No. 6 Tennessee took the floor in College Station on Friday night without one of its key pieces, as middle blocker Chelsea Sutton was sidelined for the Lady Vols’ matchup with No. 17 Texas A&M.
A Tennessee volleyball spokesperson said Sutton picked up an injury in Sunday’s win over Vanderbilt. She was listed as a game-time decision against the Aggies and is scheduled to be reevaluated before Tennessee’s matchup at Missouri on Sunday.
Sutton had just picked up SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors on Monday after a strong two-match stretch against then-No. 4 Kentucky and then-No.
22 Vanderbilt. She hit .419 while averaging 2.33 kills and 2.72 points per set across those wins.
Against Kentucky, Sutton powered Tennessee with 14 kills on a .538 hitting percentage in the reverse sweep. She followed that with seven kills and four blocks against Vanderbilt, including two straight blocks with the fourth set tied at 19 to help Tennessee break away.
The 6-foot-4 junior has been a force at the net all season. She leads the Lady Vols with 70 total blocks and 1.27 blocks per set, and she has also added 114 kills while hitting .376.
Sutton has already worked through injury issues earlier this season, too. After the Vanderbilt match, head coach Eve Rackham Watt pointed to Sutton’s progress as her health improved.
“I certainly think Chelsea Sutton, as she’s gotten healthier, has really improved,” Rackham Watt said. “Obviously she was a tremendous player, but we didn’t have the same version of her early just because of the injury. So she’s been able to get back a little bit closer to full strength.”
With Sutton out, Camille Perry got the start in the middle, while Anni Tang also rotated in. Perry has been efficient in limited chances this season, putting up 19 kills on a .382 hitting percentage and 10 total blocks in 19 sets. Tang has seen more court time, with 42 kills and 39 total blocks over 40 sets.
Tennessee entered Friday at 16-3 overall and 7-2 in SEC play, riding a seven-match winning streak and sitting at its highest ranking since finishing No. 6 in 2005.
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