University of Tennessee Athletics
Sunday, September 6
Nashville, Tenn.
3 p.m. ET
University of Tennessee
vs
Indiana
VB Preview: #22 Lady Vols Head to Nashville for Ranked Contest against #21 Indiana
September 04, 2026 | Volleyball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- After an impressive 4-0 start to the 2026 season, the No. 22 Tennessee volleyball team plays its first match away from home on Sunday. The Lady Vols will travel to Nashville for the second annual Broadway Block Party, taking on No. 21 Indiana. First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m., and the match will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
UT played in the inaugural Broadway Block Party last year, coming up short in a four-set contest against Purdue.
Tennessee is coming off a dominant home victory over Illinois in the Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge. Tennessee put on an offensive display throughout, finishing the match with 48 kills on a .422 hitting percentage. Three players finished with double-digit kills, led by Kennedi Rogers with 14. Jalyn Stout recorded her first double-double of the season and 72nd of her career with 10 kills and 11 digs. The Big Orange played stingy defense throughout, holding Illinois to just 28 kills on .102 hitting. Kerr led the way at the net for Tennessee with three blocks, with Jolene Oddo finishing close behind with two.
Indiana (2-1) collected consecutive wins in the Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge, defeating Georgia and No. 12 Texas A&M. The duo of Jaidyn Jager and Ella Boersema lead the offense for the Hoosiers. Jager has 43 kills to begin the year, including back-to-back double figure kill performances against Georgia (19) and Texas A&M (17). Boersema has 40 kills early in the season, posting a season-best 21 in Indiana's recent win over Texas A&M. Sophomore setter Teodora Krickovic has 117 assists on a 9.75 assists per set average. In 2025, Krickovic earned All-Big Ten First Team and All-Freshman honors after providing 1,212 assists, 201 digs and 50 blocks. Hannah Leftridge leads the charge on defense, with 38 digs through the team's three matches.
Tennessee and Indiana have met seven times overall, with the Lady Vols holding the slight edge with a 4-3 record. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament, where the Hoosiers got the win in the five-set match.
Rogers Shines on Offense
Kennedi Rogers has had an impressive start to her Tennessee career, reaching double-figure kills in all three of the matches she has featured in. Through those three matches, Rogers leads the team with 49 kills and a 5.44 kills per set average, while hitting for a solid .384 hitting percentage.
In the opening weekend, Rogers posted a pair of double-doubles. The first came in Tennessee's season-opening win over Colgate, where Rogers had 14 kills and 10 digs. The sophomore outside hitter followed that performance up with her second double-double against Fairfield, tying her career-high with 21 kills and adding another 10 digs. Rogers picked up her third double figure kill outing against Illinois, with 14. Rogers currently ranks as one of the top hitters in the nation, ranking top ten in both kills per set (third) and points per set (sixth).
CK4K
Fifth-year setter Caroline Kerr heads into the 2026 campaign as one of the most accomplished setters in Tennessee history. Kerr earned AVCA All-American honors for the third consecutive season in 2025, becoming the second Tennessee volleyball player to collect All-America recognition in three consecutive seasons (Nikki Fowler did so from 2008-10).
The Champaign, Illinois, native finished last season with 945 assists and 9.84 assists per set, both marks that ranked in the top ten in the SEC. Kerr eclipsed 3,000 career assists during the 2025 season, becoming the seventh Lady Vol setter to reach that threshold. Kerr currently ranks sixth in program history with 3,396 career assists and an average of 10.68 assists per set. Kerr also ranks fifth among active players in Division I in career assists.
Tennessee Offensive Success a Trend under Rackham Watt
Tennessee volleyball has had a penchant for being one of the strongest offenses in the country year after year under the guidance of Rackham Watt. Last season, the Tennessee attack ranked as one of the best in Division I, with its 14.17 kills per set average and .292 hitting percentage ranking top 15 nationally. It marked the second time in the last three seasons that Tennessee's attack ranked top 15 in the nation in both categories.
In five of its eight seasons with Rackham Watt at the helm, Tennessee has ranked in the top 20 in either kills per set or hitting percentage. The Lady Vols' strongest offensive unit came in 2023, when they ranked in the top five nationally in both offensive categories. The trend has continued early in the 2026 season. Tennessee ranks in the top five nationally in both kills per set (15.83, fourth) and hitting percentage (.381, first) to start the year.
Stout Stepping Up
Senior Jalyn Stout has been an important piece to Tennessee's start to the season. The senior transfer has been a jack of all trades, helping Tennessee both offensively and defensively. The senior opposite has filled up the stat sheet though her first four matches in the Orange & White. Stout has totaled 39 kills, 28 digs, eight assists and six blocks. She has reached double-digit kills in two matches, including 13 in the season opener against Colgate.
Stout picked up her first double-double at Tennessee in its win over Illinois in the Big Ten/SEC Challenge with 10 kills and 11 digs. Stout is no stranger to double-double outings, with this being the 72nd of her collegiate career.
