MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Xavier ended their stay at the Western Michigan Tournament with a 4 set win over Tennessee 25-23, 25-22, 17-25, 25-21.
Kristen Massa gave Xavier 15 kills while Mackenzi Humm had 23 assists and McKena Estes had 22. Xavier finished with 53 total team kills.
Tennessee fell to 7-2 with the defeat. Tessa Grubbs recorded 15 kills and Sedona Hansen had 32 assists.
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy of Xavier Athletics
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Xavier volleyball defeated Tennessee in four sets (25-23, 25-22, 17-25, 25-21) on Saturday afternoon as they finished Holiday Inn West Tournament action with a 2-1 record. The two-day tournament was hosted by Western Michigan at University Arena.
The Musketeers moved to 5-5 on the year, while the Volunteers fell to 7-2. Xavier is now 3-3 all-time against Tennessee and 2-0 versus SEC schools this season (also beat Arkansas).
MATCH NOTES
• Xavier had six players with six or more kills in the match, paced by Kristen Massa‘s match-high 15. The junior also added a .429 hitting percentage.
• Xavier had a season-high seven aces in the match. McKena Estes and Samantha Foti led the Musketeers with two each.
• Abbey Bessler chipped in nine kills, while Sofia Peterson had seven. Alexis Newsome, Brooke Bettsand Morgan Finn all had six.
• Defensively, Xavier had four more blocks (9-5) than the Volunteers. Alexis Newsome led the Musketeers with five, while Brooke Betts had three.
• Meredith Klare had a team-high 16 digs, while Samantha Foti chipped in 10. Abbey Bessler was two digs shy of a double-double with eight.
• Mackenzi Humm had 23 assists and McKena Estes had 22.
TOURNAMENT NOTES
• Kristen Massa led Xavier with 45 total kills, averaging 3.75 k/s over the weekend. The outside hitter also added a .376 hitting percentage and six blocks.
• Xavier had 14 more blocks (32-18) than its opponents this weekend. Brooke Betts had 12, while Alexis Newsome added 10.
• Xavier also had 10 more service aces (18-8) than its opponents. Samantha Foti led the Musketeers with four.
• Meredith Klare led Xavier in digs with 44, averaging 3.67 d/s. Samantha Foti added 35 (2.92 d/s).
SET ONE
• Xavier never trailed in the opening set and led by as many as four points twice. Tied at 23, Lauren Frilling posted a kill to put Xavier up by one before a block by Frilling and Alexis Newsome sealed the victory on the final point.
SET TWO
• Neither team led by more than three in the second set. Tied at 20, the Musketeers closed the frame on a 5-2 run capped by a Kristen Massa kill.
• Kristen Massa had seven kills in the frame with a .545 hitting percentage.
SET THREE
• Xavier scored the first five points of the set before the Volunteers responded by tying the match at eight. The Musketeers led 12-11 before Tennessee went on a 9-3 run to take a 20-15 lead. The Volunteers scored five of the final seven points for their first win of the afternoon.
SET FOUR
• The final set had 10 ties and four lead changes. Xavier broke open a 10-10 tie with three straight points to force a Tennessee timeout. The Musketeers led by at least two points for the remainder of the match to hold on for the win and hand the Volunteers their second loss of the year.
• Xavier had its highest hitting percentage of the match in the fourth set, hitting .382. Alexis Newsomeand Morgan Finn combined for seven kills in 10 attempts with only one error.
UP NEXT
• Xavier returns to action at the Stacey Clark Classic hosted by No. 20 Purdue on Sept. 16-17. The Musketeers open tournament play on Friday against No. 4 Kansas, a 2015 NCAA Final Four participant.
PRESS RELEASE
Courtesy of Tennessee Athletics
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The Tennessee Volunteers fell behind by two sets for the first time this season and could not rally in a 3-1 (25-23, 25-22, 17-25, 25-21) loss to Xavier on Saturday to conclude the Holiday Inn West Invitational.
The Vols (7-2) rallied to take the third set but could not continue the momentum late into the fourth set against Xavier (5-5) to finish the weekend with a 2-1 record.
Freshman Tessa Grubbs led the Vols with 15 kills, while sophomore Erica Treiberadded 11 with a .588 hitting percentage. Senior Bridgette Villano recorded 17 digs, and freshman Sedona Hansen had 32 assists.
Next week, the Vols play at the George Washington Invitational in the final weekend before SEC competition begins.
In the first set, Xavier jumped out to a four-point lead at 19-15, but the Vols chipped away at the lead, tying the match at 22-22 on a bad set by Xavier. The Vols knotted the match again at 23-23 thanks to a kill by Grubbs, but Xavier took the final two points to clinch the opening set.
The Vols tied up the second set at 20-20 with kills by Alyssa Andreno and Raina Hembry, but Xavier went on a tear to close the set, winning five of the last seven points.
Xavier won the first five points of the third set coming out of the break, but the Vols eventually tied up the match 8-8. Tennessee jumped on a 5-0 run midway through the set, taking a 16-12 lead on a Xavier attack error. The Vols hit .407 during the set, securing the set at 25-17 on an ace by Hansen.
In the fourth set, Xavier broke a 10-10 tie with a 3-0 burst and led the rest of the way. The Vols cut the lead to 17-16 on back-to-back kills by Treiber, but Xavier won four of the next five points to retake the momentum up 21-17.
The Vols fought off two match points but Xavier closed out the match 25-21 with a kill by Brooke Betts.
NOTES
- Tennessee starters: Alyssa Andreno, Erica Treiber, Raina Hembry, Sedona Hansen, Bri Holmes, Britney Vallez, Brudgette Villano (L). This is the third time in four matches this lineup has been used.
- Three Vols recorded double-digit kills: Tessa Grubbs (15), Erica Treiber (11) and Bri Holmes (10). It was Grubbs’ third match of at least 15 kills this season.
UP NEXT
- Next week marks the final tuneup for the Vols before Southeastern Conference play. Tennessee plays at the George Washington Invitational in Washington, D.C. Opponents include James Madison, Northern Illinois and host GW.
Leave a Reply