By Stephen Mason
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The No. 19 Lady Volunteers volleyball team returned to Knoxville determined to get back to their winning ways in their final two regular-season games after a tough road loss to No. 2 Kentucky. In the first of the two-game homestand, Tennessee crushed a struggling Arkansas team, sweeping them 25-18, 25-15, and 25-15.
“Each day, we make sure we’re getting in the gym and try to work on the little things that have been hurting us in the past, and we’ve been responding really well,” said sophomore outside hitter Sydney Jones.
Tennessee needs to go undefeated this weekend to guarantee itself the fourth seed in the upcoming Southeastern Conference tournament, which will take place in Savannah, Georgia, next weekend. With Florida losing to Texas A&M this Wednesday, Tennessee controls its own destiny as long as it wins out. The fourth seed would give Tennessee byes in the first two rounds of the tournament.
As the season draws to a close, so too does the time for the senior class on Rocky Top. One senior who has recently returned to the rotation is middle blocker Klaudia Pawlik, a native of Hansk, Poland, who is wrapping up her fifth year at Tennessee. Although she struggled with injuries earlier this year, in the past few weeks she has reestablished herself on the court, using her 6-foot-6 frame to give Tennessee’s opponents issues.
In the match against the Razorbacks, Pawlik recorded six kills and five blocks.
“I couldn’t be happier for a kid who’s given us everything she has for five years,” head coach Eve Rackham Watt said. “I’m just so happy to see her healthy and back and in the rotation contributing.”
While Pawlik has spent her entire college career at Tennessee, some members of this year’s senior class arrived later but have been no less impactful. Senior Hayden Kubik spent her freshman and sophomore years playing at Nebraska before transferring to Tennessee in 2024 as a junior. As a senior this year, she has led the Tennessee offense.
In Friday’s game, Kubik led the team with 13 kills while adding three blocks. She leads the team in kills this season with 318 so far. Kubik’s performances this year have given the younger players in her position a model of improvement.
“Senior groups are always special to me, and I am definitely close with this one,” Jones said. “Just knowing that they are always first in the gym and trying to work everybody…They’ve helped me to become better.”
Senior libero Gulce Guctekin, who transferred from Wisconsin this year, has given life to Tennessee’s back row. Guctekin finished the match with seven digs and six assists. However, it has been her personality and energy that have helped the Lady Vols get through some tough times this season. Given her experience playing for the Badgers, Rackham Watt will rely on her and the other senior players to help the team navigate the postseason.
“It is a super talented senior group, and they have made the season what it is and have led us all year in the different positions on the floor and off the floor,” Rackham Watt said. “They’ve really prioritized this season and have wanted to make it a great year, and I think the whole team will rally behind that.”
The Lady Vols will celebrate these three seniors, as well as Keondreya Granberry and Brynn Williams, in a ceremony before their last regular-season game Sunday afternoon against the Oklahoma Sooners. The game will be played at 1 p.m. in the Food City Center and televised on the SEC Network.