University of Tennessee Athletics
Thursday, September 18
Knoxville
6:30 PM
University of Tennessee
vs
Rider
Week Preview: #24 Tennessee Hosts Rider & Kennesaw State to Cap Off Non-Conference Play
September 17, 2025 | Volleyball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- After a pair of contest in The Big Apple, the 24th-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols return to Food City Center for matches against Rider and Kennesaw State to round-out non-conference action.
The Lady Vols (7-1) host the Broncs (2-6) on Thursday, before closing out the week on Friday against the Owls (5-3) at 6:30 p.m. Both matches are slated for 6:30 p.m., with both being streamed on SEC Network+. This marks just the second overall meeting between the Lady Vols and the Owls who previously met back in 2014, a 3-1 neutral site win for The Big Orange on the campus of Coastal Carolina. Rider and Tennessee will be meeting for the first time, as the visiting Broncs make their visit to Rocky Top.
Rider enters the week after splitting home matches against New Hampshire and Saint Francis. The team is led offensively by senior hitter Kiannisha Santiago. Santiago leads the team with 83 kills, averaging 3.076 kills per set. Santiago had a season-high 18 kills in the win over New Hampshire last Saturday, finishing the contest with a .333 hitting percentage. Makenna Mason also helps lead the Broncs offensively, with the junior setter leading the team with 190 assists. Defensively, Keegan O'Connor leads the team with 100 digs, while Molly Rohde leads the way with 27 total blocks.
Kennesaw State is coming off a home win against Troy, earning a sweep to finish its weekend. Outside hitter Manu Johnsen has had an impressive start to the 2025 season, leading the team with 108 kills. Johnsen has finished with double-digit kills in all but two matches this season, notching a season-high 18 kills against Mercer back on Sept. 2. A pair of setter help key the Owls' offensive attack, with Kaeley Walz and Kourtney Brown leading the team with 163 and 130 assists respectively. The Owls are also one of the top serving teams in the country coming into the week averaging 2.38 aces per set, the eighth-best mark in all of Division I. A trio of players help lead the Owls on the block, with Olivia Burrage leading the team with 28 total blocks on the year. She is joined closely by the duo of Maggie Byrd (27 blocks) and Haley Patterson (21 blocks).
Earlier this week, a pair of Lady Vol players earned SEC weekly accolades. Sophomore middle blocker Chelsa Sutton was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week, while Caroline Kerr was awarded Setter of the Week honors. Sutton finished a strong week with 15 blocks, while also finding success on the offensive end with 26 kills. Sutton began the week with five blocks against Georgia Tech in a 3-1 win, before adding six blocks in a Sunday sweep on the road against St. John's. Sutton leads the team in blocks, with her 1.36 blocks per set ranking eighth in the SEC. Kerr notched her 14th career double-double against Georgia Tech with 53 assists and 13 digs. Her 53 assists in the match also marked the 10th time in the redshirt junior's career with 50 or more assists. Kerr followed up that performance with 32 assists against Delaware State in a 3-0 win. Kerr currently leads the Lady Vols with 224 assists and is averaging 8.96 assists per set.
The Lady Vol offense continues to be a bright spot early on in the 2025 season. The Lady Vols come into the week with a .355 hitting percentage, which ranks as the best in all of Division I. The production offensively has been a full team effort so far through eight games, with five players having 40 or more kills. The leader in the clubhouse is Paityn Chapman, who has 83 kills for the Lady Vols and is averaging 3.61 kills per set. Hayden Kubik checks in next with 64 kills, while Sutton is close behind with 55. Six players have a hitting percentage over .300 to start the campaign, with Sutton leading the team early on at .522 and has the third-best mark in the country. Zoë Humphrey follows closely behind with a .467 hitting percentage, with Chapman next at .454.
