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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 9 Tennessee volleyball (15-3, 6-2 SEC) returns to Food City Center on Sunday afternoon to face in-state rival No. 22 Vanderbilt (15-2, 6-2 SEC). First serve is set for 1 p.m. ET, and the match will be televised on SEC Network.
Tennessee is coming off a hard-fought reverse-sweep win over No. 4 Kentucky on Wednesday night, led by Kennedi Rogers, Caroline Kerr and Jalyn Stout, who each posted double-doubles. It was the Lady Vols’ first victory over a top-five opponent since 2005 and their sixth straight win.
Asked what that milestone meant, head coach Eve Rackham Watt was pleasantly surprised, but kept the focus on accomplishing more.
“Wow. I didn’t know that,” Rackham Watt said. “It’s hard, I guess, to put into words. I don’t necessarily think of wins that way. I think you try to keep things in perspective in terms of it’s an SEC match. We want to win a championship. So they all count the same. You’re kind of climbing towards wanting to be at your best at the end of the year."
Vanderbilt is also on a six-match win streak and hasn’t played since last Sunday, when it beat Mississippi State 3-1.
These are the two best offenses in the SEC this season. Vanderbilt leads the league in hitting at .303, and Tennessee is right behind at .292. The Lady Vols lead the conference with 14.55 kills per set. Rogers leads Tennessee with 4.19 kills per set, sixth in the SEC. If the Lady Vols stay locked in, they should find room against a Vanderbilt block that ranks 15th in the SEC.
Chelsea Sutton had a team-high 14 kills against Kentucky and is hitting .386 with 1.29 blocks per set, fourth in the league.
“She’s been stringing some matches together where her numbers have been really impressive, both on the blocking end and the offensive end,” Rackham Watt said. “She’s a veteran out there, and I think it’s showing. There’s a lot of trust, a lot of confidence in her connection with Caroline.
“And it’s just nice to see her healthy. She played out of position a little bit earlier in the year as she was getting her strength back, coming off the injury in the offseason. But I just think every week she’s been getting better and stronger.”
Vanderbilt spreads the ball around. Samantha Wunsch has 216 kills, Reese Animashaun has 202 and Maya Witherspoon has 181. Middle Kayla Dunlap leads the SEC with a .464 hitting percentage.
Watch the service line. Vanderbilt leads the SEC with 2.02 aces per set, and Hailee Mack’s 28 aces rank second in the league. Tennessee’s serve receive has allowed the fewest aces in conference play at 0.83 per set.
Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Georgia are tied at 6-2, behind Florida (7-1) and Kentucky (7-2). Sunday’s winner stays in the race for the top of the league.
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