Tennessee volleyball loses five-set thriller against Georgia Tech in NCAA Tournament first round

Tennessee volleyball couldn’t replicate its historic NCAA Tournament run from last season, falling to No. 7 Georgia Tech in the first round Thursday.

The Lady Vols’ season ended in a heartbreaker that went to extra points multiple times during the five-set thriller in Madison, Wisconsin. They were mere points away from the upset, falling 15-12 in the fifth set. Georgia Tech survived to win 3-2 and advance to the second round.

Nina Cajic was excellent for Tennessee (15-12), logging a team-high 27 kills in the final match of her college career. The graduate outside hitter came up with kill after kill when the Lady Vols needed a response. Her 25th of the night delivered the win to force a fifth set against the Yellow Jackets (21-9).

Setter Caroline Kerr ended the night with 57 assists, 13 digs and four kills. Cajic added 11 digs and six blocks to her kills, and freshman outside hitter Paityn Chapman had 13 kills and four blocks.

Cajic, a transfer from Towson, shined when it mattered most when the third and fourth sets both went to extra points.

Tennessee came back from down 18-12 in the third set to take a 19-18 lead. After that, the third and fourth sets were grueling back-and-force battles. Georgia Tech came out on top of the third set, winning 32-30 to take a 2-1 lead. But Cajic came up big for the Lady Vols, which responded to win the fourth set 28-26.

Tennessee dominated the second set after dropping a close first set. It led by 21-9 at one point in the second set, and Georgia Tech didn’t have an answer for Cajic, who scored the set-winning point with a service ace. Tennessee won the second set 25-13 to even the score 1-1.

This was the Lady Vols’ fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance under coach Eve Rackham Watt, who’s in her seventh season at the helm. It was the 19th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.

Tennessee made a historic run in the NCAA Tournament last season, hosting the opening rounds as a No. 3 seed, beating High Point and Western Kentucky to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005. The Lady Vols fell in a five-set thriller to eventual champion Texas in the Sweet 16.

Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on Twitter @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.