The Lady Vols opened Sunday evening’s road contest against Mississippi State on a less-than-ideal note, dropping the first set of the game.
Despite the slow start, No. 16 Tennessee earned three straight unanswered set victories on the way to a 3-1 (18-25, 25-14, 25-18, 25-19) road victory over the Bulldogs (14-6, 4-6 SEC). Starr Williams led the way with a team-high 16 kills for the Lady Vols (16-3, 7-2 SEC), the first time in ten games a player other than Hayden Kubik paced the team in kills.
A 5-0 run from the Bulldogs in the middle of the opening set pushed the two teams apart on the scoreboard, a run led by Gha’Naye Whitfield-Moss. The middle blocker posted nine total kills on the night. The Bulldogs led by as much as seven, but the Lady Vols battled back on a handful of occasions to stop the bleeding. Mississippi State staved away any further comeback efforts, claiming the first set 25-18.
Both teams traded blows back and forth in the second set, tied 11-11 in the middle of the round. The Lady Vols jumped ahead for good with a 10-0 run to put them ahead. Tennessee eventually claimed the second set 25-14 with a Mackenzie Plante ace ending the frame.
The momentum continued to press on for the Lady Vols as a 6-0 run kicked off set three. Williams and Kubik collaborated on four of the six points. The Bulldogs punched back, taking an 8-7 lead before both teams began another deadlock. Tied at 18, Tennessee finished the round with seven straight points, blanking the Bulldogs and pulling out a 25-18 win.
With a 2-1 advantage, the Lady Vols needed just one more victory tally to claim the match.
Mississippi State started its must-win set with all intentions of playing another. It jumped in front early with a 5-1 run. Despite the strong start, which at one point saw the Bulldogs hold a 10-4 lead, Tennessee head coach Eve Rackham Watt’s squad never wavered. The Lady Vols responded with another run, a 13-4 streak to regain hold.
From trailing to leading big in just moments, the Tennessee offense displayed its ability to change the tempo of any game. Any Bulldogs’ pushback didn’t suffice as the Lady Vols put things away with a 25-19 set four win to earn the team’s fifth road victory of the season. Tennessee extended its winning streak to three games.
The Lady Vols return to home court action on Oct. 31 against Missouri.
