Cajic Hits Career Milestone, Lady Vols Come Up Short at #24 Florida

Friday, October 25

Gainesville, Fla.

7 pm

University of Tennessee

10-8,3-5SEC

#24 Florida

14-5,5-3SEC

Tennessee

Florida

Cajic Hits Career Milestone, Lady Vols Come Up Short at #24 Florida

October 25, 2024 | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Graduate outside hitter Nina Cajic eclipsed 1,500 career points, as the Tennessee Lady Vols came up short on the road against No. 24 Florida in a four-set contest (25-27, 25-23, 25-16, 25-20) on Friday night.

The Big Orange (10-8, 3-5 SEC) finished the day with 54 kills on .278 hitting, 51 assists, 40 digs, eight aces and six blocks. The Gators (14-5, 5-3 SEC) had the hot hand offensively, posting 68 kills on .444 hitting.

En route to reaching the career milestone, Cajic led UT with 16 kills, six digs, three blocks and an ace. Junior outside hitter Hayden Kubik posted career highs in aces (4) and assists (3) to go along with 11 kills and seven digs. Freshman middle blocker Chelsea Sutton notched a personal-best 10 kills on .353 hitting and had a match-high five blocks.

Junior middle blocker Keondreya Granberry finished the night with eight kills on .471, one block and one dig. Redshirt sophomore Caroline Kerr guided the offense with 43 assists to go along with eight digs, two aces, two blocks and two kills. On the back row, sophomore libero Katie Barrier tallied eight digs, while sophomore defensive specialist Mackenzie Plante added seven.

The opening frame was a 27-25 battle that ended in favor of the Lady Vols, who hit .400 in the set and had 17 kills. Cajic and Chapman both had four kills to pace the team, while Kerr assisted on 14 of the scoring attacks.

The second stanza was another back-and-forth affair. After Tennessee took a 20-17 lead, Florida responded with an 8-3 run to pull even in the contest. The Gators controlled the entire third frame, as their offense caught fire with 17 kills on .556 hitting. UT never led in the period. By the fourth and final frame, Florida had all the momentum and sealed the contest by outhitting the Big Orange .516 to .172.

Up next, the Lady Vols travel to Georgia (Nov. 1) and South Carolina (Nov. 3) to wrap up a road stretch that saw Tennessee play at home just twice between Sept. 26 through Nov. 7.