KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Ninth-ranked Tennessee dropped the first set to in-state rival Vanderbilt on Sunday, then won the next three to take a 3-1 decision in front of 3,220 fans at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tenn.
The Commodores, ranked 22nd, took the opener 25-15. The Lady Vols answered 25-20, 25-16 and 25-22 to close it out and move to 16-3 overall and 7-2 in SEC play.
Kennedi Rogers led all players with 18 kills. Maggie Dostic added 11 and Jalyn Stout chipped in eight kills along with a team-high 19 digs. Setter Caroline Kerr ran the offense with 40 assists and also had 14 digs.
Tennessee hit .257 as a team against .143 for Vanderbilt, and out-blocked the visitors 11 to 8. Anni Tang had five blocks at the net. Samantha Wunsch paced Vanderbilt with 15 kills, and Avery Scoggins handed out 33 assists for the Commodores.
The two teams came in as the top hitting offenses in the league. Vanderbilt led the SEC in hitting percentage at .303 with Tennessee right behind at .292, and both squads had won six straight. Sunday’s result extends the Lady Vols’ run to seven and snaps the Commodores’ streak.
The Lady Vols controlled the stat sheet as well. Tennessee finished with 54 kills to 47 for Vanderbilt, piled up 73 digs to 56 and committed 19 attack errors to the visitors’ 25. Vanderbilt held a slim 6-5 edge in aces, but Tennessee’s defense in the back row kept long rallies alive in the final three sets.
Tennessee arrived on the heels of a comeback win over No. 4 Kentucky on Wednesday, its first victory over a top-five team since 2005.
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