All season long, Lady Vols head coach Eve Rackham Watt has been preaching the need for good defense.
After earning the win on Friday with a 3-0 sweep over South Carolina at home, the Lady Vols added to a handful of the season trends, including the team’s win streak that hit double digits after the Friday night win.
The win served as the sixth straight game where the Lady Vols had won by sweeping their opponent. The last time they’d surrendered a set point came against Georgia Tech on Sept. 9.
In the team’s last ten games, they have allowed just two set points.
“I think our block defense has been tremendous,” Rackham Watt said. “You guys know I’ve talked a ton about it, and I want that to be what this team is known for. I want it to be a staple in this program.”
Zoe Humphrey, Chelsea Sutton and Starr Williams all tallied four or more blocks on Friday night. Humphrey led the way with eight total blocks in just two sets, before slowing down near the final set.
“I just think what Chelsea and Zoe have done from a blocking standpoint,” Rackham Watt said. “And what (Gulce Guctekin) has done to kind of back them up, and Hayden and (Caroline Kerr), both of them have been playing great defense from behind the block, I’m really proud of that.”
It’s something that has taken time over the season to grow, but the Lady Vols have picked things up at just the right time as SEC play kicks into a higher gear.
“I didn’t see that early on in the year, and it’s just come so far,” Rackham Watt said. “So we’ve made it tough for people to score against us, and that’s been awesome.”
Humphrey made her presence felt on both sides of the ball. Through all three sets, she tallied five kills over eight attacks offensively.
Humphrey’s game-high eight blocks set the tone for the rest of the defense. The team outblocked the Gamecocks 12 to four on the night.
“There’s just a lot of talk on the net, just remaining calm and reading,” Humphrey said. “I think defensively, we have a big threat, and it really helps our defense behind the block, so just putting a lot of trust in my team.”
Humphrey is making her first rounds with the gauntlet of SEC play after transferring in from UCLA. She joins a defense that is anchored by veteran Caroline Kerr and Wisconsin transfer Gulce Guctekin, who make the defense versatile.
“It helps a lot with just keeping us calm on the court,” Humphrey said. “I think it can be so easy, obviously getting into rallies or just tough matches and just knowing that I can look at CK and she’s like ‘let’s go, you got it’, or looking at Hayden and it’s like, ‘hey, you’re good, it’s clean.”
There remains a belief and connection between the girls on this team, and it’s been bleeding through onto the court as the Lady Vols’ 10-game win streak rolls on, with the Lady Vols outscoring opponents 30-2 in the process.
The tests continue when the Lady Vols travel for a meeting against the LSU Tigers before taking on No. 2 Texas on Oct. 8. And for Tennessee to compete with the top teams in the conference, it will need to continue doing more.
“Just so much belief, honestly, a lot of competitiveness,” Humphrey said. “Like I said before, just knowing we’re not gonna win every point, but knowing we’re not past it and we have to just keep playing on, keep going.”
