Tennessee volleyball swept its way through its past weekend of matchups while taking a two-game trip to New York.
Over the weekend, the Lady Vols took matches against Delaware State and St. John’s, both resulting in 3-0 sweeps.
The Lady Vols’ recent run has earned them honors on the season’s most recent AVCA poll, ranked No. 24 out of 25 teams.
Tennessee now owns a six-game winning streak, which began after the team dropped its first and only loss of the season at the hands of No. 15 Purdue in Nashville on Aug. 31.
Since the loss, the team has outscored its opponents 18-2 over their last 20 sets, the only two set losses coming at the hands of Wofford and No. 21 Georgia Tech.
The previous weekend’s first matchup, against Delaware State, had the Lady Vols win a close set one 25-19, before pulling ahead with a dominant second set, outscoring their opponents 25-10. After pushing ahead by two sets, a 25-17 set three final pushed the Lady Vols to the 3-0 road win.
The Lady Vols’ offensive attack continues to receive help from all corners. The win over Delaware State presented three different Lady Vols with 11 or more kills.
Mackenzie Plante and Paityn Chapman tied for a team-leading 12 kills, as Hayden Kubik continued her impressive season with 11 kills and two assists.
The momentum continued to carry the next day against St. John’s, the Lady Vols claimed set one 25-11 before winning set two 25-12. St. John’s played its closest set in the third and final round, but the Lady Vols continued to persevere on the road, outclassing Delaware State and St. John’s 6-0 in a quick two-day span.
Starr Williams broke out against St. John’s with a game-leading 13 kills over 21 attacks. Williams, a senior transfer, has been the offensive backbone for an up-and-coming team. Having Williams allows players such as Chapman and Chelsea Sutton to have more freedom and less pressure when on the court as underclassmen.
Once again, Williams was joined by Kubik, who continues to make a name for herself after joining the Lady Vols last offseason. Kubik has posted career-high numbers in her second season, despite the Lady Vols holding a much more crowded offense.
Sitting at No. 24, the Lady Vols have already faced off against two other teams that remain in the top 25 poll, Georgia Tech, which now sits at No. 23, and Purdue, which moved up to No. 11 in the rankings.
Six SEC teams currently stand in the top 25, and the Lady Vols’ next-ranked opponent falls against No. 3 Texas on the road. The match will be played on Oct. 8 before they take on No. 15 Florida on Oct. 15.
