No. 22 Tennessee volleyball is off to a 4-0 start after sweeping through four matches in five days. The chemistry between the newcomers and returners has been a sight. Tuesday night after the Illinois win, senior setter/opposite hitter Jalyn Stout spoke on the benefits of this early stretch.
“Well, it helps in a lot of ways,” Stout said. “I think our stamina, I think we’re gonna have a really good stamina after this.”
The Lady Vols were put to the test over the weekend. Between Friday night and Saturday night, they completed three matches. Their final match of the Tennessee Tournament brought a challenging Fairfield squad, and the Lady Vols had to battle through to complete the sweep.
“It’s hard to have three games in two days, let alone, you know what I mean?” Stout said. “[Saturday] we had two games in a row basically, and I think it keeps us fired up, and I think it keeps us on our toes, and it keeps us ready to go.”
“It’s like we have games, I think, every four days, and we’re just as excited about the next game as we were the last,” she said. “And it’s never a thought of, ‘Oh, we’re so tired. We’re so this,’ and I think that helps us stay super high.”
The fire is noticeable about this group, and so is their ability to execute in different situations. Stout has been surgical on the floor. She has 39 kills, a .472 hitting percentage and 42 points.Â
While the record says 4-0, the Lady Vols have had to make in-game adjustments in this early streak to stop the damage. Each team has gone on its mini run at some point across the four matches, but Tennessee has found ways to overcome the challenge. Their play ramps up when moments are tight, and the defense becomes stingier. Tennessee has out-hit opponents .381 to .114 and owns the net with 26 total blocks to 11.
It’s something head coach Eve Rackham Watt has taken great notice of.
“That’s one of the things I’ve been most impressed with,” Rackham Watt said. “I feel like they’ve been really good in tight moments. Early in that first set, I think the emotions are high, and I think once we kind of settled in, you saw a little bit more calmness. They were a play ahead. They were not kind of reacting. They were very proactive. They were very aggressive.
Also, when it comes to playing through mistakes, it’s a mindset sophomore outside hitter Maggie Dostic explained simply.
“I feel like if we make a mistake, we don’t think about it too much,” Dostic said. “We kind of just get it out of our heads and go to the next play. I feel like that really helps. We talk a lot about emotional composure and just if you make an error, don’t think about it. Think about the next play and what’s in front of you.”
