BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Three Lady Vols finished with double-digit kills, as 16th-ranked Tennessee earned a big road win against Western Kentucky on Tuesday night at E.A. Diddle Arena.
The Big Orange (3-2) were led by an offensive attack that finished with 67 kills and a defensive effort that netted 15 blocks and 57 digs. Graduate student outside hitter Nina Cajic paced the Lady Vols with 17 kills, 13 digs and five blocks for her first double-double of the season.
Freshman right side Paityn Chapman had another big performance, recording 15 kills on .364 hitting, eight digs and five blocks on the night. Junior middle blocker Keondreya Granberry added 11 kills on .588 hitting to go along with a career-high 11 blocks. Redshirt junior middle blocker Emily Beeker had nine kills and three blocks, while junior outside hitter Hayden Kubik finished with 12 digs, nine kills, three aces and two blocks.
Guiding the offense was redshirt sophomore setter Caroline Kerr, who tallied 50 assists, six kills, five digs, two blocks and an ace for the all-around performance. It marked the sixth 50-plus assist match of her career and was the first of the season for the reigning SEC Player of the Week. The Lady Vols finished with 57 digs, 56 assists and five aces on the night.
The first set went back and forth to begin, but after being tied at 16-16, the Big Orange finished the set on a 9-6 swing to win the frame. The Lady Vols spread out their attack, as five different players had at least three kills in the set. As a team, UT recorded 18 kills on .308 hitting in the period to outpace the Hilltoppers (4-3).
Western Kentucky jumped out to a quick 9-3 lead in the second stanza, and Tennessee never made up the difference. The Big Orange hit .121 for the set compared to the Hilltoppers’ .333.
Tennessee dominated the third set, using a 13-2 run to reclaim the lead in the match. The Lady Vols were on fire offensively and defensively, as the Big Orange tallied 14 kills and held the Hilltoppers to just six kills and -.100 hitting thanks to 14 digs and seven blocks in the period.
Western Kentucky responded by winning the fourth frame and forcing decisive fifth set. Tennessee opened with a 5-2 run that resulted in a WKU timeout. The Hilltoppers scrapped until it was a 12-11 UT lead, but from there, the Lady Vols won three straight points to get the road win.
Up next, Tennessee continues its road trip with a pair of matches at Coastal Carolina on Saturday and Sunday followed by a stop at Wofford on Monday night. All three matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
