Tennessee volleyball bounced back on Sunday against Auburn with a gritty sweep after a heart-wrenching five-set loss to Florida on Wednesday. The Lady Vols delivered a narrow win over a competitive Auburn team, 25-23, 25-23, 26-24.
The No. 16 Lady Vols (14-3, 5-2 SEC) followed up Wednesday’s sluggish performance with a complete team performance, with four players tallying 15 or more assists in the win.
“I told the team I think this was as much of a team effort as any match we’ve played all year,” head coach Eve Rackham-Watt said. “I thought everybody was good and nobody was great, and I think we needed everybody to be able to give us what they could give us today.”
The Lady Vols immediately set the tone with a 6-0 run to open the first set of the match, and the efficient offensive run would be the difference in the first set as Tennessee held on to take it 25-23 over the Tigers. The first set set the tone for the entire match as Tennessee’s depth delivered in a big way for the Lady Vols.
Auburn used the late momentum in the first set to dominate the net in the second set, yet came up short again as Tennessee rallied late to take the second set by the same score. The Lady Vols played from behind the majority of the set, but surged from down 18-15 to take the set win.
“We’re winning no matter what,” middle blocker Chelsea Sutton said of getting behind early. “We kind of found more of a groove, had more fun on the court and started lightening the load a little bit and then just allowing ourselves to feel that lightness and get back to grinding it out again.”
Tennessee’s trio of Hayden Kubik, Paityn Chapman and Sutton continue to highlight its offensive effort, particularly in conference play. They combined for 35 kills on 87 attacks and 12 digs Sunday afternoon.
After a hot start by taking the first set, the Lady Vols continued to do what they have done best this season. Rackham Watt has emphasized the importance of the team’s belief all year long, and it shone once again on Sunday afternoon.
Auburn did not make things easy on the Lady Vols, leading for most of the second and third sets.
Tennessee cleaned up its game after a rough outing on Wednesday, something Rackham Watt has wanted to see more of from her team as conference play progresses.
Humphrey chipped in for the Lady Vols in the win, tallying five blocks and a dig with three kills on offense for the afternoon. Humphrey has been a big part of the Lady Vols’ defense this season, as she is second on the team with 58 blocks this season, behind only Sutton’s 71.
The Lady Vols saw four players record five or more digs in the loss to Florida and again on Sunday afternoon, marking an improvement defensively as Tennessee came out with the win over Auburn.
With eight matches left in the regular season, the Lady Vols will begin the postseason push with five of the final nine coming at home. The Lady Vols will hit the road once again to take on Alabama and Mississippi State on Friday and Sunday next week.
