The Tennessee Volunteers women's volleyball team defeated Auburn 3-0 Sunday, sweeping the Tigers 25-15, 25-16, 25-20. Auburn dropped to 0-2 in SEC play and now holds a 6-6 record overall.
"We've got to come out and start beating teams at the first contact on serve receive," said Auburn coach Rick Nold. "If we don't do that, it's going to be difficult. We've got to make a commitment to getting better in that area."
Outside hitter Kelly Fidero, senior in health promotion, led the Tigers with 14 kills on the day. Setter Chelsea Wintzinger, undeclared sophomore, tallied 14 assists along with 11 digs from middle blocker MacKenzy Harper, junior in accounting.
Strong serving was key in Tennessee taking the first set. Three aces by the Volunteers helped them build a 19-12 lead.
In the second set, Fidero and middle blocker Camila Jersonsky, sophomore in polymer and fiber engineering, combined for nine kills. Three service errors hurt the Tigers, but thanks to Fidero and Jersonsky, Tennessee's lead was cut to 14-10. The Tigers were unable to capitalize, however, eventually losing the set after a 4-1 scoring run by the Volunteers.
The final set was the closest of the day. Outside hitter Sarah Bullock, junior in marketing, and Fidero accumulated seven kills for the Tigers in the third set. Auburn was ahead 17-15 in the set, prompting the Volunteers to call a timeout. The stoppage allowed Tennessee to regroup, and they followed the break with a 4-0 run to ultimately take the set and the match.
"We need to work on lowering our errors and being smarter with the plays we make," Jersonsky said, "knowing when to take risks with the ball and when not to."
The Tigers open home SEC play against Alabama Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. Last year the Tigers took both matches against their rivals.
"I don't think you need to prep any differently for a game like Alabama," Fidero said. "The drive comes naturally for a rivalry and at home. We just need to clean up some things from this weekend, and I think our performance will be better no matter what."
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