KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Another Hadyen Kubik double-double and an outstanding team effort for block defense led Tennessee to an upset victory (25-19, 25-19, 15-25, 25-19) against the No. 25 Auburn Tigers on Sunday afternoon at Food City Center.
The victory over AU (14-4, 4-3 SEC) marked Tennessee’s second ranked win at home for the year after also beating No. 25 UCLA in September. The team has successfully bested nine top-25 opponents during the Eve Rackham Watt era.
Kubik finished with 12 kills, 10 digs and one block to pace the Big Orange (10-7, 3-4 SEC). The junior outside hitter has now recorded a double-double in three straight matches and boasts five for the season.
Graduate student outside hitter Nina Cajic posted an all-around performance with 13 kills, six digs, three aces, three assists and three blocks. Junior middle blocker Keondreya Granberry led the Lady Vols in blocks, chipping in for eight of the team’s 13. UT now boasts five matches with double-digit blocks this season.
In total, five different players finished the day with multiple blocks. The freshmen duo of Paityn Chapman and Chelsea Sutton each recorded five in the contest. Chapman ended the match with seven kills and a dig as well. Redshirt sophomore setter Caroline Kerr added her fifth double-double of the year, tallying 27 assists, 17 digs, five kills, two blocks and one ace. On the back row defense, sophomore defensive specialist Mackenzie Plante had eight digs, while sophomore libero Katie Barrier added six.
As a team, the Big Orange finished with 43 kills on .229 hitting–well above Auburn’s SEC-best seasonal opponent hitting percentage of .168–to go along with 52 digs, 13 blocks and five aces. The Tigers ended the contest with 52 kills on .199 hitting, 47 digs, seven aces and six and a half blocks.
Tennessee dominated the first set defensively. The team tallied seven blocks, holding the Tigers to a .000 hitting percentage and 12 attacking errors. The Lady Vols had 17 digs to keep the momentum going and take control of the set, 25-19.
The second stanza was a back-and-forth effort with both teams fighting for the lead until the Big Orange went on a 7-0 run to end the frame. Kubik led the offense with six kills, as the Lady Vols finished with 16 on .361 hitting.
Auburn outhit UT in the third frame, tallying 14 kills on .545 hitting compared to the Big Orange’s six kills and .000 hitting. The Lady Vols bounced back with a strong fourth frame to prevent the Tigers from making a comeback.
Up next, the Lady Vols are headed on another three-match road trip. Tennessee will be traveling to Gainesville first to take on the Florida Gators on Friday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. ET. The contest will be televised on SEC Network.
