STANFORD, Calif. — Tennessee women's volleyball had its postseason run cut short in a five-set thriller against defending national champion Texas on Thursday night at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif.
The Lady Vols fell in the first set 25-19 to the Longhorns, but a resilient effort carried Tennessee to a 25-20 win in the second set and a 25-23 victory in the third set. The Longhorns rebounded with a 26-24 win in the fourth set and took the winner-take-all final set 16-14 to dash Tennessee's hopes of advancing and keep their own hopes of a repeat alive.
Tennessee was in the NCAA Regional Semifinals for the first time since 2005, when the Lady Vols went all the way to the Final Four.
Lady Vols star Morgahn Fingall led her team with 24 kills, while three other Lady Vols also posted double-digit kill totals. Freshman setter Caroline Kerr added a career-high 56 assists in the defeat.
Texas will take on the winner of Arizona State and Stanford on Saturday, Dec. 9 with a spot in the Final Four in Tampa, Fla. on the line.