A two-time AVCA Southeast All-Region First Team honoree, Stout also holds the NCAA record for the most career triple-doubles with 46. She set the NCAA record for the most ripple-doubles in a season in 2024 with 20, while also leading Division I players with 26 double-doubles.
UT played in the inaugural Broadway Block Party last year, coming up short in a four-set contest against Purdue.
Tennessee is coming off a dominant home victory over Illinois in the Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge. Tennessee put on an offensive display throughout, finishing the match with 48 kills on a .422 hitting percentage. Three players finished with double-digit kills, led by Kennedi Rogers with 14. Jalyn Stout recorded her first double-double of the season and 72nd of her career with 10 kills and 11 digs. The Big Orange played stingy defense throughout, holding Illinois to just 28 kills on .102 hitting. Kerr led the way at the net for Tennessee with three blocks, with Jolene Oddo finishing close behind with two.
Indiana (2-1) collected consecutive wins in the Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge, defeating Georgia and No. 12 Texas A&M. The duo of Jaidyn Jager and Ella Boersema lead the offense for the Hoosiers. Jager has 43 kills to begin the year, including back-to-back double figure kill performances against Georgia (19) and Texas A&M (17). Boersema has 40 kills early in the season, posting a season-best 21 in Indiana's recent win over Texas A&M. Sophomore setter Teodora Krickovic has 117 assists on a 9.75 assists per set average. In 2025, Krickovic earned All-Big Ten First Team and All-Freshman honors after providing 1,212 assists, 201 digs and 50 blocks. Hannah Leftridge leads the charge on defense, with 38 digs through the team's three matches.
Tennessee and Indiana have met seven times overall, with the Lady Vols holding the slight edge with a 4-3 record. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament, where the Hoosiers got the win in the five-set match.
Rogers Shines on Offense
Kennedi Rogers has had an impressive start to her Tennessee career, reaching double-figure kills in all three of the matches she has featured in. Through those three matches, Rogers leads the team with 49 kills and a 5.44 kills per set average, while hitting for a solid .384 hitting percentage.
In the opening weekend, Rogers posted a pair of double-doubles. The first came in Tennessee's season-opening win over Colgate, where Rogers had 14 kills and 10 digs. The sophomore outside hitter followed that performance up with her second double-double against Fairfield, tying her career-high with 21 kills and adding another 10 digs. Rogers picked up her third double figure kill outing against Illinois, with 14. Rogers currently ranks as one of the top hitters in the nation, ranking top ten in both kills per set (third) and points per set (sixth).
CK4K
Fifth-year setter Caroline Kerr heads into the 2026 campaign as one of the most accomplished setters in Tennessee history. Kerr earned AVCA All-American honors for the third consecutive season in 2025, becoming the second Tennessee volleyball player to collect All-America recognition in three consecutive seasons (Nikki Fowler did so from 2008-10).
The Champaign, Illinois, native finished last season with 945 assists and 9.84 assists per set, both marks that ranked in the top ten in the SEC. Kerr eclipsed 3,000 career assists during the 2025 season, becoming the seventh Lady Vol setter to reach that threshold. Kerr currently ranks sixth in program history with 3,396 career assists and an average of 10.68 assists per set. Kerr also ranks fifth among active players in Division I in career assists.
Tennessee Offensive Success a Trend under Rackham Watt
Tennessee volleyball has had a penchant for being one of the strongest offenses in the country year after year under the guidance of Rackham Watt. Last season, the Tennessee attack ranked as one of the best in Division I, with its 14.17 kills per set average and .292 hitting percentage ranking top 15 nationally. It marked the second time in the last three seasons that Tennessee's attack ranked top 15 in the nation in both categories.
In five of its eight seasons with Rackham Watt at the helm, Tennessee has ranked in the top 20 in either kills per set or hitting percentage. The Lady Vols' strongest offensive unit came in 2023, when they ranked in the top five nationally in both offensive categories. The trend has continued early in the 2026 season. Tennessee ranks in the top five nationally in both kills per set (15.83, fourth) and hitting percentage (.381, first) to start the year.
Stout Stepping Up
Senior Jalyn Stout has been an important piece to Tennessee's start to the season. The senior transfer has been a jack of all trades, helping Tennessee both offensively and defensively. The senior opposite has filled up the stat sheet though her first four matches in the Orange & White. Stout has totaled 39 kills, 28 digs, eight assists and six blocks. She has reached double-digit kills in two matches, including 13 in the season opener against Colgate.
Stout picked up her first double-double at Tennessee in its win over Illinois in the Big Ten/SEC Challenge with 10 kills and 11 digs. Stout is no stranger to double-double outings, with this being the 72nd of her collegiate career.
A two-time AVCA Southeast All-Region First Team honoree, Stout also holds the NCAA record for the most career triple-doubles with 46. She set the NCAA record for the most ripple-doubles in a season in 2024 with 20, while also leading Division I players with 26 double-doubles.
Players Mentioned
S
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
S/OPP
/ VolleyballMonday, August 24
Friday, December 05
Tuesday, December 02
Tuesday, December 02
