University of Tennessee Athletics
Wednesday, October 21
Knoxville, Tenn.
7 p.m. ET
University of Tennessee
vs
Kentucky
VB Preview: #9 Tennessee Set to Host #4 Kentucky in Top-10 Showdown
October 20, 2026 | Volleyball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Food City Center will host a top-10 matchup on Wednesday when the No. 9 Tennessee volleyball team welcomes No. 4 Kentucky. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will be televised on SEC Network.
Wednesday's match will be an Orange Out, with the team wearing orange jerseys. Fans are encouraged to wear orange as well, and the first 250 fans in attendance will receive an Orange Out t-shirt.
Fans planning to attend the match should follow Tennessee's clear bag policy. Parking is available free of charge to fans in the G-5/G-30 garage. Gates B and E will serve as entrances for all general fans and player guests, while students will be directed to Gate A. Any additional items to know before coming out for any of the matches can be found on the Volleyball Gameday Page.
This will be the 91st meeting all-time between the Lady Vols and the Wildcats. The two programs met twice last season with Kentucky winning both meetings, including a four-set match in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament.
Tennessee returns to Rocky Top after winning a road match against Oklahoma. The win marked the team's 12th sweep of the season and fourth in conference play. Jalyn Stout and Kennedi Rogers combined for 22 kills, with Stout leading the way with a .476 hitting percentage. Stout also led the team with five blocks, followed by Chelsea Sutton and Anni Tang with four blocks each. The victory extended the team's win streak, which now stands at five.
Kentucky enters play with a 15-3 record and earned wins over Oklahoma and Arkansas last week. The duo of Brooklyn DeLeye and Morgan Gaerte leads the team with 284 and 217 kills respectively. DeLeye enters the week ranked in the top 15 in Division I in both points per set (5.23, ninth) and kills per set (4.44, 12th). Setter Kassie O'Brien leads a Wildcat offense that ranks second nationally in kills per set at 14.55, while O'Brien leads the nation with an 11.80 assists per set average. O'Brien also leads the SEC in assists, with 755 on the season. Lizzie Carr leads the team in both blocks (80) and blocks per set (1.25). Libero Molly Tuozzo paces the Kentucky floor defense with 238 digs.
Tennessee continues to be one of the top offensive units in the nation under head coach Eve Rackham Watt. The Lady Vols rank top ten nationally in both kills per set and hitting percentage this season. UT leads the nation in kills per set at 14.73 and ranks sixth with a .297 hitting percentage. In eight seasons under Rackham Watt, UT has ranked in the top 20 nationally in either kills per set or hitting percentage in five seasons. Last season, Tennessee finished top 15 in both hitting percentage (.292, 10th) and kills per set (14.27, 11th). Rogers enters with a team-leading 4.55 kills per set, good for 12th in the nation and third in the SEC. Stout and Sutton each rank top 10 in the SEC in hitting percentage, with Stout sixth at .374 and Sutton seventh at .366.
The Big Orange defense has been a key part of the success of the team. The Lady Vols are holding opponents to a .182 hitting percentage and 11.35 kills per set. As a team, Tennessee is averaging 13.35 digs per set and 2.52 blocks per set, with that block per set total ranking fourth in the SEC. Six players have 20 or more blocks this season. Sutton leads the group with 63 blocks and 1.37 blocks per set, which ranks as the second-best mark in the SEC and top 30 in Division I. Raegan Burns has been crucial in the back row, as the libero has 180 digs and 3.27 digs per set. Burns has led the team in digs in 12 matches, posting a season-high 23 digs against Arkansas and recording double-figures 10 times.
Food City Center has created a true home-court advantage this season with large crowds packing the arena to support the Lady Vols. UT has set attendance records in three separate matches this season. In its match against Texas, 9,226 fans were in attendance to set a program record. The attendance figure broke the previous record of 8,212 against Illinois on Sept. 1. The first attendance record came in the season opener against Colgate on Aug. 28 with 7,924 fans in attendance for the three-set victory. UT has had top ten attendance figures in six matches this season, including four of the top five in program history. Tennessee ranks fourth in total attendance (54,067) and third in average attendance (6,758) this season.
