After defeating Texas A&M on Sunday, Tennessee volleyball could not repeat the same success on Friday against Georgia.
The Lady Vols dropped the match to the Bulldogs 3-2 (25-21, 20-25, 26-24, 23-25, 13-15), earning the team’s first home loss since Kentucky in October.
Here are three takeaways from the Lady Vols’ (13-10, 6-7) match against the Bulldogs (9-12, 3-8).
Paityn Chapman continues to grow
True freshman Paityn Chapman has become a staple talking point through the past couple of match weeks, especially as of late. Things did not slow down for Chapman against Georgia.
Chapman tallied a career high in kills on Friday with 17, tying a game high with Nina Cajic against the Bulldogs. The total surpassed her previous of 15 over Western Kentucky in September.
“I thought Paityn played a great game,” head coach Eve Rackham Watt said. “Outside of that, we didn’t get the offense that we needed from almost anybody.”
Entering the season, there was never a certainty that Chapman would be in line for consistent playing time. Despite this, the freshman has played at least three sets in every game excluding two matches against Louisville and Ole Miss.
In her match against Ole Miss, in which she only played one set, the freshman earned no kills, the only time Chapman has been blanked on the score sheet this season. Since this contest, she has posted six kills or higher in all but one match.
“She needed help tonight,” Rackham Watt said. “And other players have got to show up when the game is on the line. I thought Paityn played great, I thought she swung to score. She moved the ball around well when she didn’t have the sets she liked.”
With just 23 career games under her belt, Chapman is lined up for a prime role in the offense for not just this season, but years to come.
“She played really, really well,” Rackham Watt Said. “Especially for somebody with the limited experience she had.”
Playing on the ropes
While Chapman shined, the rest of the offense blundered against the Bulldogs.
The Lady Vols were outhit by Georgia’s .240 to the Lady Vols’ .182 hitting percentage. They were out-blocked at the net 13 to 7 and earned seven more attacking errors than the Bulldogs.
It felt as though no matter how close the team got to closing out the game, the Bulldogs had an answer for them.
“We need to continue to be aggressive,” Hayden Kubik said. “We have got to have a fire under our butt. We have to keep pushing, keep trying to see what is working and what is not.”
Kubik finished her night with 13 kills and 18 digs as she continues to pile up quality performances.
Despite the solo performances, the Lady Vols need more offensive pressure on a much more consistent basis. The potential is there, but the pieces have yet to click, and time is running out.
Standings update and look ahead
The Lady Vols have just three regular-season contests remaining before the SEC tournament hits the ground running, meaning there is not much time to gain lost ground for Tennessee in a packed conference.
The Lady Vols are locked in with Oklahoma at 6-7 each in conference play, which is one game ahead of South Carolina — who will be visiting Food City Center on Nov. 24.
As of right now, Arkansas has the advantage over the Lady Vols, sitting in fourth place with a 6-5 conference record. The Razorbacks match up next against the Lady Vols on Nov. 22 for what will be a big implication for standings.
