University of Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vols to Host Illinois in Inaugural Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge
March 30, 2026 | Volleyball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee volleyball team will host Illinois at Food City Center as part of the inaugural Big Ten/SEC Challenge, taking place Sept. 1-6. The yearly event will feature all 18 Big Ten schools and all 16 SEC institutions, including a pair of matches hosted at Wrigley Field this season. Linear coverage of matches will be available on FOX, FS1, Big Ten Network, ESPN, and SEC Network.
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The Lady Vols will be one of four SEC programs that will host standalone matches against Big Ten foes, while various other campus sites will host two Big Ten and SEC teams. The Lady Vols and Fighting Illini will meet on the first day of the event, facing off on Tuesday, Sept. 1. Time and television designations will be announced at a later time.
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Tennessee and Illinois have met on eight occasions all-time, with the Fighting Illini holding the advantage in the series with a 6-2 record. The two programs last met twice to open the 2019 season on Aug. 30 and Sept. 1. Illinois won both matches in 2019, with each contest going to five sets.
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Last season, Illinois posted a record of 13-16 overall and 8-12 in the Big Ten. All three of Illinois All-Big Ten honorees from a season ago, Taylor de Boer, Kenna Phelan, and Alyssa Aguayo, return to the team this season. Phelan and de Boer return after garnering All-Big Ten Second Team honors, while Aguayo was named to the All-Freshman Team.
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The Lady Vols are coming off another successful season under head coach Eve Rackham Watt in 2025. UT finished the 2025 campaign with a 20-8 record overall and 10-5 in conference play to finish fourth in the SEC. The team reached the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive season, while also reaching the semifinals in the SEC Tournament. Key contributors from last season's campaign include Caroline Kerr, Mackenzie Plante, and Chelsea Sutton.
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The three-time All-American setter Kerr returns in 2026 after another impressive season in 2025. The rising redshirt senior helped guide an offense that ranked top 15 nationally in both hitting percentage (.292) and kills per set (14.97), marking the second time in the last three seasons that the Big Orange ranked in the top 15 in both categories. Kerr is sixth all-time in program history in both career assists (3,259) and assists per set (10.65).
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Sutton led the team in blocks last season with 116, while also finishing the season with the second-most kills on the team with 215. The rising junior led the team in hitting percentage at .362 in 2025, ranking in the top five of the SEC. Plante had a career year during her junior campaign, setting career highs in all major categories. The Dripping Springs, Texas native was fourth on the team with 182 kills, while also playing a large role defensively with 175 digs. Plante tallied five matches with double-digit kills, including a career high of 14 against both Texas and Alabama.
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Four transfers will make their debut for the Orange and White in 2026. Jalyn Stout comes from Coastal Carolina, where she enters the season as the NCAA's all-time leader in career triple-doubles. Kennedi Rogers earned ACC All-Freshman at SMU a season ago, logging 175 kills and a .272 hitting percentage. Nia Hall comes to Rocky Top from South Carolina, where she led the Gamecocks in both kills (273) and kills per set (3.07) in 2025. Marta Lazzarin heads to Knoxville from Georgia State, where she was named the 2025 Sun Belt Libero of the Year in her first collegiate season after tallying 535 digs and 5.25 digs per set.
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In addition to these transfers, five freshmen have joined the squad for the spring, gaining valuable experience ahead of the 2026 season. The quintet of first-year players includes middle blockers Jolene Oddo, Camille Perry, and Anni Tang, as well as opposite hitter Jade Williams and outside hitter Morgan Williams.
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The Lady Vols will be one of four SEC programs that will host standalone matches against Big Ten foes, while various other campus sites will host two Big Ten and SEC teams. The Lady Vols and Fighting Illini will meet on the first day of the event, facing off on Tuesday, Sept. 1. Time and television designations will be announced at a later time.
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Tennessee and Illinois have met on eight occasions all-time, with the Fighting Illini holding the advantage in the series with a 6-2 record. The two programs last met twice to open the 2019 season on Aug. 30 and Sept. 1. Illinois won both matches in 2019, with each contest going to five sets.
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Last season, Illinois posted a record of 13-16 overall and 8-12 in the Big Ten. All three of Illinois All-Big Ten honorees from a season ago, Taylor de Boer, Kenna Phelan, and Alyssa Aguayo, return to the team this season. Phelan and de Boer return after garnering All-Big Ten Second Team honors, while Aguayo was named to the All-Freshman Team.
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The Lady Vols are coming off another successful season under head coach Eve Rackham Watt in 2025. UT finished the 2025 campaign with a 20-8 record overall and 10-5 in conference play to finish fourth in the SEC. The team reached the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive season, while also reaching the semifinals in the SEC Tournament. Key contributors from last season's campaign include Caroline Kerr, Mackenzie Plante, and Chelsea Sutton.
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The three-time All-American setter Kerr returns in 2026 after another impressive season in 2025. The rising redshirt senior helped guide an offense that ranked top 15 nationally in both hitting percentage (.292) and kills per set (14.97), marking the second time in the last three seasons that the Big Orange ranked in the top 15 in both categories. Kerr is sixth all-time in program history in both career assists (3,259) and assists per set (10.65).
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Sutton led the team in blocks last season with 116, while also finishing the season with the second-most kills on the team with 215. The rising junior led the team in hitting percentage at .362 in 2025, ranking in the top five of the SEC. Plante had a career year during her junior campaign, setting career highs in all major categories. The Dripping Springs, Texas native was fourth on the team with 182 kills, while also playing a large role defensively with 175 digs. Plante tallied five matches with double-digit kills, including a career high of 14 against both Texas and Alabama.
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Four transfers will make their debut for the Orange and White in 2026. Jalyn Stout comes from Coastal Carolina, where she enters the season as the NCAA's all-time leader in career triple-doubles. Kennedi Rogers earned ACC All-Freshman at SMU a season ago, logging 175 kills and a .272 hitting percentage. Nia Hall comes to Rocky Top from South Carolina, where she led the Gamecocks in both kills (273) and kills per set (3.07) in 2025. Marta Lazzarin heads to Knoxville from Georgia State, where she was named the 2025 Sun Belt Libero of the Year in her first collegiate season after tallying 535 digs and 5.25 digs per set.
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In addition to these transfers, five freshmen have joined the squad for the spring, gaining valuable experience ahead of the 2026 season. The quintet of first-year players includes middle blockers Jolene Oddo, Camille Perry, and Anni Tang, as well as opposite hitter Jade Williams and outside hitter Morgan Williams.
Players Mentioned
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