Tennessee volleyball won its seventh straight match after returning home to Food City Center for a matchup against the Rider Broncs.
Since the team’s only loss to No. 11 Purdue earlier in the season, there’s been a clear shift in energy on the court. It can be reflected on the stat sheet, too; they defeated Rider in a 3-0 sweep.
After Purdue, the Lady Vols have outscored their opponents 21-2, including Thursday’s meeting against Rider. The only two set points came against Wofford and Georgia Tech, respectively.
One of the main points of emphasis heading into the year remained the team’s defensive efforts. The growth was shown in flashes on Thursday against Rider as the team finished with a total of ten blocks over the three sets played.
“I think our team still feeds off the offense, but I think we’re starting to dig balls and get into longer rallies,” head coach Eve Rackham Watt said. “I feel like our hitters are getting more responsible and understanding their situations a little more. I think the goal is for us to be great offensively and match that defensively.
Entering the match, Chelsea Sutton was recognized with SEC Defender of the Week honors for the previous week. In her first match since, Sutton led the way with seven total blocks tallied.
Sutton has been everywhere both offensively and defensively. Thursday night cemented her ability to get things done on both sides. She finished with five kills on eight attacks.
“Chelsea has a knack for blocking,” Rackham Watt said. “She loves to block. What I love about Chelsea is her aggressiveness, it’s her favorite part of the game. So when she’s out there, she thinks and wants to block everything.”
While defensively, there has been growth, there remain areas to improve as the season rolls along.
“I feel we have to be really good as a unit,” Tennessee libero Gulce Guctekin said. “It starts with serving, we have to serve tougher and put the other side under pressure so we can have solid blocking.”
Guctekin has slid into her role as a veteran transfer rather smoothly. She reached 1,000 career digs during the contest against Rider and finished her day with a Lady Vol leading eight digs.
She serves as the glue, and her impact can be felt much beyond the stat sheet on both offense and defense. That’s the type of defense that Rackham Watt has been attempting to promote.
“She just does so many things that sometimes don’t show up statistically, Rackham Watt said. “She’s a rockstar for us.”
There still remains one more contest against Kennesaw State, though, before the Lady Vols can close the page on the team’s non-conference schedule.
“I feel really good about where this team is at,” Rackham Watt said. “But there is also a ton of growth and potential for this group because of our depth. We got a good team in Kennesaw State tomorrow, and then we’ll worry about conference play.”
Despite not being exactly where they need to be defensively just yet, there have been encouraging steps made of late that suggest that the Lady Vols have more than just an offensive identity.
