STARKVILLE, Miss. — The #16 Tennessee volleyball program closed out its road trip with a win over Mississippi State in four sets (18-25, 25-14, 25-18, 25-19).
The Lady Vols (16-3, 7-2 SEC) enjoyed another strong team performance, finishing with 57 kills on .311 hitting. The defense picked up its pace later in the match, holding the home standing Bulldogs (14-6, 4-6 SEC) to a .236 hitting percentage and forced 16 errors. The floor defense was on point with 55 digs, while the Lady Vols did their thing at the net with six blocks.
It was another strong day on the service line for the Lady Vols, finishing the match with nine aces, led by Carioline Kerr with a season-high four.
Leading the offensive attack for Tennessee was Starr Williams with 16 kills on a strong .424 hitting percentage. Hayden Kubik had yet another game with double-digit kills, with the senior notching 14 to go along with seven digs. For Kubik, she now has nine-straight matches with double-figure kills.
Kerr did her part to set up the Tennessee attack, with 41 assists while adding nine digs and three blocks. Joining Kerr on block defense was Chelsea Sutton, who had three of her own with seven kills.
Gülce Güçtekin led from the back row with 20 digs to pair with three assists and one ace. Mackenzie Plante also had a strong all-around performance with seven digs and nine kills.
After building an early lead in the first frame, Tennessee would allow a Mississippi State run to lose the advantage. The Bulldogs would thwart a comeback to take the early lead in the match. Williams got her match started early, leading the team with four kills in the set. Kerr picked up seven assists early on, adding three digs to get the evening started.
Following a quick start by Mississippi State in the second set, The Big Orange would roll back with a 10-0 run to take a commanding second set lead that they would not relinquish. Plante led the attack in the second, putting up five kills. Kerr added 10 more assists to help lead the offense to 13 kills and a .375 hitting percentage. The defense held the Bulldog attack to just 10 kills and a paltry .192 hitting percentage to help even the match at a set apiece.
Tennessee roared out to an early lead in the third thanks to a 6-0 run to get started. Mississippi State would mount a comeback to tie it at 15 all, but a pair of 3-0 runs for the Lady Vols ended the threat to take the 2-1 set lead. Williams came out firing in the third, netting six of the Lady Vols’ 15 kills. She was joined by Kubik in the set, adding four kills of her own. Three blocks and 17 digs allowed the defense to dispatch of the Bulldogs in the third, keeping their attack at bay with a .194 hitting percentage.
Mississippi would not go quietly, building an early 9-3 advantage in the fourth. A 6-0 run by the Lady Vols leveled the set at 10, followed by another 4-0 run later to create the distance needed to secure the victory. Williams closed out her evening with five more kills on an astonishing .714 hitting percentage. Kerr delivered the offense 12 more assists to end her night, while adding two kills and a pair of aces. Güçtekin led the defense with eight digs to help lead the Lady Vols to 16 in the final set.
Up Next, Tennessee returns home for a match against Missouri on Oct. 31. First serve for the match is slated for 6:30 p.m. and will be streamed on SEC Network+.
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