By: Greyson Calonge
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee came into its first game as a ranked team of the season and looked every bit the part. The 24th-ranked Lady Vols overpowered the Rider Broncs in straight sets, 25-13, 25-18, 25-11, to move to 8-1 on the season.
Tennessee’s front line dominated at the net, set the tone all game, and made offense very difficult for the Broncs.
The Lady Vols started off hot in the first set. Mackenzie Plante and Hayden Kubik each had three kills and were pivotal throughout the game. Kubik added two digs as well to further her fantastic first start. Rider’s attack error on game point gave the Lady Vols a 25-13 first-set victory.
The Lady Vols had all the momentum heading into the second set, and Plante continued to control the net along with Caroline Kerr, who recorded two kills in the second set. Chelsea Sutton also had a fantastic set, recording a kill, three digs, and two blocks. Sutton’s presence in the middle was crucial in establishing Tennessee’s dominance at the net.
Midway through the set, the Broncs gained momentum after two straight kills to make the score 16-18. Though the Lady Vols were still up, Coach Eve Rackham Watt called a timeout to regroup. The Lady Vols responded with a 7-2 scoring run to end the set. Gülce Güçtekin recorded her 1000th career dig, then Zoë Humphrey and Paityn Chapman recorded a block to win the set 25-18.
Tennessee’s front line continued to shine in the third set as the Lady Vols recorded five blocks in the set, bringing their total to 10 on the night. The standouts continued to be Kubik and Sutton as they contributed to every block in the set. The Lady Vols were dominant throughout the set as a Sutton kill ended the game in straight sets.
“We’re nearing the end of our nonconference, I think we’ve gotten better every single week,” Rackham Watt said. “I feel really good about where this team is, but there’s also a ton of growth and potential for this group.”
Tennessee finished out the game with 32 kills, 31 digs, and 10 blocks as it looked fantastic in its second-to-last nonconference match. The front line, especially, excelled, as it seemed as if half of Rider’s attacks would go by being drastically affected by the blockers up front. The depth of the Lady Vols’ roster was put to the test tonight, and they excelled.
It didn’t matter who was on the court for the Lady Vols; they were going to kill it no matter what.
“We play tomorrow, and then we focus on conference after that,” Rackham Watt added.
Tennessee will have very little time to rest as they have their final non-conference game against a sneakily good Kennesaw State team in Thompson-Boling Arena at The Food City Center at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The Lady Vols then look ahead to the start of conference play at home against Georgia on Sept. 24.