By Stephen Mason
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The floor of the Food City Center has never looked shinier as the No. 22 Tennessee Lady Vols completed their sixth consecutive sweep, defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks 25-23, 25-16, 25-17. The victory pushed Tennessee to 2-0 in conference play.
However, the Lady Vols will have to leave the comfort of their home court as they hit the road for three consecutive matches. The middle of these is a visit to No. 2 Texas in Austin. While playing at home over the past few weeks, the team has enjoyed the support of Vol Nation, who have brought energy to the Food City Center.
“I can’t say enough about what our fans have done for us this year,” coach Eve Rackham Watt said. “I truly believe that they are a part of us winning these matches, and they’ve scored points for us.”
Rackham Watt also highlighted the importance of winning these home matches in Southeastern Conference play, noting the league looks very deep this year and her team can expect to face some hostile environments in the future. These first two games have confirmed to her that every SEC game is going to be a fight.
Despite sweeping Georgia and South Carolina, there were times in both games when the Lady Vols fell behind and had to look within themselves to regain momentum.
“This team believes in themselves and each other,” Rackham Watt said. “And I am really proud of our ability to find a way and fight back.”
One of the reasons the team has been able to halt the momentum of opponents is a strong defensive presence at the net. In Friday’s game, Zoe Humphrey made her presence felt, recording a team-high eight blocks for Tennessee. She credits the team’s chemistry for her success.
“Honestly, a lot of talk on the net, remaining calm, and reading the opponent makes our defense a big threat,” Humphrey said.
The offense was also firing on all cylinders for Tennessee, with Hayden Kubik recording 15 kills and Caroline Kerr making 32 assists. Humphrey believes her team is more than up for the challenge of SEC play on the road.
“Locking in, being fearless, that’s our biggest thing for our group,” Humphrey said. “If you just look into everybody’s eyes, there’s just a go-get-it no matter what happens, just be strong, be tough, and play our best game.”
With the defense so dominant and the offense running so efficiently during the first two SEC games at home, the only question remains: how will this team fare on the road? From a coaching perspective, Rackham Watt believes she has the team on the right track for conference play.
“Once you get into conference season, you are not making a ton of changes,” Rackham Watt said. “You’re really just trying to fine-tune, film study, and only address things that are chronic.”
No. 22 Tennessee will be in the Bayou when they play next on Oct. 3 at LSU. This game will be followed by a huge test at No. 2 Texas on Oct. 8. The road trip will wrap up in Oxford, Mississippi, with a matchup against Ole Miss. They will finally return home on Oct. 15 when they host No. 19 Florida.