CONWAY, S.C. – The 16th-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols finished with 15 aces, a 25-point rallying scoring era record for the program, to best Coastal Carolina in four sets (24-26, 25-18, 25-18, 25-18) on Saturday night at HTC Center.
UT’s previous school record for aces was 12, which occurred on five occasions, including twice last season against Wisconsin and Marist. The Lady Vols (4-2) have posted double-digit aces in a match 10 times during the Eve Rackham Watt era, including five times in the last two seasons. Five different players recorded multiple aces on the night.
Tennessee had 47 kills on 43 assists to go along with its 15 aces, and defensively, the Big Orange recorded 49 digs and five blocks while holding the Chanticleers (3-5) to .180 hitting on the night.
Right side hitter Paityn Chapman, the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week, led the way offensively, posting 12 kills on .357 hitting, three aces, two blocks and one dig. Graduate student outside Nina Cajic added 11 kills, six digs, three aces and an assist. Redshirt junior middle blocker Emily Beeker added seven kills on .385 hitting and three blocks, while junior middle blocker Keondreya Granberry finished with five kills and two blocks.
Reigning SEC Player and Setter of the Week Caroline Kerr enjoyed a strong all-around performance, posting 33 assists, eight digs, six kills, four aces and two blocks. On the back row, junior outside Hayden Kubik finished with a career-high 17 digs to go along with six kills and two assists. Senior libero Ashllyn King had six digs and two assists, while senior libero Abby Ekeler recorded five digs, three aces and an assist. Sophomore defensive specialist Sydney Jaynes rounded things out with four digs and a pair of aces.
The Chanticleers took the opening frame thanks to a 6-0 run that gave them an early 11-6 advantage. The Lady Vols would fight back to even things up at 24-24, but Coastal Carolina closed out the set to gain the early momentum. Tennessee hit .186 in the period with seven attacking errors.
The Big Orange evened things up in the second stanza, holding CCU to .156 hitting. The Lady Vols jumped out to the early advantage, but the Chanticleers pulled within two at 18-16. From there, UT finished the set on a 7-2 swing. Tennessee had four aces and 10 kills in the frame.
The Lady Vols dominated the third set, cruising to an 25-18 win. The Big Orange once again found success at the service line, dropping in five aces in the period to keep the momentum on its side. UT sealed the deal in the fourth frame, never trailing or being tied with Coastal Carolina en route to the victory.
Up next, the Lady Vols and Chanticleers face off again Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
