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Friday, October 2
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7 p.m. ET
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Weekend Preview: #11 Lady Vols Hit the Road to Face #7 Florida & Auburn
October 01, 2026 | Volleyball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The No. 11 Tennessee volleyball team goes on the road for the first time in conference play this season. The Lady Vols will first take on No. 7 Florida in Gainesville, Fla., before capping the weekend at Auburn.
Friday's match against Florida is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET, while the contest against Auburn is slated for 3 p.m. ET. Both matches will be streamed on SEC Network+.
This will be the 75th all-time meeting between the Lady Vols and the Gators. The two teams met twice last season, splitting the two matches. Florida took the first win in a five-setter at Food City Center. Tennessee won the second meeting last season between the two teams in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. Tennessee and Auburn have met on 61 occasions, with UT taking the win last year at home in three sets.
The Lady Vols enter the weekend after dropping their SEC opener against Texas in five sets. UT got out to the early lead, taking the first two sets of the match. Texas would respond by winning the next three sets to win the match. Three players posted double-doubles, with Kennedi Rogers (21 kills & 12 digs), Caroline Kerr (45 assists & 16 digs) and Maggie Dostic (12 kills & 10 digs) each putting forth a double-double performance. For Kerr, it marked her 28th career double-double, while Dostic reached double-double status for the first time in her collegiate career. Chelsea Sutton recorded a career-high nine blocks, while adding 12 kills. Raegan Burns and Jalyn Stout each posted 13 digs, with Stout adding six kills.
Florida enters with a 10-1 record and won its first conference match of the season, sweeping Oklahoma on the road. Kamryn Chaney leads the Gators offense with 137 kills and 3.91 kills per set. Taylor Parks supports the Gators' attack with 400 assists and is fifth in the SEC at 10.53 assists per set. Lilly Hayes leads the defense from the back row with 156 digs and a 4.11 digs per set average, the latter ranking fifth in the conference. Leading the team in blocks is Alec Rothe with 51, while her 1.38 blocks per set average is third-best in the conference. One of the more efficient attackers in the nation, Rothe is ninth in Division I with a .463 hitting percentage and is second on the team with 93 kills.
Auburn comes in with an 11-2 record and plays its first home conference match after defeating Arkansas on the road in five sets. Belle Patrick leads the Tigers attack with 179 kills, the third-most in the SEC this season. Setter Carson Eickenloff keys the offense with 343 assists, while Shanelle Puetz follows with 163 assists. Emily Keiran has a team-high 161 digs at 3.35 digs per set. Leading the team at the net is the duo of Grace Havlicek (50 blocks) and Kate Mansfield (49 blocks). Both totals rank in the top ten in the conference, with Havlicek and Mansfield at seventh and eighth respectively. The Auburn defense has stifled opposing offenses early this season, leading the SEC with a .155 hitting percentage.
The Big Orange offense continues to be a top unit nationally under head coach Eve Rackham Watt. Tennessee ranks in the top ten nationally in both kills per set (14.47, sixth) and hitting percentage (.298, 10th) this season. In its previous eight seasons, UT has ranked in the top 20 nationally in both statistics in five seasons. Last season, Tennessee finished in the top 15 in both hitting percentage (.292, 10th) and kills per set (14.27, 11th).
The Tennessee defense has been key to the team's early season success. The Lady Vols are holding opposing offenses to a .175 hitting percentage and a 11.25 kills per set average. The team averages 13.08 digs per set and 2.54 blocks per set, with its blocks per set total ranking sixth in the SEC. Seven players have ten or more blocks, with Chelsea Sutton leading the group with 36 blocks, while her 1.33 blocks per set is good for fifth in the SEC. The junior middle blocker has recorded five or more blocks in five matches, including each of the last three.
Friday's match against Florida is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET, while the contest against Auburn is slated for 3 p.m. ET. Both matches will be streamed on SEC Network+.
This will be the 75th all-time meeting between the Lady Vols and the Gators. The two teams met twice last season, splitting the two matches. Florida took the first win in a five-setter at Food City Center. Tennessee won the second meeting last season between the two teams in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. Tennessee and Auburn have met on 61 occasions, with UT taking the win last year at home in three sets.
The Lady Vols enter the weekend after dropping their SEC opener against Texas in five sets. UT got out to the early lead, taking the first two sets of the match. Texas would respond by winning the next three sets to win the match. Three players posted double-doubles, with Kennedi Rogers (21 kills & 12 digs), Caroline Kerr (45 assists & 16 digs) and Maggie Dostic (12 kills & 10 digs) each putting forth a double-double performance. For Kerr, it marked her 28th career double-double, while Dostic reached double-double status for the first time in her collegiate career. Chelsea Sutton recorded a career-high nine blocks, while adding 12 kills. Raegan Burns and Jalyn Stout each posted 13 digs, with Stout adding six kills.
Florida enters with a 10-1 record and won its first conference match of the season, sweeping Oklahoma on the road. Kamryn Chaney leads the Gators offense with 137 kills and 3.91 kills per set. Taylor Parks supports the Gators' attack with 400 assists and is fifth in the SEC at 10.53 assists per set. Lilly Hayes leads the defense from the back row with 156 digs and a 4.11 digs per set average, the latter ranking fifth in the conference. Leading the team in blocks is Alec Rothe with 51, while her 1.38 blocks per set average is third-best in the conference. One of the more efficient attackers in the nation, Rothe is ninth in Division I with a .463 hitting percentage and is second on the team with 93 kills.
Auburn comes in with an 11-2 record and plays its first home conference match after defeating Arkansas on the road in five sets. Belle Patrick leads the Tigers attack with 179 kills, the third-most in the SEC this season. Setter Carson Eickenloff keys the offense with 343 assists, while Shanelle Puetz follows with 163 assists. Emily Keiran has a team-high 161 digs at 3.35 digs per set. Leading the team at the net is the duo of Grace Havlicek (50 blocks) and Kate Mansfield (49 blocks). Both totals rank in the top ten in the conference, with Havlicek and Mansfield at seventh and eighth respectively. The Auburn defense has stifled opposing offenses early this season, leading the SEC with a .155 hitting percentage.
The Big Orange offense continues to be a top unit nationally under head coach Eve Rackham Watt. Tennessee ranks in the top ten nationally in both kills per set (14.47, sixth) and hitting percentage (.298, 10th) this season. In its previous eight seasons, UT has ranked in the top 20 nationally in both statistics in five seasons. Last season, Tennessee finished in the top 15 in both hitting percentage (.292, 10th) and kills per set (14.27, 11th).
The Tennessee defense has been key to the team's early season success. The Lady Vols are holding opposing offenses to a .175 hitting percentage and a 11.25 kills per set average. The team averages 13.08 digs per set and 2.54 blocks per set, with its blocks per set total ranking sixth in the SEC. Seven players have ten or more blocks, with Chelsea Sutton leading the group with 36 blocks, while her 1.33 blocks per set is good for fifth in the SEC. The junior middle blocker has recorded five or more blocks in five matches, including each of the last three.
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S/OPP
/ Volleyball
MB
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