SEC: (RV) UGA Gets By Auburn Behind Ritchie & Ceasar; (RV) Tennessee Downs (RV) ‘Bama

SEC Roundup: Oct. 3, 2018

(RV) GEORGIA DEF. AUBURN 3-2 (24-26, 25-15, 22-25, 25-21, 20-18)

• (RV) Georgia improves to 12-4 (3-2, SEC); Auburn falls to 8-7 (1-4, SEC)
• Auburn, Alabama
  • Attendance: 564
• Box Score
• Georgia Release | Auburn Release

Having to overcome a road environment, a 2-1 set deficit, a 5-2 point deficit in the fifth and a match point, (RV) Georgia was able to survive Auburn to garner a winning record in SEC play.

The team hitting percentages were representative of the how close the match was, with Georgia (.219) out-hitting Auburn (.214). The Bulldogs also had more aces (7-6) and digs (84-71) too while the Tigers notched more blocks (12-7).

What took Georgia over the edge was the explosion from Rachel Ritchie (25 kills, .179, 6 digs) and T’ara Ceasar (23 kills, .188, 14 digs), who had 131 of the team’s 187 attempts and 48 of their 73 kills. Meghan Donovan (62 assists, 19 digs) was also strong at the setter spot despite some inconsistent passing, while Mallory Hernandez (10 kills, .529) and Kendall Glover (19 digs, 7 assists) put up strong totals as well.

Almost taking Auburn to victory in the match and helping to push things to extra points was Brenna McIlroy (19 kills, .187, 8 digs, 3 aces). Auburn had a quartet of others between 8 and 9 kills, but failed to have another with a huge performance to match the duo from Georgia. Other notable performances came from Mica Allison (46 assists, 13 digs, 6 blocks), Bella Rosenthal (18 digs, 4 assists) and Anna Stevenson (9 kills, .250, 6 blocks).

The end result is a win for Georgia, which is all that matters, especially in league on the road. It’s a tough loss for Auburn, who has been better than their record but will now look to climb out of a slow 1-4 SEC start.

Next up: Georgia stays on the road to take on #10 Florida on Sunday as their second of three straight matches away from home. Auburn meanwhile hosts Alabama on Sunday before they take on a three-match road stand.

(RV) TENNESSEE DEF. (RV) ALABAMA 3-1 (25-21, 25-14, 21-25, 25-20)

• (RV) Tennessee improves to 13-4 (4-1, SEC); (RV) Alabama falls to 13-5 (1-4, SEC)
• Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Attendance: 620
• Box Score
• Tennessee Release | Alabama Release

In a meeting of teams on the cusp in the VolleyMob Top 25 Power Rankings, Tennessee got by Alabama in a five-set match.

It was all about the Lady Volunteers’ defense in the match, as they held Alabama to a .105 mark behind winning the digs (83-73) and blocks (12-8) categories. They also hit .224 with more kills (63-44) and assists (59-41) to ice things away.

The home side’s effort was led by a trio of high-level scorers in Erica Treiber (16 kills, .350, 6 blocks, 5 digs), Raquel Perinar (14 kills, .111, 5 digs, 5 blocks) and Lily Felts (16 kills, .205, 12 digs). It wasn’t just a three woman show though, as Tennessee also saw large contributions from Alyssa Andreno (9 kills, .368, 4 blocks), Sedona Hansen (41 assists, 9 digs) and Madison Coulter (24 digs), who led a strong floor defense that had three in double-digits for digs.

The sister of Raquel was actually Alabama’s best attacker in this league match that also dueled a pair of sisters. Ginger Perinar (16 kills, .164) led the way in kills while Doris Carter (11 kills, .132, 11 digs) and Hayley McSparin (10 kills, .318, 3 blocks) also had double-digit points. Kaylee Thomas (21 digs) had a solid day in back-row defense.

With a multitude of teams on the cusp of being ranked, these are the types of matches that are huge for the SEC teams that want to make the NCAA Tournament. It also keeps Tennessee near the top of the league table while Alabama has now lost five of their last six after a 12-0 start.

Next up: Tennessee sticks around Knoxville to face Mississippi State on Sunday before a big three match road stretch that starts out with #16 Kentucky. Alabama gets their rival next with a road tilt at Auburn on Sunday.