Tennessee volleyball turns over its schedule from nonconference into SEC play on Wednesday while riding its best stretch of the season with eight straight victories.
Amidst the hot 9-1 start, which included the Lady Vols getting moved to No. 24 in the ranking, the team’s only loss to date came at a neutral site against No. 11 Purdue in four sets
“We didn’t play our best, and Purdue played well,” Lady Vols head coach Eve Rackham Watt said. “Not to take anything away from them, but we certainly didn’t walk out of the match feeling like we played our best. So when we had another opportunity, I think the team was much more prepared.”
That preparation has remained apparent in every game since the Purdue loss. One of the team’s most impressive wins to date on the season comes in the form of revenge against No. 23 Georgia Tech.
The Yellow Jackets also happened to be the same team that ended the Lady Vols’ season last year in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.
Despite the ups and downs in the first section of the season, the reps for returning players and transfers alike serve as pivotal instances to allow the team to mesh more soundly.
“Really excited to get started, especially at home this week,” Rackham Watt said. “I feel like from where we started from the end of August to where we are now, we’re a significantly better team in a lot of ways.”
Starting at home is an important note; the Lady Vols, in their last 36 home contests, have dropped just five matches, and so far the home record stands at 7-0 this season.
There’s much more to a team’s success than just home court advantage, even though it’s always welcomed. After struggling to find a consistent footing last season in SEC play, the Lady Vols welcomed in some new faces, along with retaining some familiar ones, in hopes of landing consistency.
“The cohesion of this group has come a long way,” Rackham Watt said. “It was going to take some time with the younger players and the transfers to get on the same page, and I feel like we’ve been able to do that a little bit better week by week.”
In the last seven contests, the Lady Vols have allowed just one set to go the other way, against No. 23 Georgia Tech. The remaining six contests all finished in a 3-0 sweep.
Just like last season, the team is headlined by All-American setter Caroline Kerr. Kerr continues to do what she does best: Spread the wealth. This season, she has even more choices for who gets the kill compared to her 2024 season, which mainly saw the offense flow through graduate Nina Cajic.
The diversity in attackers is impressive. Sophomores Chelsea Sutton and Paityn Chapman continue to grow their games after becoming focal points of the team last season as true freshmen. The two have been frequent options for Kerr, along with senior Hayden Kubik.
“They’re much more prepared,” Rackham Watt said. “They’re not completely seasoned, but last year they got a lot of experience. So both of them have tremendous physical upside.”
As the weeks progress, the Lady Vols are beginning to see more cohesion among the newcomers and returnees, as players like Gulce Guctekin and Starr Williams add veteran presence.
“Starr’s played in a lot of matches, and obviously with Gigi it’s the same thing,” Rackham Watt said. “She’s been out there in a Final Four. She’s been the libero in several big matches with a lot on the line, big crowds, so she’s pretty steady in that realm.”
With SEC play on deck, and the conference currently hoisting six ranked teams, including the Lady Vols, experience is something the team will lean back on when the going gets tough.
“I think that experience is just invaluable,” Rackham Watt said. “You can’t teach it.”
After opening the conference slate with two home matches — Georgia and South Carolina — the Lady Vols travel to Baton Rouge for the first conference road test of the year against LSU on Oct. 3. No. 2 Texas follows that game as the Lady Vols’ toughest test yet.
The non-conference stage set the Lady Vols up nicely, finishing off with just one loss compared to nine wins, tied for the second most in the conference.
The team is expecting to be at full strength, with Klaudia Pawlik and Brynn Williams expected to return from injury in the coming weeks.
“I think the experience for everybody has been good,” Rackham Watt said. “This team is deep. We need to get healthier in a few areas, but I still feel really good about where we are as a group going into Wednesday.”
