VolleyballSeptember 04, 2024

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 17 Tennessee volleyball returns home this week for a pair of matchups at Food City Center, including a third-straight contest against a top-25 opponent.

After seeing a record-breaking crowd last Friday against No. 7 Penn State, the Lady Vols host 25th-ranked UCLA this Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. That match will be televised on SEC Network. On Friday, the Big Orange will take on reigning Northeast Conference champions LIU. First serve for the contest will be at 6:30, and it can be streamed on SEC Network+.

After another fun summer of camps, Friday’s contest will be the Camper Reunion match. All campers in their 2024 camp shirt will receive a complimentary ticket at the gates. At the conclusion of the match, we will host a postgame camper clinic.

Doors open one hour before each match, and fans can purchase tickets on AllVols.com. Parking is available in G3, G4 and G5 lots beside the arena. Gate B will be the entrance for general fans, while students and player guests are encouraged to use Gate C. The clear bag policy is in effect for all matches. Additional items to know before coming out for a competition can be found on the Volleyball Gameday Page.

UT Fans Shatter Program Attendance Record
During the season opening match against Penn State, Vol Nation showed up in full force to support the Lady Vols. A total of 6,193 fans packed into Food City Center to set the program record for a single home match, soaring past the previous record of 3,376 against Kentucky on Oct. 27, 2021. For the first week of NCAA volleyball, the crowd marked the eighth largest in the country and was the highest total for an SEC home match.

New Look Lady Vols in 2024
The 2024 edition of Tennessee volleyball will look much different than last season’s team. The Lady Vols lost five starters and several bench players, while only Caroline Kerr and Kiki Granberry return in their starting roles. Plenty of new faces have joined the program, as the Big Orange added nine players with their signing class and through the transfer portal. Some of them will see major playing time starting Day One, while others could see their roles increase as the season progresses.

Kerr Named to Preseason All-SEC Team
After establishing herself as one of the best setters in the country last year, Tennessee’s Caroline Kerr earned a spot on the 2024 Preseason Volleyball All-SEC Team. During the 2023 campaign, Kerr received All-America Second Team recognition from AVCA and was a Fourth Team selection by VolleyballMag.com, joining Julie Knytych (2004-05) and Mary Pollmiller (2011) as the only setters in program history to earn All-America honors. The Champaign, Illinois, native ranked third nationally, second in the SEC and led all NCAA freshmen in assists per set at 11.75, recording 14 40-assist efforts and five 50-assist performances on the year.

Who’s the Next Great Tennessee Outside Under Rackham Watt?
A major storyline going into this season is how the Lady Vols replace the All-American outside duo of Morgahn Fingall and Jenaisya Moore. While that will be a tall task, head coach Eve Rackham Watt and her staff have consistently found success offensively since arriving on Rocky Top, ranking inside the top 15 nationally in kills per set in three out of her first six seasons. Now, the question becomes, who will replace that duo? The top options are transfers Nina Cajic, who earned 2023 CAA Player of the Year honors at Towson, and Hayden Kubik, the former top-ranked recruit from Nebraska. Several other individuals will also factor into the rotation as well.