Game Recap: Volleyball | September 25, 2024
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Another 30-kill night from graduate student outside hitter Nina Cajic lifted the 20th-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols to a five-set victory (25-17, 25-27, 25-20, 23-25, 15-11) against Alabama in the SEC opener on Wednesday night at Food City Center.
Cajic, who earned SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors on Monday, finished the night with 31 kills on .338 hitting to go along with 11 digs, four aces and one block to mark her fourth double-double of the season. After never achieving the feat prior to this season, Cajic has eclipsed 30 kills twice in the last three matches.
Redshirt sophomore setter Caroline Kerr also recorded a double-double on the night, marking her third of the season. She ended the contest with 48 assists, 16 digs, five kills, three blocks and one ace while hitting .556.
Six Lady Vols had five or more kills for the night helping Tennessee (8-3, 1-0 SEC) secure the win over the Tide (8-4, 0-1). All together, the Big Orange offense put up 62 kills, 57 assists and 10 aces. Defensively, UT tallied 73 digs and 11 blocks on the night while holding Alabama to .216 hitting.
Senior libero Ashllyn King had double-digit digs for the fourth straight match, finishing the night with 12. Redshirt freshman outside Eryn Jones enjoyed an all-around performance, posting a career-high 13 digs, seven kills, four blocks, two aces and two assists. Junior middle blocker Keondreya Granberry added four blocks of her own to go along with six kills and two digs.
Tennessee opened the match with a hot hand, out hitting the Crimson Tide .440 to .069. The Big Orange assisted on 12 of 13 kills to go along with a pair of aces. Defensively, UT had nine digs and three blocks. Five Lady Vols recorded multiple kills to spread out the attack, as Tennessee never trailed in the frame.
The Lady Vols dropped the second stanza, as Alabama hit .425 with 18 kills. Cajic led the set for UT with 12 kills on .391 hitting. The Big Orange bounced back with a strong third period with 15 kills compared to the Crimson Tide’s eight and out hit Alabama .452 to .133. Cajic added five more kills in the set, while freshman right side Paityn Chapman had three of her seven total kills on the night to fuel Tennessee’s offense.
Alabama evened things up in the fourth frame thanks to a strong defensive effort. The Crimson TIde had 19 digs and three blocks to hold the Big Orange to .135 hitting.
After a back-and-forth affair during the first four sets, the Lady Vols put Alabama away in the fifth stanza thanks in large part to four blocks. This now UT’s 44th win over UA in their 64 matchups in the series.
Next up, the Lady Vols will face off against the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. The match will be streamed on SEC Network+.
