By Ari Patel
After reverse-sweeping Kentucky at Food City Center on Wednesday, the Lady Vols faced another tough matchup as in-state rival Vanderbilt traveled from Nashville to Knoxville today.
The first set looked like business as usual for Tennessee volleyball, as the Lady Vols took the lead and never looked back, winning 25-15.
The second set, however, was a complete 180, as Vanderbilt played more aggressively, turning it into a back-and-forth set.
“I wasn’t pleased with the way we came out a little bit lax, which happens in volleyball, you know, when one set kind of gets long-sided,” coach Rackham Watt said postgame.
Vanderbilt eventually ran away with the set, toppling the Lady Vols 25-20.
The third and fourth sets were dogfights to say the least. Multiple-possession rallies, dig after dig. Gritty. Tough. Every point was earned.
Tennessee took the third set, and the seven-game win streak looked even more promising. But the fourth would test them.
The fourth set mirrored the second. One team would take the lead, and the other would crawl back to tie it.
Down two, with game points on the line, Vanderbilt needed to play perfect offense. Maggie Dostic, who finished the game with 11 kills and 10 digs, served it. Vanderbilt’s Reese Animashaun tried to hit it, but it went behind the Commodores’ back line, where no one could save it, and the Lady Vols won.
Kennedi Rogers shined, per usual, tallying 18 kills and 12 digs. The sophomore remains at the forefront of the offense, alongside Jalyn Stout, Caroline Kerr, and, as previously mentioned, Maggie Dostic.
Kerr is once again leading the All-American title race. The three-time All-American notched yet another double-double with 40 assists and 14 digs.
Stout, a potential player-of-the-year nominee, was everywhere today, on attack, defense, and in the front or back row. She earned eight kills, with 19 digs and five assists. “Jalyn is such a high-IQ player. Just so fast,” Rackham Watt said. “The way she could pass and get in rhythm as a front-row player is really unique, especially as fast as we set her the ball. So she’s just a tremendous athlete.”
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols have another tough road trip ahead as they start in College Station against a red-hot Texas A&M team.