Tennessee volleyball returns back to Food City Center for the first time since Sept. 25.
A four-match road trip saw the Lady Vols endure three losses, including the most recent one to Missouri on Sunday afternoon.
The Lady Vols dropped yet another close-contested SEC matchup to the Tigers that felt within reach.
Tennessee fell in five sets by a score of 3-2, with the Tigers ending the game on a 2-1 set run over the Lady Vols (9-6, 2-3 SEC) to clinch the win.
Now the schedule flips back over to a fresh start at Food City Center against No. 15 Kentucky on Wednesday in what will be another tough task for Eve Rackham Watt’s team.
“Everybody in our league is so good,” Caroline Kerr said. “So it’s going to be tough, day in and day out. We know we’re going to get a tough draw every night in the SEC.”
Kentucky overview
The Wildcats (9-7, 3-2 SEC) entered the season with expectations similar to the Lady Vols.
Ranked No. 9 in the preseason NCAA rankings, Kentucky had just as much — if not even more — preseason buzz as the Lady Vols, who entered the season ranked No. 15 in the rankings.
Brooklyn DeLeye has been the Wildcat’s star through 59 sets this season.
DeLeye, a sophomore out of Topeka, Kansas, has posted 255 kills, 4.32 kills per set and 28 serving aces, leading the team.
Like the Lady Vols, the Wildcats have three total players with over 100 kills, the other two being Megan Wilson at 130 and Brooke Bultema with 110 over 60 and 56 sets, respectively.
Senior Emma Grome is another name to look out for on the floor Wednesday, posting 615 assists over 60 sets played, good enough for an average of 10.25 assists per set, not too far behind Kerr.
In the Wildcats’ past eight games, the team has not held as strongly as the start of their season entailed — bringing in only three wins compared to five losses, most recently a clean sweep at the hands of No. 7 Texas.
Despite the slow run, the Wildcats are not a team to take lightly, and the Lady Vols will have their work cut out for them at home.
Tennessee preview
Another tough conference loss isn’t necessarily a recipe for success, especially with how crowded the playing field is.
Despite watching the lead fade away Sunday, there remains the positive that this team can compete with just about any team in the conference. Now the story becomes executing the final goal.
Through six games the Lady Vols have been favorable when playing at home, the only loss coming at the hands of No. 3 Penn State during the first match of the season.
Since then, many players have taken steps forward, and roles have become more consistent, including freshman Paityn Chapman, posting 116 kills along with 2.15 kills per set.
The talent is developing, but now the Lady Vols need to capitalize on holding the lead against teams that will continue to get tougher as the season ages.
Wednesday’s match is set for 6:30 p.m. ET, setting up a big opportunity to defend home court against another rival, while bouncing back with a win.
