By Stephen Mason
Players stepping up and taking on new roles have been key to No. 9 Tennessee volleyball team’s seven-game winning streak. The last two wins did not come easily; however, the Lady Vols’ experience became very apparent as they battled through adversity to take down two top-25 teams.
After the emotional roller-coaster reverse sweep on Wednesday night against No. 4 Kentucky, Tennessee returned to the Food City Center on Sunday to take on in-state foe No. 22 Vanderbilt.
The Commodores came into Knoxville on a six-game winning streak, but looked bewildered in the first set as Tennessee rolled past them 25-15. However, this easy win gave the home team a false sense of security, and Vanderbilt capitalized, winning set two 25-20.
“I just didn’t think we responded well in the second set, you know. I told them Vandy was uncharacteristically messy in that first set. That’s not them all year, so I didn’t expect they were going to play that way in the second set, and they didn’t,” head coach Eve Rackham Watt said.
In the ultimate let-down spot and with all the momentum on Vanderbilt’s side, it would have been easy to assume after the second set that the Commodores were going to leave Knoxville with a win. However, that is just not in the Lady Vols’ DNA this year.
“We’ve got a real competitive group of kids that really want to win. And they’re fighters. And they don’t back down in any situation,” Rackham Watt said. “They don’t get phased when the game gets tight, and they’ve responded so well in some really tough situations.”
Stepping Into New Roles
It is not just a competitive edge that helped Tennessee fight back and win sets three and four against Vanderbilt, but it is also a vast amount of experience that is sprinkled throughout the roster. Players are willing to take on new roles to help the team, which has expanded the offensive attack.
Sophomore outside hitter Maggie Dostic has shown up in a new way for the Lady Vols this year.
“I think you’re all seeing the evolution of Maggie Dostic, in terms of what her total game has brought. You know, she just doesn’t necessarily do one thing for us, but she does everything for us…she’s the glue for us,” Rackham Watt said.
After playing as a defensive specialist last season, Dostic has become a key piece to the Tennessee offense this year. In the Vanderbilt game, the sophomore showed her versatility by recording 11 kills and 10 digs. She took most of her biggest swings in the tight back-and-forth fourth set, helping her team secure the win.
“I told the team that in the timeout, like we’re not we’re not waiting for them to make an unforced error, we’re going to have to go out and pass the ball and take a swing,” Rackham Watt said. ”The way Maggie played at the end of that fourth set, you know, she took some really big swings, some critical moments, and obviously finished it with that ace…I’m just really happy.”
That ace was the nail in the coffin for Vanderbilt, and now Tennessee can start preparing for the next SEC challenge.
Looking Ahead to a Tough Road Test
After defeating two top-25 teams, Tennessee can now look forward to facing its third ranked opponent in a row; however, this time it will not be in the friendly confines of the Food City Center.
Coming off a sweep of No. 4 Kentucky in Lexington, the defending national champions, No. 19 Texas A&M, will be playing host for the Lady Vols on Friday night. Both teams are looking for some more high-quality wins to get themselves in the selection committee’s top-16 and hosting rights for the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
“Every weekend you have got to be prepared; you go into somebody else’s gym, and it’s going to be a dogfight; it’s going to be hard to win,” Rackham Watt said. ”They expect to win, they’ve got the talent to win, and so your team has to come in physically prepared, and mentally prepared, maybe even more importantly for the matchup.”
Despite just taking down two talented squads, the Lady Vols coach knows that there are areas where her team needs to improve as the season progresses.
“In general, there’s just some consistency that we need to continue to work through in our first-ball offense… I still would like it to be a little cleaner,” Rackham Watt said. “I think our transition game was a little bit better than it was earlier in the year, but I think I still think we can be better on our first ball.”
This was an area where Kentucky attacked Tennessee in the first two sets of Wednesday’s game, but Tennessee was able to find answers.
Moving into the third-to-last weekend of regular-season play, the Lady Vols have cemented themselves into the top echelon of the SEC, and arguably the nation. After ending the 21-year drought of no top-5 wins on Wednesday and adding another ranked win to their resume on Sunday, this team leaves no questions unanswered when it comes to their postseason potential.