Wednesday's match will be an Orange Out, with the team wearing orange jerseys. Fans are encouraged to wear orange as well, and the first 250 fans in attendance will receive an Orange Out t-shirt.
Fans planning to attend the match should follow Tennessee's clear bag policy. Parking is available free of charge to fans in the G-5/G-30 garage. Gates B and E will serve as entrances for all general fans and player guests, while students will be directed to Gate A. Any additional items to know before coming out for any of the matches can be found on the Volleyball Gameday Page.
This will be the 91st meeting all-time between the Lady Vols and the Wildcats. The two programs met twice last season with Kentucky winning both meetings, including a four-set match in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament.
Tennessee returns to Rocky Top after winning a road match against Oklahoma. The win marked the team's 12th sweep of the season and fourth in conference play. Jalyn Stout and Kennedi Rogers combined for 22 kills, with Stout leading the way with a .476 hitting percentage. Stout also led the team with five blocks, followed by Chelsea Sutton and Anni Tang with four blocks each. The victory extended the team's win streak, which now stands at five.
Kentucky enters play with a 15-3 record and earned wins over Oklahoma and Arkansas last week. The duo of Brooklyn DeLeye and Morgan Gaerte leads the team with 284 and 217 kills respectively. DeLeye enters the week ranked in the top 15 in Division I in both points per set (5.23, ninth) and kills per set (4.44, 12th). Setter Kassie O'Brien leads a Wildcat offense that ranks second nationally in kills per set at 14.55, while O'Brien leads the nation with an 11.80 assists per set average. O'Brien also leads the SEC in assists, with 755 on the season. Lizzie Carr leads the team in both blocks (80) and blocks per set (1.25). Libero Molly Tuozzo paces the Kentucky floor defense with 238 digs.
Tennessee continues to be one of the top offensive units in the nation under head coach Eve Rackham Watt. The Lady Vols rank top ten nationally in both kills per set and hitting percentage this season. UT leads the nation in kills per set at 14.73 and ranks sixth with a .297 hitting percentage. In eight seasons under Rackham Watt, UT has ranked in the top 20 nationally in either kills per set or hitting percentage in five seasons. Last season, Tennessee finished top 15 in both hitting percentage (.292, 10th) and kills per set (14.27, 11th). Rogers enters with a team-leading 4.55 kills per set, good for 12th in the nation and third in the SEC. Stout and Sutton each rank top 10 in the SEC in hitting percentage, with Stout sixth at .374 and Sutton seventh at .366.
The Big Orange defense has been a key part of the success of the team. The Lady Vols are holding opponents to a .182 hitting percentage and 11.35 kills per set. As a team, Tennessee is averaging 13.35 digs per set and 2.52 blocks per set, with that block per set total ranking fourth in the SEC. Six players have 20 or more blocks this season. Sutton leads the group with 63 blocks and 1.37 blocks per set, which ranks as the second-best mark in the SEC and top 30 in Division I. Raegan Burns has been crucial in the back row, as the libero has 180 digs and 3.27 digs per set. Burns has led the team in digs in 12 matches, posting a season-high 23 digs against Arkansas and recording double-figures 10 times.
Food City Center has created a true home-court advantage this season with large crowds packing the arena to support the Lady Vols. UT has set attendance records in three separate matches this season. In its match against Texas, 9,226 fans were in attendance to set a program record. The attendance figure broke the previous record of 8,212 against Illinois on Sept. 1. The first attendance record came in the season opener against Colgate on Aug. 28 with 7,924 fans in attendance for the three-set victory. UT has had top ten attendance figures in six matches this season, including four of the top five in program history. Tennessee ranks fourth in total attendance (54,067) and third in average attendance (6,758) this season.
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S/OPP
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
MB
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