UPDATES: More stats! Alyssa Hilby had a career high 8 blocks. Kylie Marshall had 16 digs and 4 blocks. Farren Powe had 12 kills and hit .476. She also had 5 digs and 3 blocks. Kelsey Mahoney had a career high tying 34 assists. Michaela Hanakova had 22 assists. Besides her 24 digs, Goldman also had 5 assists and a career high tying 3 aces.

Tennessee and South Carolina have the story.

UPDATE: Tennessee and Florida have the stories. Florida’s Kelly Murphy had a triple double. Mindy Flynn led the Vols in kills with 10, and also had 7 digs and 2 blocks. Nikki Fowler had 6 kills, 2 blocks, and a team leading 15 digs. Alyssa Hilby had 6 blocks. Milan Clarke had 5 kills and 3 blocks. Farren Powe had 5 kills and 2 blocks. Chloe Goldman had 14 digs and Kylie Marshall had 10. Kelsey Mahoney had 20 assists, while Michaela Hanakova added in 10 of her own. 1,097 people attended the match, making it the 4th largest home crowd for the Lady Vols.

Coach Patrick, 2005: “Mindy is going to come in and definitely be one of our most versatile hitters, because not only has she played middle hitter for many years at a high level, but also right side and outside hitter… Mindy has very good volleyball skills and is equally adept at playing front row and back row. She will cause match-up problems for opponents, because she can hit a variety of tempo sets.”

Coach Patrick, 2008: “Mindy has been a stalwart in our lineup and integral to our successes over the past few years. It was not a coincidence that the level of our play dipped last year when she was injured. Mindy is able to play any of the front three positions as well as contribute in the back row. We are excited to get her back on the court this year because her high volleyball IQ really helps to raise the level of our total team play.”

Most good teams have a type of player who sometimes gets taken for granted by the fans, but whom coaches wish they had more of. These players may get huge numbers but end up just behind someone else in the box score. These selfless athletes quietly rack up stats and dependably put in solid performances week in and week out without getting the accolades they deserve. Mindy Flynn has had four amazing seasons but has always seemed to have someone else just in front of her getting most of the spotlight. And very much to her credit, it seems the spotlight is not something she craves. She’s been an extremely reliable athlete who gets the job done over and over again and always puts the team’s needs in front of her own.

During Mindy’s freshman season she played in 23 of the 34 matches. Her first big game came in her 4th match as a Lady Vol, vs LSU. She had 5 kills, 2 digs, and a block. In November, she was able to take advantage of an injured player’s absence to really show what she could do. She had a career high 5 blocks vs South Carolina, though that record would not stand long. Two days later she had 8 kills while hitting .467 against Alabama in her first start. Two more days later and she had 4 blocks vs Auburn. Starting the SEC tournament vs Mississippi, she had 7 kills on 8 attacks with no errors for .875, with 3 blocks as well. She matched that kill total the next day against Alabama. In a big win vs #7 Notre Dame Mindy had 11 kills and a then career high 6 blocks. She started for just the second time of her career in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and hit four kills and 3 blocks against Jacksonville State. In the Sweet Sixteen round she had a then career high 7 blocks against #2 Penn State. The next day she had 6 kills and 5 blocks against #8 Missouri. In the Final Four match against eventual national champion Washington she had a kill and 3 blocks. She is one of only 10 Lady Vols to play in a Final Four. Despite being a freshman, Mindy held her own and was fourth on the team in blocks per game, just barely behind three All-Americans!