The Big Orange defense has also made its mark early in the season, holding opposing teams to a .117 hitting percentage. Sutton leads the group with 34 blocks in the early part of the season, followed by redshirt freshman Humphrey with 21. The Lady Vols have allowed 251 kills for an average of 9.30 kills per set. As a team, Tennessee is averaging 12.74 digs per set, with transfer libero Gülce Güçtekin leading the pack with 113 digs.Â
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The Lady Vols (7-1) host the Broncs (2-6) on Thursday, before closing out the week on Friday against the Owls (5-3) at 6:30 p.m. Both matches are slated for 6:30 p.m., with both being streamed on SEC Network+. This marks just the second overall meeting between the Lady Vols and the Owls who previously met back in 2014, a 3-1 neutral site win for The Big Orange on the campus of Coastal Carolina. Rider and Tennessee will be meeting for the first time, as the visiting Broncs make their visit to Rocky Top.
Rider enters the week after splitting home matches against New Hampshire and Saint Francis. The team is led offensively by senior hitter Kiannisha Santiago. Santiago leads the team with 83 kills, averaging 3.076 kills per set. Santiago had a season-high 18 kills in the win over New Hampshire last Saturday, finishing the contest with a .333 hitting percentage. Makenna Mason also helps lead the Broncs offensively, with the junior setter leading the team with 190 assists. Defensively, Keegan O'Connor leads the team with 100 digs, while Molly Rohde leads the way with 27 total blocks.
Kennesaw State is coming off a home win against Troy, earning a sweep to finish its weekend. Outside hitter Manu Johnsen has had an impressive start to the 2025 season, leading the team with 108 kills. Johnsen has finished with double-digit kills in all but two matches this season, notching a season-high 18 kills against Mercer back on Sept. 2. A pair of setter help key the Owls' offensive attack, with Kaeley Walz and Kourtney Brown leading the team with 163 and 130 assists respectively. The Owls are also one of the top serving teams in the country coming into the week averaging 2.38 aces per set, the eighth-best mark in all of Division I. A trio of players help lead the Owls on the block, with Olivia Burrage leading the team with 28 total blocks on the year. She is joined closely by the duo of Maggie Byrd (27 blocks) and Haley Patterson (21 blocks).
Earlier this week, a pair of Lady Vol players earned SEC weekly accolades. Sophomore middle blocker Chelsa Sutton was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week, while Caroline Kerr was awarded Setter of the Week honors. Sutton finished a strong week with 15 blocks, while also finding success on the offensive end with 26 kills. Sutton began the week with five blocks against Georgia Tech in a 3-1 win, before adding six blocks in a Sunday sweep on the road against St. John's. Sutton leads the team in blocks, with her 1.36 blocks per set ranking eighth in the SEC. Kerr notched her 14th career double-double against Georgia Tech with 53 assists and 13 digs. Her 53 assists in the match also marked the 10th time in the redshirt junior's career with 50 or more assists. Kerr followed up that performance with 32 assists against Delaware State in a 3-0 win. Kerr currently leads the Lady Vols with 224 assists and is averaging 8.96 assists per set.
The Lady Vol offense continues to be a bright spot early on in the 2025 season. The Lady Vols come into the week with a .355 hitting percentage, which ranks as the best in all of Division I. The production offensively has been a full team effort so far through eight games, with five players having 40 or more kills. The leader in the clubhouse is Paityn Chapman, who has 83 kills for the Lady Vols and is averaging 3.61 kills per set. Hayden Kubik checks in next with 64 kills, while Sutton is close behind with 55. Six players have a hitting percentage over .300 to start the campaign, with Sutton leading the team early on at .522 and has the third-best mark in the country. Zoë Humphrey follows closely behind with a .467 hitting percentage, with Chapman next at .454.
The Big Orange defense has also made its mark early in the season, holding opposing teams to a .117 hitting percentage. Sutton leads the group with 34 blocks in the early part of the season, followed by redshirt freshman Humphrey with 21. The Lady Vols have allowed 251 kills for an average of 9.30 kills per set. As a team, Tennessee is averaging 12.74 digs per set, with transfer libero Gülce Güçtekin leading the pack with 113 digs.Â
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