#17 Lady Vols Suffer First Loss of Season to #2 Pitt

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The No. 17 Tennessee volleyball team battled No. 2 Pitt on Wednesday evening in the Showdown at the Net, falling in three sets (17-25, 26-28, 20-25).

Kennedi Rogers and Jalyn Stout led the Lady Vols (5-1) with 10 kills each, but the Panthers (7-0) would finish with 51 kills on .352 hitting to outpace UT. Tennessee would finish the match with 38 kills, 32 assists and seven aces, to go along with 35 digs and seven blocks.

Middle blocker Jolene Oddo added six kills, while leading the team with four blocks. Caroline Kerr posted 30 assists for the Lady Vols, while also helping defensively with seven digs. Raegan Burns led Tennessee’s floor defense with 12 digs, her fourth double-digit dig outing of the season.

Pitt took the opening set after Tennessee attempted a pair of comebacks, using two scoring runs to pull within four. The Lady Vols couldn’t complete either comeback effort, falling in the opening frame. UT struggled to get its offense started in the first set, finishing with eight kills.

It was a back-and-forth battle in the second. Multiple ties highlighted a close second set, with neither team going ahead by more than two points. The Lady Vols offense would find its footing in the second set, putting up 16 kills on .342 hitting. Rogers keyed the offensive effort in the second, with six kills while also eclipsing 250 career kills. Tied late in the set at 26 apiece, Pitt would win the next two points to take a two set lead.

The Big Orange fought hard in the final set, battling back from a seven-point deficit to level the score at 18-18, but a 6-0 run sealed the match for Pitt. The Tennessee attack put up 14 kills on a .303 hitting percentage, with Nia Hall stepping up with three kills and an ace. UT fell short against a Pitt offense that recorded 15 kills on a .353 hitting percentage.

Up Next, the Lady Vols return home to Food City Center for a match against Coastal Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 12. First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET and the match will be streamed on SEC Network+.