By Wyatt Stroupe
The Lady Vols were off to a strong start this season, winning 10 of their first 11 matchups, with their only loss coming against No. 2 Pittsburgh. However, Tennessee faced early setbacks in Southeastern Conference play, losing its first two conference matchups to Texas and Florida.
However, the team appears to have found its stride in SEC play. Last weekend, Tennessee swept Auburn on the road, and the Lady Vols followed that performance by sweeping Ole Miss at home tonight, debuting their dark-mode jerseys.
A key to the Lady Vols’ success has been sophomore outside hitter Kennedi Rogers.
This is Rogers’s first season wearing Tennessee orange after playing for the SMU Mustangs last year.
In last week’s victory over Auburn, Rogers recorded 15 kills and 11 digs. Tonight, Rogers led the offense with 14 kills and seven service aces.
Rogers’s serving performance tied the school record for the most aces in a single match during the 25-point rally-scoring era, a mark previously set by former Lady Vol Nina Cajic. Rogers’ previous season high was two aces against Pittsburgh in September. She now has 12 aces on the season.
“Her serve is an attack,” head coach Eve Rackham Watt said. “That can happen with a jump spin server. So I’m glad she was on our team.”
Several of Rogers’ teammates also posted key stat lines in the win.
Senior opposite hitter Jalyn Stout had 10 kills, eight digs and two blocks. Fifth-year setter Caroline Kerr added six digs, one block and a service ace. In total, Tennessee recorded 12 aces against the Rebels.
While Tennessee sits at .500 in conference play, Rogers’ recent production paired with support from her teammates has provided momentum heading into the remainder of the homestand.
“When we’re fired up, we’re fired up,” Stout said. “When everything gets rolling, I think we’re a really hard team to stop.”
The Lady Vols will try to extend their winning streak to three games on Sunday against a struggling LSU team that is off to a 2-3 start in SEC play.