Tennessee Volleyball Pulls Off Incredible Comeback over Rivals Kentucky

Tennessee volleyball took on the tall task of taking on fourth-ranked Kentucky. The Vols are no slouches themselves, being ranked ninth in the nation.

The game was a nail-biter, coming down to the fifth set, but the Vols emerged victorious, even though it did not look like they would for the first two sets. Here’s a recap of the Vols’ upset, comeback victory.

Tennessee Comeback Stuns Wildcats

Tennessee outside hitter Kennedi Rogers (0) passes 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

In the first set, Kentucky had 17 kills while hitting .375%. The Vols, on the other hand, struggled, hitting just .135%. The Wildcats would win the set 25-17, establishing an early lead.

In the second set, Tennessee looked better, but the Wildcats were just too much. Kentucky hit an insane .552% with 16 kills to go along with it. Ultimately, Kentucky would take the set 25-18, now needing just one more set to win the game.

After the second set, things just fell apart for the Wildcats. They went from hitting .552% in the second set to just .135% in the third set. They also committed nine errors in the third set, as compared to just a combined two in the first two sets. The Vols would go on to do just enough to win the set 25-19.

In the fourth set, everything went wrong for Kentucky. The hit just .074% with seven errors and only nine kills. To give credit to Kentucky, despite Tennessee’s 15 kills in the set, the Wildcats fought hard and only lost 25-21.

This set up an all-or-nothing fifth set between the two. Tennessee saved its best for last, hitting a game-high .429% during the set, and had 11 kills. The Wildcats did everything they could to stay in the game; they only committed two errors in the set and had seven kills, but the Vols outlasted them, taking the set 15-10.

Chelsea Sutton starred in the win. She had 14 kills with no errors in the comeback win, while hitting .583%. Kennedi Rogers added 13 kills of her own.

The Vols next game is on Sunday as they take on Vanderbilt in Knoxville.

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