INSIDE THE NUMBERS BY THE RANKINGS
NCAA DIVISION I STATISTICAL RANKINGS (as of 11/27) Individual Team Aces 1.16 180th
Assists 13.46 8th
Blocks 2.19 100th
Digs 14.88 165th
Hit% .278 9th
Kills 14.59 7th
SEC STATISTICAL RANKINGS (as of 11/27) Team Aces 1.16 6th
Assists 13.46 1st
Blocks 2.19 7th
Digs 14.88 5th
Hit% .278 2nd
Kills 14.59 1st
Aces: Robinson Assists: Pollmiller Digs: Mullins Kills: Robinson
0.37 12.03 3.83 4.57
Points: Robinson 5.19 Blocks: Harrison 1.12 Hitting %: Cikra .333
67th 4th 213th 12th
9th 79th 84th
Individual Aces: Robinson Assists: Pollmiller Digs: Mullins Kills: Robinson
0.37 12.03 3.83 4.57
Points: Robinson 5.19 Blocks: Harrison 1.12 Hitting %: Cikra .333
2nd 1st 5th 1st
1st 1st 5th
AN OPPONENTS NIGHTMARE
LADY VOL DUOS GET REWARDED
TWO IS BETTER THAN ONE
Sophomore Kelsey Robinson has been tremendous this year, producing 12 performances of at least 20 kills so far this season. In 11 of those matches, she has also recorded a double-double. (The list of double-doubles is in the box on the right.) No Lady Vol had as many 20-kill matches in all of 2010. All-American Nikki Fowler reached the mark four times last year to lead the team. Meanwhile, Robinson has already surpassed her double-double total from last season, when she had five matches with at least 10 kills and 10 digs. Perhaps not suprisingly, she is a national leader offensively. She leads the conference and ranks 12th nationally in kills per set (4.57). She also ranks ninth in Division I in points per set (5.19).
When a pair of Lady Vols in junior DeeDee Harrison and sophomore Carly Sahagian were bestowed conference honors on Sept. 26, it marked the first time since Oct. 20, 2008, that multiple Lady Vols were recognized by the SEC in the same week. Since then, that feat has been accomplished three times by UT, as on Oct. 31, freshman Tiffany Baker was tabbed the conference’s Offensive Player of the Week., while classmate Mary Pollmiller earned Freshman of the Week honors. On Monday, Kelsey Robinson was tabbed Offensive POW and Pollmiller again picked up the Freshman of the Week award. On Nov. 21, sophomore Kelsey Robinson was named Offensive POW and Baker grabbed Freshman of the Week. In September, Sahagian was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week, while Harrison earned the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week. Sahagian recorded double-doubles in both matches versus Florida and South Carolina, highlighted by blasting a career-high 19 kills at UF. Harrison was a standout all-around performer, blocking a total of 12 attacks, with an average of 1.33 blocks per set. She also set career-highs in blocks assists and total blocks at USC. Offensively, she also notched double-digits in kills in both matches. In October, Baker became the sixth different Lady Vol this season to earn an SEC accolade. By having six different student-athletes be recognized, it is the most in UT history and ties for the most in SEC history (UF also had six players earn honors in 2007). Baker had double-doubles in each match and increased her season averages in almost every statistical category. Pollmiller had 41 assists in a sweep of South Carolina, aiding UT to a season-high .446 hitting percentage versus the Gamecocks. Against Arkansas and LSU, Robinson averaged 6.00 points per set and 5.50 kills per set, as she registered her SEC-leading 20th double-double of the year versus the Tigers. Baker hit a career-best .524 (110-21) in the sweep over LSU, while only committing one attack error between the two matches.
With Harrison and Sahagian earning conference honors in the same week, and Baker/Pollmiller, Robinson/Baker and Robinson/Pollmiller repeating that feat, UT is the only team this season to have multiple players earn SEC accolades in the same week. The last time the feat happened came in the final week of 2010, by Alabama’s Mary Catherine Aune and Brianne Vande Griend each grabbed awards.
NIFTY 50 Freshman Mary Pollmiller’s first year in Orange and White is off to a fantastic start. Because of injuries at the setter position, she has played all but a handful of points. Her average of 12.03 assists per set ranks first in the SEC and also ranks fourth nationally. She has 13 matches of at least 50 assists this season, the last one coming in a 3-1 Lady Vol victory versus Kentucky. This season she has also produced seven double-doubles, registering 50 or more assists in four of those performances.
Pollmiller’s 50-Assist Matches Date 8/26 8/27 9/3 9/3 9/10 9/23 9/25 9/30 10/9 10/12 10/23 11/11 11/23
Opponent Ohio Maryland Dayton Houston Virginia Tech South Carolina Florida LSU Ole Miss Kentucky Georgia Ole Miss Kentucky
Assists 56 51 58 59 53 53 59 50 52 54 53 69 62
UT’S 800TH WIN Sunday’s 3-0 sweep over Alabama wasn’t only the the squad’s 24th win of the season, but it also was the 800th win for the Tennessee volleyball program. Lady Vol head coach Rob Patrick has been a huge reason for the success, as he has accumulated nine seasons of at least 20 victories, highlighted by a 32win season in 2004.
WE DON’T MESS AROUND By notching their 20th win in just the 23rd match of the year versus South Carolina, the Lady Vols have made it to the 20 win milestone in the third fastest amount of time in Tennessee history. The 1973 team won their first 20 in a row, while the 2004 squad reached 20 wins in 22 matches.
STATS BOX /// DOUBLE-DOUBLES TIFFANY BAKER Date 8/26 10/28 10/30 11/6 11/23
Opponent Ohio Florida South Carolina Miss. State Kentucky
Kills 10 13 15 11 12
Digs 14 11 12 10 11
Assists 51 49 58 50 47 45 64
Digs 11 11 11 13 10 10 11
Kills 27 24 22 28 22 24 10 22 17 20 15 20 19 13 10 19 13 24 12 16 26
Digs 13 24 17 19 14 15 11 12 15 10 13 20 15 12 10 18 10 13 12 13 13
Kills 12 18 11 12 19
Digs 21 12 17 13 13
MARY POLLMILLER Date 8/27 9/2 9/3 9/30 10/21 11/6 11/23
Opponent Maryland Illinois Dayton LSU Auburn Miss. State Kentucky
KELSEY ROBINSON Date 8/26 8/27 9/2 9/3 9/3 9/10 9/18 9/23 9/25 9/30 10/7 10/9 10/12 10/16 10/21 10/23 10/30 11/11 11/13 11/20 11/23
Opponent Ohio Maryland Illinois Dayton Houston Virginia Tech Auburn South Carolina Florida LSU Alabama Ole Miss Kentucky Miss. State Auburn Georgia South Carolina Ole Miss Alabama LSU Kentucky
CARLY SAHAGIAN Date 8/26 8/27 9/2 9/23 3/25
Opponent Ohio Maryland Illinois South Carolina Florida