators.

• Tennessee has now won at least 20 matches 17 times in the past 36 seasons. Coach Patrick has done it 6 times in his 12 seasons. (Three other years he just missed that mark with 19 wins.)

• Since they are splitting setting duties this season, Kelsey Mahoney and Michaela Hanakova are also splitting the assists stats and maybe not getting as much attention compared to other setters who play full-time. However, if you combine their stats they compare very favorably to the rest of the SEC setters. Mahoney has 605 assists, while Hanakova has 534. That’s a combined total of 1139 assists with 10.95 assists per set.

                      assists   per set
Murphy/Bathelt, UF       982     11.16
Mahoney/Hanakova, UT    1139     10.95
B. Denson-Dorman, SC    1014     10.47
S. Rumely, UK           1091     10.39
K. Gates, UGA           1013      9.74

• Mindy Flynn, better known for her hitting and blocking skills, is kicking it up a notch in another stat. On Friday she broke her career best record with 7 digs then just missed doing it again with 6 digs on Sunday, making this her best weekend ever in that category. Her previous best weekend was in a three match stretch at the Lady Vol Classic in 2006, where she dug up 9 balls. The 13 digs was also her best back to back match total. Twice she has notched 10 digs over a two match stretch — the last matches of the 2006 season, and earlier this year. In the five matches so far in November (with two still to go) she has had 26 digs. Her previous best months are September and October of 2006 where she had 30 digs over 12 matches and 27 digs over 9 matches, respectively. (Yes, I may have too much time on my hands today!)

• Amanda Friday got the first ace of her career, and did it vs the #12 team in the country!

• Career bests matched or exceeded this weekend
Mindy Flynn: digs
Chloe Goldman: aces and points
Alyssa Hilby: attacks, digs, and blocks
Kelsey Mahoney: assists

Tennessee gets a tough win over South Carolina 3-2 (25-27, 25-22, 26-28, 25-16, 15-10). In their last home match the seniors delivered! Milan Clarke had 17 kills and hit .317. Mindy Flynn had 11 kills and 6 digs. And her 7 blocks put her on the career blocks top ten chart. Nikki Fowler led the offence with 22 kills. Chloe Goldman led the defense with 24 digs. Lots more coming soon.

UPDATES: More stats! Alyssa Hilby had a career high 8 blocks. Kylie Marshall had 16 digs and 4 blocks. Farren Powe had 12 kills and hit .476. She also had 5 digs and 3 blocks. Kelsey Mahoney had a career high tying 34 assists. Michaela Hanakova had 22 assists. Besides her 24 digs, Goldman also had 5 assists and a career high tying 3 aces.

Tennessee and South Carolina have the story.

The Lady Vols lost a hard fought match tonight againt the #12 Gators 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-23). More coming soon.

UPDATE: Tennessee and Florida have the stories. Florida’s Kelly Murphy had a triple double. Mindy Flynn led the Vols in kills with 10, and also had 7 digs and 2 blocks. Nikki Fowler had 6 kills, 2 blocks, and a team leading 15 digs. Alyssa Hilby had 6 blocks. Milan Clarke had 5 kills and 3 blocks. Farren Powe had 5 kills and 2 blocks. Chloe Goldman had 14 digs and Kylie Marshall had 10. Kelsey Mahoney had 20 assists, while Michaela Hanakova added in 10 of her own. 1,097 people attended the match, making it the 4th largest home crowd for the Lady Vols.

Coach Patrick, 2005: “Mindy is going to come in and definitely be one of our most versatile hitters, because not only has she played middle hitter for many years at a high level, but also right side and outside hitter… Mindy has very good volleyball skills and is equally adept at playing front row and back row. She will cause match-up problems for opponents, because she can hit a variety of tempo sets.”

Coach Patrick, 2008: “Mindy has been a stalwart in our lineup and integral to our successes over the past few years. It was not a coincidence that the level of our play dipped last year when she was injured. Mindy is able to play any of the front three positions as well as contribute in the back row. We are excited to get her back on the court this year because her high volleyball IQ really helps to raise the level of our total team play.”

Most good teams have a type of player who sometimes gets taken for granted by the fans, but whom coaches wish they had more of. These players may get huge numbers but end up just behind someone else in the box score. These selfless athletes quietly rack up stats and dependably put in solid performances week in and week out without getting the accolades they deserve. Mindy Flynn has had four amazing seasons but has always seemed to have someone else just in front of her getting most of the spotlight. And very much to her credit, it seems the spotlight is not something she craves. She’s been an extremely reliable athlete who gets the job done over and over again and always puts the team’s needs in front of her own.

