University of Tennessee Athletics
Friday, September 25
Knoxville, Tenn.
7 p.m. ET
University of Tennessee
vs
Texas
VB Preview: #13 Lady Vols Host #7 Texas to Begin SEC Play
September 24, 2026 | Volleyball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- After capping non-conference play with a 9-1 start, the No. 13 Tennessee volleyball team returns to Food City Center as it hosts No. 7 Texas to begin SEC play.
First serve for the match is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will be televised on SEC Network. There will be a pair of giveaway items for fans attending the match. The first 250 fans in attendance will receive a Lady Vols cap, courtesy of DICK'S Sporting Goods. Also, the first 3,000 fans for the match will receive Lady Volunteer light sticks.
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 be the entrance 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 15th match all-time between Tennessee and Texas. The match will mark Texas' first trip to Rocky Top since joining the SEC in 2024. In last season's matchup, both teams battled in a five-set thriller in Austin, Texas, with Texas coming away with a close win.
The Big Orange is coming off a perfect 2-0 weekend, including a win over then No. 9 Penn State on the road. The win marked the first top ten win for the Lady Vols since defeating No. 9 Baylor on Sept. 9, 2021, and the first top-10 road win for the Lady Vols since defeating No. 6 Florida on Sept. 25, 2011. Kennedi Rogers and Caroline Kerr led the charge, with both putting up double-double performances. Rogers tied her career-high of 21 kills for the second time this season, while also adding 10 digs. Kerr had 42 assists and 13 digs in the victory for her third double-double of the season. The Tennessee defense was able to hold Penn State to a .218 hitting percentage and forced the 22 attack errors. Raegan Burns posted a team-high 14 digs, while Kerr and Chelsea Sutton led UT with five blocks.
Texas heads into conference play after defeating No. 6 Wisconsin in its final match of non-conference play. The duo of Tori Stafford and Cari Spears leads the Longhorns offense with 110 and 108 kills respectively. Rella Binney supports the Texas attack with a team-leading 249 assists, and is second on the team with 81 digs. Ramsey Gary paces the Texas floor defense with 113 digs and a 3.77 digs per set average that ranks seventh in the SEC. Leading the team in blocks is senior Nya Bunton with 35. Bunton is also third on the team with 56 kills on a .414 hitting percentage, the fourth-best hitting percentage mark in the conference.
Earlier this week, Kerr earned her second SEC Setter of the Week honor of the season and eighth of her career. The fifth-year setter helped lead Tennessee to a 3-0 week and posted a pair of double-doubles. The Champaign, Illinois, native had 103 assists, 26 digs, 15 kills, eight blocks and four aces across the three matches. She recorded double-doubles in both matches for Tennessee in the Penn State Classic, and set a new career-high with 10 kills against USF. Kerr brought her career double-double total to 27, tying her with Mary Pollmiller (2011-12) for the eighth-most in program history.
The Big Orange offense has continued its trend of being one of the top units in the country under the guidance of head coach Eve Rackham Watt. Tennessee leads all of Division I with a 15.06 kills per set average as it heads into conference action. The unit also ranks seventh in the nation in hitting percentage at .323. In its previous 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).
Defense has also been key to Tennessee's strong start to the season. The Lady Vols are holding opposing offenses to a .172 hitting percentage and 10.87 kills per set. The team enters SEC play averaging 12.94 digs per set and 2.60 blocks per set. That block per set total is the fourth-best in the SEC. Seven players have ten or more blocks this season. Chelsea Sutton leads the group with 27 blocks and 1.23 blocks per set. For the junior middle blocker, the 1.23 blocks per set mark is good for ninth in the conference. Raegan Burns leads the defensive effort from the back row with 92 digs and 2.97 digs per set. The senior libero has recorded 10 or more digs in five matches.
Early-season crowds have created a home-court advantage for UT. The Lady Vols have set two attendance records in their first five matches. In its season opener, 7,924 fans packed into Food City Center to watch Tennessee's three-set win over Colgate. Just a week later, Tennessee shattered that attendance record, with 8,212 fans at Food City Center for its sweep over Illinois. To begin the season, Tennessee has had a total attendance of 34,075. All five of its matches this season rank among Tennessee's top ten highest attended matches, with three ranking in the top five. Last season, Tennessee ranked in the top ten nationally in both total attendance (57,056) and average attendance (3,804). Both attendance figures are also the highest for a single season in UT history.
