Twice now, the Lady Vols have hung close with the No. 2 team in the country, yet twice now they have come up short.
Tennessee volleyball had its SEC tournament run ended by Kentucky on Monday night, 3-1. The fourth-seeded Lady Vols lost a match tighter than what the final score would indicate, rallying to tie the fourth set at 23-all before the Wildcats finished them off.
Tennessee’s trip to Savannah was cut short in the semifinals after a dominant win over Florida on Sunday. Just like their loss in Lexington on Nov 9, the Lady Vols got off to a quick start with a hard-earned set win 25-20 over Kentucky, but another big dropoff in offense doomed the team against the Wildcats.
Senior Hayden Kubik stole the storylines early on, dominating the net with nine kills in the first set alone. Kubik and Starr Williams highlighted a strong offensive performance in the first and fourth sets, but could not compensate for the combined 18 errors in the second and third sets.
Tennessee started off the night hitting at a .279 clip in the first set and even reached a .317 mark in the second set, but could not overcome the offensive errors. Going from hitting above .250 to a measly .022 in the third set got the Lady Vols behind the eight ball against a Wildcats team that is stingy and difficult to put away.
Kubik collected 24 kills and 10 errors on the night, while also picking up 17 digs on defense. The breakout star for the Lady Vols stepped up against an equally physical Kentucky defense.
Williams and Mackenzie Plante also recorded 10 kills each, but beyond Tennessee’s top three, its offense struggled to find its footing after a strong first set, much like in the regular season against the Wildcats.
Despite the offensive woes, though, the Lady Vols’ defense kept them in the match time and time again. Caroline Kerr collected 42 assists, 12 digs and three blocks while Gulce Guctekin notched 21 digs and four assists.
The blocking game showed up and showed out for Tennessee, something that could not be said during the rivals’ match on Nov 9, with both teams recording nine blocks. For the Lady Vols, it was spread around with Plante and Klaudia Pawlik getting four, while Klaudia Pawlik and Chelsea Sutton recorded three each.
The physicality at the net and the presence of the block kept Tennessee within arm’s reach of the Wildcats, with Kentucky never truly pulling away after a dominant 25-15 win in the third set. Every time it built a lead on a scoring run, the Lady Vols punched right back with a scoring run of their own.
Despite an improved offensive effort in the final set, Tennessee could not get over the hump and force a fifth set to extend its SEC championship hopes. Instead, Kentucky will take on the winner of No. 3-ranked Texas and No. 6-ranked Texas A&M on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.
The Lady Vols now await their standing in the NCAA Tournament, and will likely be looking at having to travel for the regionals. The selection show will take place on Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN.
