KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — In a heated rematch of the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, which saw Georgia Tech defeat Tennessee in five sets – It was the Lady Vols who flipped the script and came out victorious at the first annual Showdown at the Net.
Tuesday marked the highest home victory over a ranked opponent for the Lady Vols since 2023 versus No. 22 Auburn on Oct. 13th, and their 10th win all-time against ranked opponents under head coach Eve Rackham Watt.
Sophomore middle blocker Chelsea Sutton set a new career high in kills with 15, surpassing her previous record of 10. She also reached a milestone, with over 100 kills in her young career. Sutton filled up the stat sheet in the contest, adding five blocks and one ace.
Senior outside hitter Hayden Kubik also reached a career milestone, surpassing 250 kills, thanks to her 13 on the evening. Redshirt senior Starr Williams joined in the offensive barrage, finishing the match with a season-high 17 kills.
Two-time All-American Caroline Kerr recorded her 14th career double-double, notching 53 assists and 13 digs in the contest. Gülce Güçtekin added 22 digs in the match, as she helped anchor the Tennessee defense throughout the contest.
The first three sets were highly contested, with scores of 25-23, 25-23, and 23-25, before the Lady Vols closed it out with a 25-13 victory.
Set 1 came down to the wire as Georgia Tech forced three set points on the Lady Vols following a five-point run that brought them back from 21-16. However, it was the Big Orange taking the set after a Sutton kill at 24-23. Paityn Chapman and Sutton tied for the kill lead at four each, while Güçtekin contributed eight digs.
The second set was once again down to the wire with the Lady Vols edging out the Yellow Jackets after trading six points to bring the score to 21-21. From there, three Tech errors put the Big Orange up 24-21. Georgia Tech grabbed the ball back at 24-22 before Starr Williams closed the set with a kill set up by Kerr.
In a hot-button third set that featured 12 ties and eight lead changes this time, iGeorgia Tech rallied to win the set to keep the match alive. The set was a seesaw until the final points, with Tennessee grabbing a lead at 19-18 before the Georgia Tech forced a tie at 19-19. The Yellow Jackets held that lead until a Tennessee tie at 22-22, which saw the Big Orange go up 23-22. From there however it was all Tech as they grabbed the lead at 24-23 and did not surrender it, closing the set at 25-23
Set 4 was all Vols. After starting the set locked at 3-3, The Big Orange went on a three-point run to create an advantage they would not relinquish. After an attack error gave the ball back to Tech, Tennessee responded with another 3-0 run to put the score 9-6. The Yellow Jackets could only muster seven more points during the set as the Vols cruised to a 25-13 win.
Next up, the Lady Vols travel to the Big Apple on Saturday, Sept. 13 for a match-up against Delaware State. First serve is scheduled for noon.
