Tennessee volleyball sweeps LSU

Tennessee (11-9, 4-7 SEC) defeated LSU in straight sets on Sunday afternoon inside Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge. The win marks just Tennessee’s second road win this season. In addition, the win is the Lady Vols first clean sweep of an SEC opponent this season.

LSU (16-6, 7-4 SEC) led early on in the opening set, jumping out to a 16-9. The Vols went on a 7-0 scoring run to tie the match at 16-16 before a serving error by freshman Callie Williams ended the run. The remainder of the set would be a back-and-forth battle with several scoring ties. Tennessee would eventually outlast the Tigers 25-23 to win the first set. Sophomore Tessa Grubbs led the Vols with five kills behind 12 attacks.

The Lady Vols won the second set 25-19 in dominating fashion. Tennessee never allowed LSU to gain a lead, and led as much as 13 points in the set. The Tigers attempted to comeback towards the end of the set with a 6-0 scoring run, but the scoring deficit was too much to overcome. Tennessee was efficient offensively with 10 team kills, as they only committed one error in the set.

Tennessee won the third set 25-21 to complete the sweep. Both teams were evenly match in the final set, with the Tigers leading early on. At 6-6 in the set, an attack error by LSU’s Toni Rodriguez gave Tennessee a point lead, and the Tigers were unable to regain the lead. A kill by Grubbs would give Tennessee the final point to win the match.

LSU has been one of the most dangerous teams in the SEC this season, having forced No. 6 Kentucky to five sets in their previous match. In this match however, the Tigers committed too many errors. Three LSU players alone combined for 21 errors.

Grubbs led the Vols offensively with 11 kills behind 24 attacks. Junior Erica Treiber and redshirt sophomore Breana Jeter led the team defensively, combining for nine blocks.

After three straight matches on the road, Tennessee will return to Thompson-Boling Arena on Friday night. The Lady Vols are set to take on South Carolina who defeated Tennessee 3-1 earlier this season. The match will air at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network+ and on WatchESPN.

Edited by Ben McKee

Feature image courtesy of UT Sports