By Bradley Hicks
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No.24 Tennessee (9-1) finished out of conference play hot by earning its fourth straight sweep against Kennesaw State (6-4).
Tennessee’s defense proved to be the key against the Owls. The Lady Vols chalked up 39 total digs and 14 blocks to go along with Kennesaw State’s .165 hitting percentage. Freshman Maggie Dostic and senior Gülce Güçtekin both tallied eight digs on the night. Redshirt junior Caroline Kerr and sophomore Chelsea Sutton contributed at the net, putting up four blocks each.
The Lady Vols looked sluggish early, making uncharacteristic errors time and time again. Despite Kennesaw State’s greatest efforts, the Lady Vols found a way to escape with a 25-22 first set victory thanks to Paityn Chapman’s .625 hitting percentage, accompanied by Dostic’s five digs. Sutton and Starr Williams also starred, accounting for four and a half points each.
The second set provided more fireworks for the Volunteer faithful. In a 25-14 set victory, the Lady Vols took charge early and never looked back. The frame consisted of three aces from Dostic, holding the Owls to a .000 hitting percentage before Kerr capped it off with her second block of the set.
Kennesaw State wouldn’t go away to start the third set, but as Tennessee settled down, the Lady Vols finished the game with a 25-18 finish. Hayden Kubik’s nine total kills helped send Kennesaw State back to Georgia with another loss on its record.
Tennessee now enters SEC play on Wednesday against Georgia as the Lady Vols to extend their home winning streak to eight games.