No. 22 Lady Vols defeat Arkansas in four sets
Tennessee continued its winning ways against Arkansas on Sunday, as the No. 22 Lady Vols handed the Razorbacks a loss in Fayetteville.
The No. 22 Tennessee volleyball team (23-5, 14-2 SEC) won its ninth consecutive match with a four-set win over Arkansas (11-15, 5-11 SEC) on Sunday afternoon.
The Lady Vols started the match by winning a back and forth opening set 25-23. Both teams were locked in, and neither team got much separation. Arkansas started the second set hot and had two early aces to set the tone. Tennessee never could recover and lost the set 25-19.
The third set was almost the exact opposite of the second, as Tennessee stormed out of the gate and took a comfortable five-point lead.
Arkansas, which entered the game struggling in SEC play, was able to stop the momentum and took an 18-17 lead. The Lady Vols responded with a 4-0 run and won the set 25-20.
After a strong third set, Arkansas turned the tables once again.
The Razorbacks got off to a good start, and by the halfway point of the fourth set, Arkansas was ahead 17-13. Tennessee head coach Eve Rackham made some adjustments after a timeout, and those adjustments paid dividends for her team.
The Lady Vols stormed back to take a lead they never relinquished, winning the set 25-23.
Erica Treiber led Tennessee with 18 kills, which marked one shy of her career high.
Sophomore Addisyn Rowe joined Treiber in the middle, as they controlled the match. Rowe finished with 12 kills.
Tennessee used a strong defense that tallied 85 digs and finished the match with nine blocks, with six coming in the final set.
Five of the six blocks occurred during the Lady Vols’ decisive 7-3 run.
Junior libero Madison Coulter tallied 23 digs, just two shy of her career high,, while Sedona Hansen posted her second double-double of the week with a team-high 28 assists to go along with 12 digs.
The win extended the Lady Vols’ win streak to nine.
They move into a tie for second in the SEC with the No. 14 Florida Gators, who they face on Wednesday in Thompson-Boling Arena.
The last time both teams were ranked was in a 2011 Tennessee victory.
The match will air on the SEC Network+ with first serve scheduled for 5.00 p.m. (ET) in Knoxville.