Mindy’s sophomore year would be one of her best. It started the first weekend where she had 4 blocks vs Virginia, 10 kills, a then career high .667 hitting percentage, and 5 assists against Centenary, and 12 kills on 28 attacks for .393 and 4 blocks vs Miami (OH). She was named the Comcast Lady Vol Classic MVP and also earned Lady Vol Athlete of the Week honors. She did well at the next tournament as well getting 4 blocks against Loyola Marymount, 9 kills while hitting .353 with 3 blocks against North Carolina, and 11 kills while hitting .391 with 4 blocks against #14 USC. In the next four matches Mindy’s stats were all blocking, with 17 notched over that stretch. Against Arkansas she hit .353. while knocking back 5 more blocks. In a match against Louisville she had 7 kills, 3 blocks, 5 digs, and a current career high 5 assists. Vs Mississippi she hit .417 with 7 blocks and a few days later knocked down 4 more blocks vs Mississippi State. At Auburn she would set a then career high record with 9 blocks. She’d block back 7 more against South Carolina beofre setting her current career high of 10 blocks against Kentucky, where she also hit 15 of 31 for .381. Again, November would be a big month for Mindy. She started the month with 7 kills against Kentucky, 9 vs Alabama 11 vs Georgia, and 7 vs South Carolina. But she saved her best for the end of the month. Against #7 Florida she hit a career high 18 kills on a still career high 43 attacks. That kills record didn’t last long. Two days later she set her current career high against Auburn with 22 kills, and hit .400 with 6 digs and 8 blocks tacked on for good measure! She finished off the season with 11 kills and 6 blocks against #25 Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Usually when a player dominates a stat it’s hard for any other player on the team to do really well in the same category at the same time. Not so in this case. Despite a teammate setting the school record for single season blocks per game and coming in second in total single season blocks in 2006, Mindy also made a big mark blocking. She was just two one-hundredths of a point away from also making the top ten single season blocks list, and 17 blocks shy of also making the single season blocks list. She was second on the team for the season in hitting percentage and third in points, again just behind two All-Americans. She was the only player on the team to play in every set during 2006, and was given the Coaches Award for her efforts on the season.

2007 would be a tough year for the Lady Vols and for Mindy personally — in fact those two statements are probably very much related to each other. She got right back into things as the season started, knocking down 5 blocks in an upset win over #21 Utah. Over the next four outings she averaged 5 blocks a match. At the final match of the Lady Vol Classic she hit .700 against Indiana. She started hitting a stride against Marquette where she had 12 kills. In four of the next six matches she’d hit at least 9 kills. She’s also notch at least 3 blocks in five of the six. Against Mississippi State she had 16 kills, 13 against Auburn, and 10 vs Georgia. In the 13th match of the season she was hitting .400 and had 3 blocks, before an injury cut her season short. Tennessee would go on to have their first losing season since 1997. She ended up second on the season in blocks per set behind an All-SEC player. The year ended on a high note, however, when Mindy was named to the SEC Community Service team.

Now in her senior season, Mindy is back on the court. She’s sharing the blocking duties with a few other players now. But hitting-wise she has picked up right where she left off and getting plenty of notice! She’s had 10 matches this season with 9 or more kills. She’s hit .300 or better a gaudy 15 times! In SEC play this year her .339 hitting percentage is the 6th best in the league. Overall, she stands at #8 on the Tennessee career blocks per set list. And with 8 more blocks she’ll make the top ten total career blocks list. The Lady Vols were 64-30 in matches she played in.

I hope it doesn’t sound like I’m harping too much about Mindy seemingly always coming in second. I don’t mean it in a negative way at all. My point has been she’s seemingly always coming in second to someone who is really, really good — and she hangs right in there with them without getting the same recognition, perhaps unfairly. She’s been an integral part of Tennessee’s successes during her time here. In fact you could say Tennessee’s biggest failure during the past four years occurred only after we lost her on the court. And that’s probably no coincidence! It would have been great to see her get more of the awards she really did deserve. But more important than all those distractions is the way she has handled herself. She always seemed happy to put the team first. But hopefully she knows that her coaches, her teammates, and her biggest fans are well aware of just how important she has been to Tennessee volleyball over the years.

Coach Patrick, 2005: “Milan is an athlete who came in during the summer and is going to be ready for the season. She is going to feel comfortable playing with her teammates, because she’s been around them, working out and getting stronger. She has a high level of skill in controlling the ball, playing defense and passing. She is also a physical hitter who can terminate almost any set that comes her way.”

