By Wyatt Stroupe
The Lady Vols have gained some serious momentum in the past few games.
After falling to No. 9 Texas and No. 5 Florida, and going down 0-2 in conference play, Tennessee has won its last three SEC matchups, sweeping Auburn, Ole Miss, and LSU.
The Lady Vols dominated the Ole Miss Rebels on Friday night, but this afternoon’s game was a different story. The Tigers fought hard to keep it neck and neck, but the Lady Vols held on and ultimately won.
The first set was close, with neither team leading by more than four points. Sophomore outside hitter Kennedi Rogers and senior opposite hitter Jalyn Stout led the offense in this set. Rogers had seven kills, while Stout recorded five.
However, LSU wasn’t backing down. The Tigers’ senior outside hitter Journee Robinson put pressure on the Lady Vols’ defense, scoring six kills and keeping the match competitive. Tennessee would pull away late, going up by four and then winning the set on a service error.
The second set was just as close as the first. LSU got an early lead and held on until halfway through the set. Senior outside hitter Nia Hall and fifth-year setter Caroline Kerr turned the tide for Tennessee.
Hall recorded two back-to-back kills, followed by a service ace from Kerr. The Tigers tried to claw back, but the Lady Vols would win the set by two with a kill from sophomore outside hitter Maggie Dostic.
By the third set, LSU was rattled. The same team that had gone toe-to-toe with Tennessee in the first two sets had given up four straight points off of errors. Tennessee capitalized on the lead and held on for the rest of the set. The Lady Vols never trailed the Tigers in the third set.
Junior middle blocker Chelsea Sutton came up big for Tennessee in the third set, having six kills. Nia Hall continued to trouble the LSU defense. The outside hitter added four kills in this set, helping the Lady Vols win by 12 points, the biggest lead of the match.
“I’m happy that we found a way to be successful, especially in those first two sets, where we were playing from behind, and we weren’t as sharp as we’d been,” said Tennessee head coach Eve Rackham Watt.
UP NEXT: The No. 10 Lady Vols take on Arkansas on the road in Fayetteville on Friday night.