By Abby Doperak
The Lady Vols traveled to Nashville to face No. 21 Indiana in the Broadway Block Party, sweeping the Hoosiers to remain undefeated this season.
The No. 22 Lady Vols took on Indiana as the second top-25 matchup of the day after No. 6 Louisville swept No. 9 Texas. Tennessee entered the match determined to continue its undefeated start of the season.
Indiana also looked to build upon their winning streak, entering the match with a 2-1 record after beating No. 12 Texas A&M last Wednesday.
Indiana struck first, trading points with Tennessee throughout the opening set. The Hoosiers pulled ahead, leading by six points at 12-6, but the Lady Vols worked to close the gap.
Trailing 17-13, Tennessee went on a six-point scoring run to take the lead 19-17. The Lady Vols maintained their advantage and won the first set 25-23 following a service error by Indiana.
Tennessee carried its momentum into the second set, taking the first point. Indiana responded by taking an 8-4 lead and held the advantage until Tennessee tied the set at 14-14. The Lady Vols then went on another 6-0 run to take an 18-14 lead.
Pressure from both teams continued throughout the set, but Tennessee again came out on top, winning 25-23 – the same score as the opening set.
The Lady Vols entered the third set with the opportunity to record their fifth consecutive sweep, having yet to drop a set this season. Indiana jumped out to a 4-0 lead.
The Hoosiers maintained their advantage early in the set before Tennessee again battled back to tie the score at 14-14. Once the Lady Vols saw the lead, they did not look back. Tennessee went on another 6-0 run to take an 18-14 advantage.
After allowing Indiana to score two additional points, Tennessee closed out the set with another scoring run to secure a 25-16 victory.
The win gave the Lady Vols their fifth consecutive sweep.
Tennessee showcased its stamina throughout the match as Indiana gained early leads in each set and consistently applied defensive pressure. The Lady Vols continued to battle and closed out the sweep.
The match marked Tennessee’s second meeting with a former Lady Vol in Keondreya Granberry, who now plays for Indiana. Granberry had a strong showing against her former team, recording six kills.
Tennessee’s Kennedi Rogers led the team with 19 kills, supported by Caroline Kerr, who recorded 32 assists. As a team, the Lady Vols recorded 39 kills, 35 digs and 13 blocks.
Tennessee will hit the road again Wednesday to face No. 2 Pitt in the Shriners Children’s Showdown at the net in Florida.