Coach Patrick, 2008: “Milan has really developed a great focus on volleyball and her individual improvement. Physically, she is more prepared coming into this season than at any other time of her career. She made great strides this spring attacking the ball as well as in her ball control. Her experience will be integral to our success this season, especially with so many newcomers to our team.”

Milan is one of the most energetic, emotional, and fervent players on the team. When things are going right you can see the excitement on her face. When things aren’t so good you see determination, not disappointment. Sometimes that manifests itself as tougher play, and sometimes a tougher attitude. When Coach Patrick starts screaming at intensely instructing his team, Milan is the only player I’ve seen who can stand up and go toe to toe with him — whether or not its the best idea is another discussion! Players like that are always the most fun to watch because you can tell they’re just as emotionally invested in the outcome of the game as the fans are!

Milan played in 27 of the 34 matches her freshman year. She had her first big match in her third outing as a Lady Vol, starting vs Central Michigan where she had 7 kills and hit .333. A week later she hit .667 against Xavier — a mark she set in only her fifth match that wouldn’t be topped until this season. The next day she hit .417 vs Purdue. Against Arkansas she picked up two assists, still her career high. She had her best match of the season against Georgia where she picked up 12 kills on 29 attacks with only one error. Milan was named Tennessee’s first SEC Freshman of the Week for that performance. She had another good night vs Georgia a few weeks later with 9 kills and 4 blocks in front of a still standing home record crowd of 3,311. She matched her then career high .667 hitting percentage against Jacksonville State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and hit .400 in the second round vs Minnesota. She’s one of only ten Lady Vols to have ever seen playing time in a Final Four. And she was named to the SEC Freshmen Academic Honor Roll.

Milan made steady improvements in almost every statistical category her sophomore year. Against Centenary she led the team in kills with 11 while hitting .333. She again led the team two weeks later vs Lehigh where she hit .333 with 13 kills. She really starting lighting things up near the end of the season. In one weekend she hit .556 vs Arkansas and two days later led the team in kills vs #12 LSU. The next weekend she knocked down 7 kills vs Mississippi State before getting a then career high 15 kills vs Mississippi. That was just the lead up to a match with Kentucky where she had then career bests in five different categories: 16 kills, 39 attacks, 6 digs, 5 blocks, and 18.5 points. She had several more solid performances before finishing the season with 15 kills on a then career high 43 attacks against #7 Florida, and five blocks and a current career high 7 digs vs Auburn. She once again was honored for academic achievement with her selection to the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll.

In Milan’s junior year she played in all 29 matches, and had 8 or more kills in 13 of them. She started off strong at the prestigious AVCA Showcase with 8 kills vs #1 Nebraska in the season opener. She had a major role in the upset of #21 Utah with 6 digs, 42 attacks, and a then career best 16 kills, 6 blocks, and 19 points. She was named to the AVCA Showcase All-Tournament Team and was the Lady Vol Athlete of the Week. The next week she had a big weekend at UT’s home tournament. She had 11 kills while hitting .529 vs Appalachian State, 12 kills and 5 digs vs Belmont, and 13 kills while hitting .407 vs Indiana. That showing got her her third award in two weeks when she was named to the Comcast Lady Vol Classic All-Tournament Team. For the next few matches she made her mark blocking, notching 12 blocks in a four match stretch. The next few matches after that she again was a top scorer with kills, knocking down 8 or more in five out of the eight matches — including 13 in a thrilling win vs #18 LSU and 10 in a tight match with Louisville. On a night when the team set several records against Mississippi, Milan pounded out 9 kills while tying her own then career record with 6 blocks. It was a disappointing season overall, but Milan had once again shown major improvements in almost every aspect of her game, especially in blocking where she more than doubled her combined freshman and sophomore totals. For the third year in a row she was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll. And in the first ever SEC Beach Volleyball Tournament she and fellow senior Laurén LaFlamme took home the championship in their pool.