First serve for the match is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and will be televised on SEC Network. There will be a pair of giveaway items for fans attending the match. The first 250 fans in attendance will receive a Lady Vols cap, courtesy of DICK'S Sporting Goods. Also, the first 3,000 fans for the match will receive Lady Volunteer light sticks.
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 be the entrance 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 15th match all-time between Tennessee and Texas. The match will mark Texas' first trip to Rocky Top since joining the SEC in 2024. In last season's matchup, both teams battled in a five-set thriller in Austin, Texas, with Texas coming away with a close win.
The Big Orange is coming off a perfect 2-0 weekend, including a win over then No. 9 Penn State on the road. The win marked the first top ten win for the Lady Vols since defeating No. 9 Baylor on Sept. 9, 2021, and the first top-10 road win for the Lady Vols since defeating No. 6 Florida on Sept. 25, 2011. Kennedi Rogers and Caroline Kerr led the charge, with both putting up double-double performances. Rogers tied her career-high of 21 kills for the second time this season, while also adding 10 digs. Kerr had 42 assists and 13 digs in the victory for her third double-double of the season. The Tennessee defense was able to hold Penn State to a .218 hitting percentage and forced the 22 attack errors. Raegan Burns posted a team-high 14 digs, while Kerr and Chelsea Sutton led UT with five blocks.
Texas heads into conference play after defeating No. 6 Wisconsin in its final match of non-conference play. The duo of Tori Stafford and Cari Spears leads the Longhorns offense with 110 and 108 kills respectively. Rella Binney supports the Texas attack with a team-leading 249 assists, and is second on the team with 81 digs. Ramsey Gary paces the Texas floor defense with 113 digs and a 3.77 digs per set average that ranks seventh in the SEC. Leading the team in blocks is senior Nya Bunton with 35. Bunton is also third on the team with 56 kills on a .414 hitting percentage, the fourth-best hitting percentage mark in the conference.
Earlier this week, Kerr earned her second SEC Setter of the Week honor of the season and eighth of her career. The fifth-year setter helped lead Tennessee to a 3-0 week and posted a pair of double-doubles. The Champaign, Illinois, native had 103 assists, 26 digs, 15 kills, eight blocks and four aces across the three matches. She recorded double-doubles in both matches for Tennessee in the Penn State Classic, and set a new career-high with 10 kills against USF. Kerr brought her career double-double total to 27, tying her with Mary Pollmiller (2011-12) for the eighth-most in program history.
The Big Orange offense has continued its trend of being one of the top units in the country under the guidance of head coach Eve Rackham Watt. Tennessee leads all of Division I with a 15.06 kills per set average as it heads into conference action. The unit also ranks seventh in the nation in hitting percentage at .323. In its previous 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).
Defense has also been key to Tennessee's strong start to the season. The Lady Vols are holding opposing offenses to a .172 hitting percentage and 10.87 kills per set. The team enters SEC play averaging 12.94 digs per set and 2.60 blocks per set. That block per set total is the fourth-best in the SEC. Seven players have ten or more blocks this season. Chelsea Sutton leads the group with 27 blocks and 1.23 blocks per set. For the junior middle blocker, the 1.23 blocks per set mark is good for ninth in the conference. Raegan Burns leads the defensive effort from the back row with 92 digs and 2.97 digs per set. The senior libero has recorded 10 or more digs in five matches.
Early-season crowds have created a home-court advantage for UT. The Lady Vols have set two attendance records in their first five matches. In its season opener, 7,924 fans packed into Food City Center to watch Tennessee's three-set win over Colgate. Just a week later, Tennessee shattered that attendance record, with 8,212 fans at Food City Center for its sweep over Illinois. To begin the season, Tennessee has had a total attendance of 34,075. All five of its matches this season rank among Tennessee's top ten highest attended matches, with three ranking in the top five. Last season, Tennessee ranked in the top ten nationally in both total attendance (57,056) and average attendance (3,804). Both attendance figures are also the highest for a single season in UT history.
Players Mentioned
L/DS
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
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