The Lady Vols opened up their first road-conference game of the season against LSU for a Friday-night matchup.
Despite starting slow, the Lady Vols won three straight sets to claim a 3-2 victory over LSU. The win served as their first SEC win on the road this season as well as the team’s 11th straight victory.
Tennessee volleyball started its first set on the offensive side rather slowly compared to where the team has been in the last six matchups. Over the six-game run, the Lady Vols (12-1, 3-0) have outscored their opponents 18-0, including two sweeps against Georgia and South Carolina.
None of the previous results mattered as the Tigers (8-6, 1-2) and Lady Vols continued. The Lady Vols trailed by as much as eight when the Tigers grabbed a 15-7 lead.
The early Tigers run forced head coach Eve Rackham Watt to call the first timeout of the night.
An important note, the Lady Vols had seen their longest break of the season before facing LSU, the last matchup coming a week earlier against the Gamecocks at home. It was apparent there was some rust, but it started to shed as the first set carried on.
The Lady Vols brought the first set back to just a three-point Tigers lead, but couldn’t withstand every response from their opponent, who came out with some big swings from players such as Jurnee Robinson.
The Tigers took set one 25-20. The set loss was the first point dropped by the Lady Vols since Sept. 9 against Georgia Tech.
Trailing 1-0 in the game, there needed to be a bit more offensive urgency from a so far quiet Lady Vols team. An uncommon name to see leading the stat sheet in kills through a set and a half, Mackenzie Plante was everywhere with six kills and a block to pair with.
The offense saw some life out of set two, but for every answer, it seemed LSU had a counter prepared. Now, after sweeping six straight teams, the Lady Vols were in danger of being swept themselves by LSU.
The set began with the Lady Vols’ advantage, but the Tigers persisted. The message that Rackham Watt has been sending to her team as they prepare to enter deeper into the SEC gauntlet is that no contest is an easy one, no matter the context or the stakes.
Despite a late comeback from LSU in the third frame, the Lady Vols compiled a 25-23 win to salvage a tough sweep. Hayden Kubik earned the set point with the assist from Caroline Kerr.
The momentum stayed on the Lady Vols’ side through set four with a 25-16 win. After dropping the first two sets rather easily, the team led by Kubik and Kerr’s undeniable connection found a new sense of life just when it seemed the team was ready to be swept.
Kubik delivered one of her more offensively dominant performances of the season, finishing the game with 27 kills over 49 attacks. The seniors’ big game pushed the Lady Vols ahead in set five, with the set scored 15-8.
Now the Lady Vols continue their conference schedule on Oct. 8 against No. 2 Texas.