During this her final season, Milan has really taken over as one of the major offensive powers on the team. She started the season by making the Marquette Kick-Off Classic All-Tournament Team. And now 25 matches into the season, she has: double-digit kills in 15 of them; 20 or more attacks in 16 of them; a hitting percentage of at least .333 in 10 of them; and more than 2 blocks in 9 of them. With at least four matches still to play she’s already topped all her previous years in almost every stat, and has bested her career highs in kills, attacks, hitting percentage, blocks and points just this season. And we can’t talk about her senior year without mentioning the outstanding night she had vs ETSU where she hit an amazing .813. She had 13 kills on 16 attempts with no errors! I combed through the box scores for the past seven seasons and found that no other player in that time — which includes teams that went to the Sweet Sixteen in 2004 and the Final Four in 2005 — had hit above .800 when making double digit attack attempts. It was an amazing effort and I was lucky enough to be one of the few orange clad fans in the stands to see it!

Milan has had a great career at Tennessee and it has been a lot of fun seeing her get better and better. Her fiery personality, intensity, and just good old fashioned skill will be sorely missed when she leaves us this year.

Coach Patrick, 2004: “Laurén is an excellent athlete who has exceptional hand-eye coordination. She is a good volleyball player who, as she gains experience, will become an excellent player. She has excellent ball control, hustle and digging ability…”

Coach Patrick, 2008: “I have never been more proud of a student-athlete than I am of Laurén. She has put in the time and energy to maximize her potential. She is in the best shape of her career… It is impossible to measure the positive effect that her desire and leadership have had on our program. She is the most selfless player who has ever come through our program and is the definition of a consummate team player.”

Just looking at the stats sheet you won’t get the full picture of what Laurén contributes to the Lady Vols. But her teammates know. After not playing at all her redshirt year her teammates gave her their Most Improved award. After playing in only four matches her freshman year her teammates again gave her their Most Improved award. In 2006, she only played in five matches, but still her teammates honored her, this time by voting her their Most Inspirational award. Her hard work during practices and dedication to the team had earned her three awards in three years from her peers. But the recognition didn’t stop on the volleyball court. In 2007, the athletics department started an awards program called The Volscars. This time competing against athletes from different sports, Laurén won the very first female Big Orange Award, which is given to “a student-athlete who exhibits high character and enthusiasm, has a positive attitude, and encourages her teammates”.

A co-captain since her redshirt sophomore year, Laurén is an important leader on the team whether that is supporting her teammates, or in, as Coach Patrick once said, playing “a vital role in the development of our young players who look to her for guidance”. But that’s not to say her only contributions are off the court. After playing in nine matches her first two years, she has since seen action in 39 matches the past two seasons. She is often brought in near the end of a match Tennessee is leading in to serve and finish things out. In that regard you could say she is like a closer in baseball. Good closers are known for their ability to keep their composure and help calm things down in tense situations. And that description definitely applies to Laurén as well. Perhaps the best display of her skills came during the 2008 SEC Beach Volleyball Tournament where she and fellow senior Milan Clarke won the championship in their pool leading Coach Patrick to say, “I don’t know that there is a better example to sell beach volleyball with than Laurén LaFlamme. She is a player that has worked as hard as or harder than anyone I have ever had in the University of Tennessee volleyball program, but her skills do not always translate to the indoor game. The fact that she was able to showcase her considerable talents and abilities on a stage such as this, really goes to show how beach volleyball would allow greater participation by more female student-athletes.”

While she may not have been the flashy powerhouse on the court, she will be almost irreplaceable for the maturity, poise, and leadership she brought to the team.

This weekend they will play their final matches in front of the home crowd in two of the biggest games of the season. (And I hope the fans come out in big numbers to support and thank them!) Before they end their college careers, here’s a brief look back at their time on Rocky Top.

• Laurén LaFlamme
• Milan Clarke
• Mindy Flynn

• With two wins this weekend Tennessee would tie for the 4th longest winning streak in school history and break the school record for most consecutive SEC victories. With a 3-0 win on Friday they would hold the school record for consecutive sweeps outright.

• The #12 Florida Gators come to Thompson-Boling Arena this week, and the Lady Vols are 10-2 in their new home this year. Their only two losses were to teams currently ranked in the top 25.

