KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The No. 16 Tennessee Lady Vols dropped a heart-breaker, losing to Florida in five-sets at Food City Center on Wednesday.
Tennessee racked up a season-high 74 kills on .246 hitting offensively, while also completing a season-high of 80 digs and 5 blocks on the other end. Unfortunately, the team’s 30 attacking errors slowed their momentum. Redshirt-junior setter Caroline Kerr controlled the offense by tying her career high of 57 assists, adding 15 digs, three kills and one block. Kerr achieved her 20th career double-double, which was her eighth this season and fifth in conference play. Senior outside hitter Hayden Kubik made huge plays with her 11th career double-double and fourth of the season, once again leading the Tennessee offense by reaching 24 kills, accompanied by 13 digs and one ace. Sophomore opposite hitter Paityn Chapman amassed 15 kills, four digs and two blocks, while Sophomore middle blocker Chelsea Sutton made 13 kills, five blocks and three digs of her own.
Junior outside hitter Mackenzie Plante gained her first double-double as well, notching 16 digs, 11 kills, two blocks and one assist. Senior libero Gülce Güçtekin tallied 17 digs and six assists for the Lady Vols, while freshman outside hitter Maggie Dostic achieved a career-high of 10 digs during the contest.
To begin the match, the Big Orange struggled to find momentum with seven tie scores until a 5-0 run gave them the advantage. Tennessee came out swinging early on the offensive end to win the set with 17 kills on .382 hitting. Kubik picked up early motion with her seven kills on .636 hitting, while Chapman followed with four of her own. Kerr started strong by adding 14 assists and two digs for the Lady Vols.
The second stanza was another back-and-forth affair between Tennessee and the Gators up until the final point. The Lady Vols put up a strong 18 kills, accompanied by Kubik’s six. The team collected 25 digs, however, with 17 tie scores, the Big Orange came up short. Tennessee slowed down in the third frame after a late 6-0 run by Florida. The Lady Vols added 15 digs, but couldn’t put the ball down, making nine hitting errors during the set.
Tennessee didn’t let up in the fourth, collecting 19 more kills on a .457 hitting percentage, along with 12 digs and two blocks. With nine tie scores, the Big Orange only allowed two lead changes, and their late 3-0 run brought the score up 24-21. Kubik picked up speed by adding seven more kills and four digs. Güçtekin and Plante kept the defense sturdy, both completing three digs for the Lady Vols.
The routine continued moving into the fifth, as neither team gave in to pressure. The Lady Vols and Gators both made back-to-back scoring runs late in the set. Attack errors doomed Tennessee, falling just short in the final set.
Up next, the Lady Vols continue their homestand on Sunday as they host Auburn. The match is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and will be streamed on SEC Network+.
