Lone senior Mahoney has overcome 'wall'

UT volleyball team can claim outright SEC title

By Clay Seal

sports@knoxnews.com

As Kelsey Mahoney was honored Sunday on the Tennessee volleyball team's senior day, it wasn't exactly how she imagined it.

Mahoney walked out with her parents to the center of the court before a sweep of LSU, but she was by herself as the No. 13 Lady Vols' lone senior.

"I came in with five people, and we've kind of all dwindled down," said Mahoney.

Fellow senior Kayla Jeter, one of Tennessee's top players, tore her ACL in August and missed the season. DeeDee Harrison redshirted her freshman year.

"I just wish they were out there with me," Maloney said. "But I just wish them the best and know they're going to have a great season next year."

That wasn't the only thing Mahoney probably didn't envision for her senior year. It's been a winding road for the Fort Worth, Texas, native.

Mahoney, who came in ranked No. 38 on PrepVolleyball.com's Senior Ace list, immediately made an impact her freshman year, leading the team with 691 assists and 25 aces as she split time at her natural setter position.

Her sophomore year, she was the starting setter and did even more work, racking up 842 assists, which ranks second on UT all-time single-season list. She had a 46-assist performance in UT's win over Duke in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Mahoney's junior campaign started off the same way.

Then

"I just hit a wall," she said.

Her stats dropped. Mahoney saw her playing time dwindle the rest of the season.

"It was in my own head," Mahoney said. "In the spring, I really tried to work to get that better. When we played spring matches, I was doing great. I felt like I had got past that wall."

Mahoney was ready to make a comeback for her senior season, but then another wall came. Ongoing back issues rose again in April (including a bulging disc) that put her senior year in jeopardy.

She worked in rehab, and has now played in the past 12 matches.

"I think everybody thought it was going to take me a little bit longer," said Mahoney. "But being my senior year, I didn't want to go out like I did my junior year. I wanted to be able to

come back and be strong and make a positive contribution."

With the emergence of freshman setter Mary Pollmiller, coach Rob Patrick said he needed to find another way to get Mahoney in the rotation, because of her competitive nature and leadership abilities.

"She's won more SEC matches in her four years than other player that's ever played at Tennessee," Patrick. "So that tells you a lot.

"One of the reasons that we've been so successful this year with such a young team is because of the leadership. Kelsey provided a real steadying force on and off the court."

Mahoney is now a specialty server and in limited action has three aces this year.

The Lady Vols host No. 12 Kentucky at 7 p.m. today hoping to earn the program's first outright SEC title and avenge their only conference loss of the year, in what could be Mahoney's last home match.

Her career hasn't gone according to the script, but Mahoney said her experiences will help in the long run.

"My whole four years here have been tons of life lessons through tons of experiences," Mahoney said. "I'm grateful for that. It's made me a better person and a stronger person."

Clay Seal is a freelance contributor.