• Over the past 10 years Florida has only lost to three teams more than twice: Nebraska, Southern California, and Tennessee. No other SEC team but the Lady Vols have beat them more than once in that time.

• Neither Tennessee nor South Carolina made the NCAA Tournament last year. But both teams are faring well against teams that did. The Gamecocks have won 7 matches vs 7 teams that made the 2007 tourney, while Tennessee has 7 wins against 5 teams that made it.

• Tennessee, Florida, and South Carolina are three of the top four teams in the conference in most statistical categories. Looking at just SEC matches:

- Kills: (1) UT, (2) UF, (3) SC
- Hitting Percentage: (1) UF, (2) UT, (4) SC
- Opp. Hitting Percentage: (2) UF, (3) UT, (4) SC
- Assists: (1) UT, (2) UF, (3) SC
- Digs: (1) UT, (2) SC
- Blocks: (3) UT, (4) UF
- Conf. Winning Percentage: (1) UF, (3) UT, (4) SC

• Florida (20-2, 14-1)
Florida leads the all time series 9-38-1.
Tennessee lost earlier this season 3-0 (25-22, 25-12, 25-22).
Game time is Fri, November 14th at 7:00pm ET
Follow the match with Gametracker or with live video

• South Carolina (19-6, 10-5)
Tennessee leads the all time series 26-25.
Tennessee lost earlier this season 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-23).
Game time is Sun, November 16th at 1:30pm ET
Follow the match with Gametracker or tape delayed at 3:30pm ET on certain FOX Sports RSN’s

UPDATE: Online audio for the Florida match may be available here. Tennessee has match notes online.

Tennessee is 10-14 vs Arkansas all-time.
Tennessee is 33-6 vs Mississippi all-time.

• Tennessee won their 9th match in a row this weekend. This ties the second longest run under Coach Patrick — the team won 14 in a row in 2004. It ties the sixth longest in school history — the team won 22 in a row in 1980, 20 in a row in 1973, 14 in a row in 2004, and 11 in a row in both 1986 and 1982. It ties the second longest streak in school history when only counting best of five matches (older matches sometimes only played two sets or best of three sets).

• Tennessee has won 8 straight vs SEC opponents. The 2005 team holds that record with 9 in a row, but that includes SEC tournament play, not just regular season matches. The 2004 team also won 8 conference matches in a row.

• The Lady Vols have won six straight matches 3-0. This ties for the best sweep streak ever recorded in Tennessee history — the 2004 squad matched that number. The 1973 team also had 6 straight sweeps but they were all 2-0.

• During its 9 wins in a row Tennessee has only lost 1 set! That’s an amazing set record of 27-1, and it is unmatched in Tennessee volleyball history! The previous best over the same number of matches was in 1986, when the team had a 27-2 set record during one stretch.

• Tennessee has swept 13 out of the 19 teams it has beaten this year. Only counting three-set sweeps, that’s the eighth best total in school history — with at least four matches still to go!

• Farren Powe has hit over .500 in five straight matches. Her low is .500 vs LSU, and her high (a career high) .692 vs Georgia. Over the last five matches she is .575 (43-5-66).

• The Lady Vols’ match vs Arkansas was one of their best sweeps of the season, with the team posting three set match highs in kills, attacks, assists, and digs. In addition, Chloe Goldman’s 25 digs was the third best three set total in UT history.

• Tennessee has secured the 10th winning season of Coach Patrick’s 12 years at UT.

“Averaged 6.67 digs per set in wins over Arkansas and Ole Miss and helped extend Tennessee’s win streak to nine-matches. Posted 40 digs in the two contests, including 25 against Arkansas and 15 against Ole Miss. Was relied on heavily in the passing game, recording just two reception errors in a team-high 45 attempts and she also had seven assists, good for an average of 1.17 per set. With her efforts, she regained the top position in the SEC on the digs chart with an average of 5.10 in league matches this season.”

UPDATE: Tennessee has the story and a lot more stats.