COLUMBIA, Mo. — Fifth-year setter Caroline Kerr reached 4,000 career assists on Sunday, but No. 6 Tennessee lost a five-set match at Missouri at the Hearnes Center. Missouri won 3-2 by set scores of 21-25, 25-21, 24-26, 27-25 and 15-9, the Lady Vols' second straight loss.
Kerr, a native of Champaign, Illinois, became only the fourth player in Tennessee program history to reach 4,000 career assists. She hit the milestone early in the first set, and she finished the match with 51 assists, a career-high 20 digs and the 32nd double-double of her career.
Kennedi Rogers led Tennessee with 20 kills and six digs. Senior Jalyn Stout added 15 kills and 12 digs, and Maggie Dostic had 12 kills and 10 digs for a double-double of her own. Senior libero Raegan Burns had 19 digs and two aces, and Jolene Oddo led the team with five blocks. Tennessee finished with 68 kills on a .242 hitting percentage and 74 digs.
Tennessee took the first set 25-21 after leading throughout on a .325 hitting mark. Missouri evened the match in the second set, hitting .429 with 18 kills. The Lady Vols battled back in the third, coming from behind to win 26-24 and take a 2-1 lead.
The fourth set went to extra points after the teams tied at 25. Missouri won the next two points to even the match and send it to a fifth. In the deciding set, the Tigers hit .385 while Tennessee had three attack errors, and Missouri won 15-9. Missouri finished with 71 kills on .274 hitting, and 2,333 fans were in attendance.
Tennessee falls to 16-5 overall and 7-4 in the SEC, and Missouri is 14-9 and 7-4. The Lady Vols now come home for the final home matches of the regular season. They host Mississippi State on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Eastern and Alabama on Sunday at 2 p.m. Eastern, and both matches will stream on SEC Network+.
Kerr has been one of the nation's top setters this season. She earned AVCA All-American honors in each of the past three seasons, only the second Lady Vol to do that, and she had been averaging more than 11 assists per set early this season.