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Coach Patrick, 2005: “Milan is an athlete who came in during the summer and is going to be ready for the season. She is going to feel comfortable playing with her teammates, because she’s been around them, working out and getting stronger. She has a high level of skill in controlling the ball, playing defense and passing. She is also a physical hitter who can terminate almost any set that comes her way.”

Coach Patrick, 2008: “Milan has really developed a great focus on volleyball and her individual improvement. Physically, she is more prepared coming into this season than at any other time of her career. She made great strides this spring attacking the ball as well as in her ball control. Her experience will be integral to our success this season, especially with so many newcomers to our team.”

Milan is one of the most energetic, emotional, and fervent players on the team. When things are going right you can see the excitement on her face. When things aren’t so good you see determination, not disappointment. Sometimes that manifests itself as tougher play, and sometimes a tougher attitude. When Coach Patrick starts screaming at intensely instructing his team, Milan is the only player I’ve seen who can stand up and go toe to toe with him — whether or not its the best idea is another discussion! Players like that are always the most fun to watch because you can tell they’re just as emotionally invested in the outcome of the game as the fans are!

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Coach Patrick, 2004: “Laurén is an excellent athlete who has exceptional hand-eye coordination. She is a good volleyball player who, as she gains experience, will become an excellent player. She has excellent ball control, hustle and digging ability…”

Coach Patrick, 2008: “I have never been more proud of a student-athlete than I am of Laurén. She has put in the time and energy to maximize her potential. She is in the best shape of her career… It is impossible to measure the positive effect that her desire and leadership have had on our program. She is the most selfless player who has ever come through our program and is the definition of a consummate team player.”

Just looking at the stats sheet you won’t get the full picture of what Laurén contributes to the Lady Vols. But her teammates know. After not playing at all her redshirt year her teammates gave her their Most Improved award. After playing in only four matches her freshman year her teammates again gave her their Most Improved award. In 2006, she only played in five matches, but still her teammates honored her, this time by voting her their Most Inspirational award. Her hard work during practices and dedication to the team had earned her three awards in three years from her peers. But the recognition didn’t stop on the volleyball court. In 2007, the athletics department started an awards program called The Volscars. This time competing against athletes from different sports, Laurén won the very first female Big Orange Award, which is given to “a student-athlete who exhibits high character and enthusiasm, has a positive attitude, and encourages her teammates”.

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The 2008 seniors — Laurén LaFlamme, Milan Clarke, and Mindy Flynn — have had a roller coaster of a ride during their time at Tennessee. They started with one of the best years in school history. Graduations and injuries took their toll and they were part of one of the more disappointing years in school history. But in their final year they’ve helped lead the team back into a winning season, the record books, and possibly the post season.

This weekend they will play their final matches in front of the home crowd in two of the biggest games of the season. (And I hope the fans come out in big numbers to support and thank them!) Before they end their college careers, here’s a brief look back at their time on Rocky Top.

• Laurén LaFlamme
• Milan Clarke
• Mindy Flynn

Tennessee plays its last two regular season home matches this weekend, both against the last two teams that beat them — Florida and South Carolina. Sunday’s match will be Senior Day, and the first 300 fans will receive Lady Vol volleyball trading cards.

• With two wins this weekend Tennessee would tie for the 4th longest winning streak in school history and break the school record for most consecutive SEC victories. With a 3-0 win on Friday they would hold the school record for consecutive sweeps outright.

• The #12 Florida Gators come to Thompson-Boling Arena this week, and the Lady Vols are 10-2 in their new home this year. Their only two losses were to teams currently ranked in the top 25.

• Over the past 10 years Florida has only lost to three teams more than twice: Nebraska, Southern California, and Tennessee. No other SEC team but the Lady Vols have beat them more than once in that time.

• Neither Tennessee nor South Carolina made the NCAA Tournament last year. But both teams are faring well against teams that did. The Gamecocks have won 7 matches vs 7 teams that made the 2007 tourney, while Tennessee has 7 wins against 5 teams that made it.

