The Lady Vols went dark mode for the first time Thursday evening and while Tennessee remains undefeated, the matchup with Mississippi State ended in a scoreless tie.

“We’re getting outworked, and that’s not like us,” Tennessee coach Joe Kirt said at halftime after the Lady Vols took no shots in the first half while Mississippi State took 11 with two on goal.

Tennessee started the second half with momentum and control of possession but couldn’t convert, and the Lady Vols’ offensive attack stalled. By the end of the match, Mississippi State had taken 15 shots – Lady Vols goalkeeper Cayden Norris got three saves – with Tennessee taking six shots.

Both teams are now 1-0-2 in the SEC with Tennessee getting a 3-1 win over LSU and tying Texas and Mississippi State. The Bulldogs, 7-1-2 overall, beat Ole Miss 4-1 in the SEC opener and tied Florida and Tennessee.

Nyla Blue was assessed a red card at the 76:36 mark in the second half, and Tennessee played the rest of the match with 10, instead of 11, players on the field. By NCAA rule, Blue will serve a one-game suspension and miss the next matchup against No. 3 Vanderbilt.

Replays showed Blue in her slide and making a play on the ball before contact with the Mississippi State player and while the initial call of yellow card was merited, it was changed to a red card after review, delivering a big blow to Tennessee.

In total, the Lady Vols drew 11 foul calls, and the Bulldogs were assessed 19 in a physical match with little offensive flow for either team despite both squads usually scoring within the first 30 minutes of a match.

No. 9/6 Tennessee is now 6-0-3 overall – the other tie was against Virginia in non-conference play – and will host the Commodores on Sunday at 12 p.m. at Regal Soccer Stadium.

The Lady Vols will need a quick reset, as Vanderbilt, 8-0-1 – the Commodores opened SEC play with a 1-1 tie against Georgia – beat Texas A&M 5-0 and Ole Miss 4-0.

VOLLEYBALL

The first battle of the UTs this sports weekend will take place on the volleyball court the day before Neyland Stadium is filled to capacity.

No. 13 Tennessee, 9-1, and No. 7 Texas, 4-4 – all but one of the Longhorns’ opponents were ranked – will meet tonight, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. at Food City Center at Thompson-Boling Arena in the SEC opener for both teams. The match will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

All reserved seats sold out, but general admission is still available. The single-match attendance record of 8,212 fans for Tennessee volleyball was set earlier this month on Sept. 1 with a win against Illinois. A new record could come tonight.

The Lady Vols, whose only loss this season was to No. 2 Pitt, won two matches last weekend, including against No. 9 Penn State. That win marked the first top 10 win for the Lady Vols since defeating No. 9 Baylor on Sept. 9, 2021, and the first top 10 road win since defeating No. 6 Florida on Sept. 25, 2011.

Texas will play in Knoxville for the first time since the SEC expanded in 2024. It coincides with the Vols and Longhorns meeting on the football field on Saturday, Sept. 26, with a noon kickoff.

SOFTBALL

The first fall softball games will start tonight, Sept. 25, and Sunday, Sept. 27, for fans who want an early look at the 2026 team. An overview of the team on this site can be read HERE.

Tennessee will host Walters State tonight at 6 p.m. with the gates opening at 5 p.m. Sunday’s game will start at 3:30 p.m. against Lipscomb, and gates will open at 3:15 p.m. The parking areas will handle double duty as the soccer team will host Vanderbilt at 12 p.m. Fans are encouraged to attend both games. The regular season soccer matches are free admission.

Admission is free for all fall softball contests. Restrooms will be open, but concessions will not be available at Lee Stadium.

The games will count in 2027, and Tennessee’s opening weekend in February was unveiled this week for the 2027 NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida. The Lady Vols will play Northwestern, Nebraska, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Long Island and Liberty on Feb. 11-14 at the Eddie C. Moore Complex.

Fans wanting a warmer locale in February can buy tickets HERE. For those who can’t travel, all games will be streamed for free on the GameChanger App with select games broadcast on MLB Network.

Tennessee won the tournament in 2023 and 2026, becoming just the fourth program to win more than one Leadoff Classic since the inaugural event in 1996.

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Maria M. Cornelius began writing about the Lady Vols in 1998. In 2016, she published her first book, “The Final Season: The Perseverance of Pat Summitt,” through The University of Tennessee Press and a 10th anniversary edition was released June 16, 2026. A third book, “The Legacy of Pat Summitt” will be released Nov. 17, 2026.