No. 9 Tennessee volleyball takes down No. 22 Vanderbilt

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 9 Tennessee volleyball took down in-state rival No. 22 Vanderbilt 3-1 inside Food City Center on Sunday. The Lady Vols won their seventh straight match to improve to 16-3, 7-2 SEC. Kennedi Rogers led all players with 18 kills and added 11 digs for a double-double. Maggie Dostic added a double-double of her own with 11 kills and 10 digs. Jalyn Stout had a match-high 19 digs to go with eight kills, and Caroline Kerr posted a double-double with 40 assists and 14 digs, plus six kills.

SET 1

Vanderbilt came in as one of the worst teams in the Southeastern Conference in blocks, and Tennessee found the gaps early at a high clip. The Lady Vols jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first set, with Rogers recording four kills in that opening stretch. Rogers finished the set with six kills and a 1.000 hitting percentage. Kerr asserted her presence at the net with a pair of kills and ran the show with 10 assists.

The set turned with Kerr at the service line. After Vanderbilt pulled within 7-5, Tennessee ripped off five straight points to go up 12-5, three of them coming on Vanderbilt attack errors into the Tennessee block. That forced a Commodore timeout at 11-5.

Anni Tang has become an important player in the middle. She was in on four blocks and added two kills in the opening set. Tennessee frequently found open spots on the floor, and Vanderbilt struggled to keep the ball in play, committing eight attack errors in the set. Emma Frietch came on to serve and picked up an ace for a 17-10 lead. A late serving run from Sydney Jaynes took Tennessee from 20-13 to 23-13, and the Lady Vols closed out a 25-15 set win.

Tennessee setter Caroline Kerr (11) celebrates getting a point during a NCAA volleyball game between Tennessee and Illinois at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tenn., on Sept. 1, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

SET 2

The second set saw both teams trade errors, and it took a while for anyone to separate. The set was tied 14 times, including nine straight ties through 9-9. Vanderbilt’s defense picked up and kept the Lady Vols from getting on a run, and the Commodores found space on Tennessee’s side to land kills. Tennessee never led after 6-5.

After Vanderbilt took an 11-9 lead on a Samantha Wunsch service ace, the Lady Vols tied it at 11. The set went back and forth from there, with Vanderbilt reaching 15 first on a block and taking a two-point lead. After the media timeout, a Kerr kill and a Vanderbilt attack error evened things at 15. The teams traded points to 17-17.

Vanderbilt would not give in. The Commodores scored five straight points, with Hailee Mack serving four of them. A Rogers attack error and back-to-back Maya Witherspoon kills pushed the lead to 21-17, and Tennessee called a timeout in the middle of the run. Mack then added an ace. Tennessee got within 22-19 on a Stout ace, but Witherspoon kept attacking. She closed the set with a service ace for a 25-20 Vanderbilt win, evening the match at 1-1.

Tennessee’s Jalyn Stout (7) calls for the ball during a NCAA volleyball game between Tennessee and Illinois at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tenn., on Sept. 1, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

SET 3

Tennessee came out in the third set and took control immediately. Stout served five straight points to give the Lady Vols a 7-1 lead, three of them on Vanderbilt errors, and the Commodores called a timeout. The Lady Vols began finding the open holes on the floor again. Dostic and Kerr were at times able to simply drop the ball into the middle of the floor. Stout came through with her powerful attack from right to left and would not be denied, with back-to-back kills to push the lead to 15-6.

Vanderbilt found a little success attacking the back row and cut into the lead, outscoring Tennessee 7-4 over the next stretch. A Maya Witherspoon service ace made it 18-12. Nia Hall came in with a kill that put the score at 20-13.

Stout was everywhere on the floor, accumulating digs to keep the Lady Vols with chances to score. She and Camille Perry teamed up on a block to make it 21-14, sparking three straight Tennessee points. Perry also added a solo block for a 23-14 lead. Tennessee hit .355 in the set to Vanderbilt’s .075 and closed it out 25-16 to take a 2-1 lead.

Tennessee outside hitter Maggie Dostic (15) smiles with her teammates after winning a set during a NCAA volleyball game between Tennessee and Illinois at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tenn., on Sept. 1, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

SET 4

The Lady Vols and Commodores battled back and forth, keeping the set tied for most of the way, much like the second set. Chelsea Sutton and Samantha Wunsch traded kills to start the set, and the teams went point for point all the way to a 7-7 tie. Rogers then powered through with back-to-back kills to make it 9-7, but Vanderbilt quickly tied it again at nine. Kerr put down a kill, and Frietch picked up her second ace of the match to make it 11-9. A Witherspoon kill and a Rogers attack error allowed the Commodores to tie it again.

That was the flow of the set, which was tied 12 times. Tennessee went on a 4-1 run after a 14-all tie, capped by a Rogers kill, to take an 18-15 lead and force a Vanderbilt timeout. The Commodores stayed right on the Lady Vols’ heels and tied the set at 19 on a block of Rogers, prompting a Tennessee timeout.

Out of the break, Sutton came up with two huge blocks on Wunsch, teaming with Rogers on the first and Dostic on the second, to put Tennessee back up 21-19. Sutton also picked up a big kill to give the Lady Vols their 22nd point. A Witherspoon kill kept Vanderbilt within a point at 22-21. From there, Dostic accounted for Tennessee’s final three points with two kills and an ace, closing the set 25-22 and the match 3-1.

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