• Tennessee, Florida, and South Carolina are three of the top four teams in the conference in most statistical categories. Looking at just SEC matches:

– Kills: (1) UT, (2) UF, (3) SC
– Hitting Percentage: (1) UF, (2) UT, (4) SC
– Opp. Hitting Percentage: (2) UF, (3) UT, (4) SC
– Assists: (1) UT, (2) UF, (3) SC
– Digs: (1) UT, (2) SC
– Blocks: (3) UT, (4) UF
– Conf. Winning Percentage: (1) UF, (3) UT, (4) SC

• Florida (20-2, 14-1)
Florida leads the all time series 9-38-1.
Tennessee lost earlier this season 3-0 (25-22, 25-12, 25-22).
Game time is Fri, November 14th at 7:00pm ET
Follow the match with Gametracker or with live video

• South Carolina (19-6, 10-5)
Tennessee leads the all time series 26-25.
Tennessee lost earlier this season 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-23).
Game time is Sun, November 16th at 1:30pm ET
Follow the match with Gametracker or tape delayed at 3:30pm ET on certain FOX Sports RSN’s

	UT	UF	SC
Matches / Sets	27 / 96	22 / 80	25 / 92
Kills Errors / Total Attacks Kills per set Hitting Percentage	1269 456 / 3307 13.2 .246	1091 414 / 2561 13.6 .264	1266 411 / 3235 13.8 .264
Assists Assists per set	1179 12.3	1015 12.7	1168 12.7
Service Aces Aces per set	110 1.1	127 1.6	113 1.2
Digs Digs per set	1475 15.4	1034 12.9	1406 15.3
Solo Blocks / Assists Blocks per set	40 / 386 2.4	27 / 283 2.1	55 / 214 1.8

UPDATE: Online audio for the Florida match may be available here. Tennessee has match notes online.

After going a month since their last loss, and over three weeks since losing a single set, the Lady Vols are starting to get some national recognition. In the latest AVCA poll Tennessee received 6 votes (meaning two voters ranked them 23rd, six voters ranked them 25th, or some combination in between). Unofficially, that makes the Lady Vols the 34th ranked team in the nation!

The Lady Vols defeated Arkansas and Mississippi this weekend, making this recap full of streaks and sweeps!

Tennessee is 10-14 vs Arkansas all-time.
Tennessee is 33-6 vs Mississippi all-time.

• Tennessee won their 9th match in a row this weekend. This ties the second longest run under Coach Patrick — the team won 14 in a row in 2004. It ties the sixth longest in school history — the team won 22 in a row in 1980, 20 in a row in 1973, 14 in a row in 2004, and 11 in a row in both 1986 and 1982. It ties the second longest streak in school history when only counting best of five matches (older matches sometimes only played two sets or best of three sets).

• Tennessee has won 8 straight vs SEC opponents. The 2005 team holds that record with 9 in a row, but that includes SEC tournament play, not just regular season matches. The 2004 team also won 8 conference matches in a row.

• The Lady Vols have won six straight matches 3-0. This ties for the best sweep streak ever recorded in Tennessee history — the 2004 squad matched that number. The 1973 team also had 6 straight sweeps but they were all 2-0.

• During its 9 wins in a row Tennessee has only lost 1 set! That’s an amazing set record of 27-1, and it is unmatched in Tennessee volleyball history! The previous best over the same number of matches was in 1986, when the team had a 27-2 set record during one stretch.

• Tennessee has swept 13 out of the 19 teams it has beaten this year. Only counting three-set sweeps, that’s the eighth best total in school history — with at least four matches still to go!

• Farren Powe has hit over .500 in five straight matches. Her low is .500 vs LSU, and her high (a career high) .692 vs Georgia. Over the last five matches she is .575 (43-5-66).

• The Lady Vols’ match vs Arkansas was one of their best sweeps of the season, with the team posting three set match highs in kills, attacks, assists, and digs. In addition, Chloe Goldman’s 25 digs was the third best three set total in UT history.

• Tennessee has secured the 10th winning season of Coach Patrick’s 12 years at UT.

Congratulations to Chloe Goldman on winning her third SEC Defensive Player of the Week award!

“Averaged 6.67 digs per set in wins over Arkansas and Ole Miss and helped extend Tennessee’s win streak to nine-matches. Posted 40 digs in the two contests, including 25 against Arkansas and 15 against Ole Miss. Was relied on heavily in the passing game, recording just two reception errors in a team-high 45 attempts and she also had seven assists, good for an average of 1.17 per set. With her efforts, she regained the top position in the SEC on the digs chart with an average of 5.10 in league matches this season.”

UPDATE: Tennessee has the story and a lot more stats.