University of Tennessee Athletics
Wednesday, October 8
Austin, Texas
7:30 p.m. ET
University of Tennessee
at
Texas
Match Preview: #17 Lady Vols Continue Road Stretch Against #2 Texas
October 07, 2025 | Volleyball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The 17th-ranked Tennessee volleyball team continues to road stretch in conference action on Wednesday, as it heads to Austin, Texas for a match against #2 Texas. First serve is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Gregory Gym, with the match being streamed on SEC Network+.
The Lady Vols extended their win streak last time out in comeback fashion, rallying back from a 2-0 deficit on the road against LSU for the reverse sweep. Hayden Kubik and Caroline Kerr were key in the comeback effort, both finishing with double-doubles. Kubik finished the contest with a career high 27 kills on .449 hitting, adding 10 digs for her third double-double of the season and second in her last three matches. Kerr helped spur the offense in the match as well, with 39 assists to help an offense that had 68 kills. Kerr was a huge force defensively as well, finishing with 14 digs. The win extended the Lady Vols' streak to 11 games, tying the last longest such streak with the 2023 team.
The #2 Longhorns come into the match as one of two remaining undefeated teams in Division I at 12-0. Texas picked up a pair of sweeps in conference play last week, notching road wins over Georgia and Mississippi State. Texas enters the contest leading the nation in both kills per set (14.90) and assists per set (13.85). Torrey Stafford leads the team with 178 kills this season, and ranks 29th nationally and fifth in the conference with 4.34 kills per set. Freshman Cari Spears has also been a huge part of the Longhorns' early season success. The outside hitter has 154 kills while doing it at a pace of 3.76 kills per set on a .337 hitting percentage. Setting up the offense is Ella Swindle, who has 357 assists at 9.39 assists per set. Texas holds the advantage in the series with a 12-1 record, winning last season's match-up in Austin. The Big Orange's lone win against Texas came over 40 years ago, defeating Texas back on Nov. 5, 1982.
Caroline Kerr added her second Setter of the Week honor on Monday. This came after her double-double performance in Tennessee's 3-2 road win over LSU. This marked the fifth time in her career that Kerr has been named the conference's setter of the week. Kerr leads the team with six double-doubles on the season, including three consecutive to start SEC action. Kerr is no stranger to double-doubles in her time at Tennessee, with the Champaign, Illinois-native at 18 in her career.Â
The Lady Vol Offense continues to produce at a high level. The Lady Vols come into the week with a .334 hitting percentage, which ranks as the best in all of Division I. The production offensively has been a full team effort through 13 games, with six players having 40 or more kills. Hayden Kubik leads the team in kills this season at 138, followed by sophomore Paityn Chapman at 120. Chelsea Sutton leads the team in hitting percentage at .448, a total that ranks eighth nationally and leads the SEC.
The Big Orange defense has also continued to impress this season. Tennessee is holding opponents to a .141 hitting percentage this season. That mark leads the conference and is the fourth-best in the nation. helsea Sutton leads the group with 56 blocks, followed by Zoë Humphrey at 43. The Lady Vols floor defense has been a big part of the team's success as well. As a team, Tennessee is averaging 13.00 digs per set, with transfer libero Gülce Güçtekin leading the pack with 175 digs.
The Lady Vols extended their win streak last time out in comeback fashion, rallying back from a 2-0 deficit on the road against LSU for the reverse sweep. Hayden Kubik and Caroline Kerr were key in the comeback effort, both finishing with double-doubles. Kubik finished the contest with a career high 27 kills on .449 hitting, adding 10 digs for her third double-double of the season and second in her last three matches. Kerr helped spur the offense in the match as well, with 39 assists to help an offense that had 68 kills. Kerr was a huge force defensively as well, finishing with 14 digs. The win extended the Lady Vols' streak to 11 games, tying the last longest such streak with the 2023 team.
The #2 Longhorns come into the match as one of two remaining undefeated teams in Division I at 12-0. Texas picked up a pair of sweeps in conference play last week, notching road wins over Georgia and Mississippi State. Texas enters the contest leading the nation in both kills per set (14.90) and assists per set (13.85). Torrey Stafford leads the team with 178 kills this season, and ranks 29th nationally and fifth in the conference with 4.34 kills per set. Freshman Cari Spears has also been a huge part of the Longhorns' early season success. The outside hitter has 154 kills while doing it at a pace of 3.76 kills per set on a .337 hitting percentage. Setting up the offense is Ella Swindle, who has 357 assists at 9.39 assists per set. Texas holds the advantage in the series with a 12-1 record, winning last season's match-up in Austin. The Big Orange's lone win against Texas came over 40 years ago, defeating Texas back on Nov. 5, 1982.
Caroline Kerr added her second Setter of the Week honor on Monday. This came after her double-double performance in Tennessee's 3-2 road win over LSU. This marked the fifth time in her career that Kerr has been named the conference's setter of the week. Kerr leads the team with six double-doubles on the season, including three consecutive to start SEC action. Kerr is no stranger to double-doubles in her time at Tennessee, with the Champaign, Illinois-native at 18 in her career.Â
The Lady Vol Offense continues to produce at a high level. The Lady Vols come into the week with a .334 hitting percentage, which ranks as the best in all of Division I. The production offensively has been a full team effort through 13 games, with six players having 40 or more kills. Hayden Kubik leads the team in kills this season at 138, followed by sophomore Paityn Chapman at 120. Chelsea Sutton leads the team in hitting percentage at .448, a total that ranks eighth nationally and leads the SEC.
The Big Orange defense has also continued to impress this season. Tennessee is holding opponents to a .141 hitting percentage this season. That mark leads the conference and is the fourth-best in the nation. helsea Sutton leads the group with 56 blocks, followed by Zoë Humphrey at 43. The Lady Vols floor defense has been a big part of the team's success as well. As a team, Tennessee is averaging 13.00 digs per set, with transfer libero Gülce Güçtekin leading the pack with 175 digs.
Players Mentioned
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/ VolleyballEverything Orange S3 | Chelsea Sutton (Volleyball)
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