#13 Tennessee Falls in Five Sets Against #7 Texas

Friday, September 25

Knoxville, Tenn.

7 p.m. ET

University of Tennessee

9-2,0-1SEC

Texas

5-4,1-0SEC

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Texas	21	24	25	25	15	3
Tennessee	25	26	18	22	11	2

Maggie Dostic Rises for Attack in Match against Texas

September 25, 2026 | Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- A trio of Lady Vols recorded double-doubles, but it was not enough as No. 13 Tennessee fell in five sets (25-21, 24-26, 25-18, 22-25, 11-15) to No. 7 Texas on Friday night at Food City Center.

Another record-setting crowd packed Food City Center, with 9,226 fans in attendance. It marked Tennessee's third attendance record of the year, surpassing the previous record of 8,212 set on Sept. 1 against Illinois.

The Big Orange (9-2, 0-1 SEC) suffered the loss in their SEC opener, finishing with 54 kills on .156 hitting, 50 assists and two aces. Defensively, Tennessee posted a season-best 70 digs and 11 blocks. Five Lady Vols logged double-digit digs in the match, while three players had double-figure kills.

Caroline Kerr recorded her fourth double-double of the year and 28th of her career with 45 assists and 15 digs. Kennedi Rogers also had her fourth double-double outing of the year, with a team-high 16 kills to go along with a career-best 12 digs. Maggie Dostic notched her first career double-double, putting forth a 12-kill, 10-dig effort in the match.

Junior middle blocker Chelsea Sutton contributed a career-high nine blocks in the contest, while also logging her first double-figure kill outing of the season with 12. Raegan Burns and Jalyn Stout finished with 13 digs apiece, with Stout adding six kills.

Texas (5-4, 1-0 SEC) finished the evening with 68 kills on .191 hitting, 78 digs, 64 assists, nine blocks and six aces. It was a close battle throughout, with 11 lead changes and 29 ties.

It was all Lady Vols in the first set, as they built a 13-6 advantage. Tennessee continued to build its lead throughout the frame, with a late run by Texas thwarted to get the early set win. Rogers led the offense with five kills and added two digs. The defense held the Longhorns to a .178 hitting percentage, thanks to 14 digs and a pair of blocks.

Texas raced out to an early lead in the second set. Tennessee fought back, chipping away at the early deficit to even the score at 19 apiece. The teams traded points, neither able to take a convincing lead. With the score locked at 24-24, consecutive errors by Texas gave the Lady Vols the two-set lead.

The third set was another back and forth battle. Each team matched the other, with the score deadlocked at 15. A 4-0 Texas run gave it the distance needed to extend the match and win the third set.

It was much of the same in the fourth frame, featuring six lead changes and 10 ties. A 5-1 run gave Tennessee a 17-13 lead, but Texas responded with a run of its own. Texas outhit Tennessee 18-13, tying the match at sets apiece and forcing the fifth.

Tennessee could not withstand an early push from Texas, trailing 4-10. The Lady Vols mounted a comeback, cutting the deficit to three, but the effort fell short as Texas claimed the fifth set and the match.

Up next, UT goes on the road for the first time in conference play as it takes on No. 8 Florida on Oct. 2. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the match will be streamed on SEC Network+.