MADISON, Wisc. – The Tennessee Lady Vols kick off their 19th trip to the NCAA Tournament with a first-round matchup against No. 18 Georgia Tech on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. ET.
The contest will be streamed on ESPN+. The winner of the match will face the winner of Wisconsin and Fairfield on Friday.
The Big Orange (15-11, 8-8 SEC) is led by a pair of All-SEC players in graduate student outside hitter Nina Cajic and redshirt sophomore setter Caroline Kerr. One of the top offensive players in the country, Cajic ranked 37th nationally and seventh in the SEC in kills per set at 4.25 and was 36th and seventh in points per set (4.85). The Subotica, Serbia, native posted double-digit kills in 24 of 26 matches during the regular season, including four performances with at least 20 kills, two with 30-plus kills and one 40-kill effort.
Earning All-SEC accolades for the second straight year, Kerr ranked sixth in the SEC and 40th nationally in assists per set (10.22). She helped the Lady Vol offense average 13.21 kills per set while hitting .278 hitting, which ranks 16th nationally and fourth in the SEC. Kerr eclipsed 40 assists in a match 11 times and 50 assists three times.
The Yellow Jackets (20-9, 12-8 ACC) are a No. 7 seed in the bracket, and they are led by a trio of All-ACC honorees. Senior outside hitters Bianca Bertolino and Tamara Otene were awarded Second Team All-ACC recognition, while freshman middle blocker Logan Wiley was named to the All-Freshmen Team. Bertolino sits as the only Power 4 player with 300 kills, 300 digs and 50 aces, while Otene secured her second-straight 400 kill/300 dig season, registering a team-best 410 kills and 307 digs.
Georgia Tech is currently on a four-match skid, losing in heartbreaking five-set contests each time. However, three of those matchups came against top-25 opponents, including a pair against No. 1 Pittsburgh and No. 6 Stanford.
Here are a few other Lady Vol volleyball notables going into the postseason:
POSTSEASON BOUND: Lady Vols Punch Ticket to NCAA Tourney
For the 19th time in program history, Tennessee volleyball was selected for the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Vols have made the tournament four years in a row and five times total under head coach Eve Rackham Watt. Prior to her arrival on Rocky Top, UT had missed the postseason five years in a row. This is now the third time in school history in which the team earned NCAA Tournament bids four seasons in a row (1981-84 & 2008-12).
Tennessee in the Tournament Under Rackham Watt
In its first four tournament appearances under head coach Eve Rackham Watt, Tennessee is 4-4 in the Big Dance. The Lady Vols have advanced out of the first round three times. Last year, the Big Orange earned the No. 10 national seed and hosted the first and second rounds for the first time since 2011. The Lady Vols defeated High Point and then Western Kentucky to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005. Prior to that, Tennessee advanced to the second round of the tournament after first-round wins over Colorado State (2018) and North Carolina (2021). In 2022, the Lady Vols fell short in a five-set battle to Purdue in the first round.
Lady Vols vs. The Field
The Lady Vols were 5-9 against NCAA Tournament teams during the regular season. Tennessee’s top win came in a 3-1 victory against No. 6 seeded Texas A&M. UT also bested South Carolina, Western Kentucky on the road and Western Michigan twice. Of the Big Orange’s 14 contests against tournament teams, eight came away from home. The Lady Vols kicked off the season with back-to-back matches against two No. 1 overall seeds in Louisville and Penn State.
