University of Tennessee
3-1,0-0SEC
Samford
2-2,0-0SoCon
Kubik's Career-High Performance Highlights Tennessee Sweep Over Samford
September 05, 2025 | Volleyball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee volleyball achieved its second sweep of the season thanks to Senior outside hitter Hayden Kubik's (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley HS / Nebraska) career-high performance against Samford (25-13, 25-14, 25-14) at Food City Center.
In their first match of the day, the Big Orange netted their second three-set win of the 2025 season, as Samford (2-2) could not respond to Tennessee's persistence.
Kubik led the team with her career-high of 18 kills on .484 hitting, surpassing the Bulldogs' 16 kills total for the match. Kubik added eight digs along with two aces, one block and one assist. Sophomore middle blocker Chelsea Sutton filled up the scoresheet with eight kills, four blocks and one dig. Plante and Humphrey each provided five kills, accompanied by five digs and one block for Plante and four blocks and one dig from Humphrey.
Tennessee recorded 37 digs and eight blocks to stop Samford's offense. Senior libero Gülce Güçtekin added 14 digs herself in addition to another set of aces this season. Sydney Jones stepped out at the net collecting four blocks of her own.
The Lady Vols did not lose momentum at any point during the first stanza, taking the lead 25-13. Kubik had a perfect hitting set with nine kills on 1.000 hitting to go along with four digs. Humphrey earned herself four kills and one block for the team's 18 kill total. With 16 digs, Tennessee held Samford to three kills on -0.037 hitting.
The second set was another strong performance from the Big Orange with only one tie score and zero lead changes. Tennessee had 14 out of 15 assisted kills compared to the Bulldogs' eight kills on 0.069 hitting. Kubik added another five kills, one ace, one dig and an assist. Plante finished the set with three more kills, two digs and an assist, while Sutton tallied three kills, two blocks and one dig.
Tennessee maintained momentum in the third frame, finalizing the match with a score of 25-14 for the set. Samford's five kills could not compare to Tennessee's 12, accompanied by another four kills from Kubik and four team aces.
Next up, the Lady Vols are right back in action at 7:00 p.m. tonight against Winthrop at Food City Center. The match will be streamed on SECN+.
