Tag: Eve Rackham Watt

Susan Clements named Lady Vols’ assistant coach

Tennessee hires Susan Clements as an assistant coach for the Lady Vols.

Tennessee volleyball hired Susan Clements as an assistant coach, Lady Vols head coach Eve Rackham Watt announced Monday.

Clements has more than two decades of collegiate experience and joins the Lady Vols prior to the 2025 season.

“We are thrilled to welcome Susan to Rocky Top and feel extremely fortunate to have someone of her experience level join our staff,” Rackham Watt said. “She has been a part of multiple championship teams both as a head coach and an assistant coach.

“I have known Susan for over 20 years, and I am excited for what she can bring to our program. I believe our players will learn a lot from her, and she understands what it takes to win at this level. All of us are looking forward to having Susan join us this spring.”

In 2024, Clements was an associate head coach at Coastal Carolina. She previously served as a head coach at Niagara, Wright State and Georgetown College.

Clements also served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at North Carolina.

She was the winningest head coach in Niagara history and guided the team to its first NCAA Tournament in school history in 2009.

Clements was an outside hitter at Georgetown College and was a two-time Mid-South Conference Player of the Year. She was inducted into the Georgetown College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.

Lady Vols add three transfers in 2025

Lady Vols sign players from the NCAA transfer portal.

Tennessee volleyball added three transfers prior to the spring semester, head coach Eve Rackham Watt announced.

Gulce Guctekin, Zoe Humphrey and Starr Williams joined the Lady Vols from the NCAA transfer portal.

Guctekin, a senior libero, previously played at Wisconsin, where she was a multi-year starter. A native of Istanbul, Turkey, she is also a member of the Turkish Junior National Team. During her career with the Badgers, Guctekin totaled 885 digs, 294 assists and 92 aces in 88 matches. Wisconsin advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament three times.

Humphrey comes to Tennessee after redshirting her freshman season at UCLA. She is a middle blocker and was an All-American at St. Pius X High School in Houston, Texas.

Williams previously played for New Mexico State. She was a First-Team All-C-USA standout in 2024 and is a senior outside hitter.

Williams started 63-of-64 matches. She totaled 691 kills, while recording a .271 hitting percentage, 110 blocks, 108 digs, 13 assists and six aces.

Lady Vols add transfer Ajack Malual from Chaminade

Lady Vols add transfer Ajack Malual from Chaminade.

Tennessee announced the addition of junior rightside hitter Ajack Malual to the Lady Vols’ volleyball program.

Malual played at Chaminade from 2022-23.

“Our staff is excited about the addition of Ajack to our roster this summer,” Tennessee head coach Eve Rackham Watt said. “She is a player who we believe has a tremendous amount of potential and could really blossom in our program.

“As an opposite, she has a lightning fast arm with great range and will be a point scorer on the right side for us. She comes with high-level international experience as well as two seasons of college volleyball under her belt. That experience will be invaluable as we add her to our relatively young team this summer. We can’t wait to welcome her to Rocky Top.”

Eve Rackham Watt announces additions to Lady Vols’ volleyball

Tennessee head coach Eve Rackham Watt announces additions to Lady Vols’ volleyball.

Tennessee head coach Eve Rackham Watt announced the addition of two student-athletes to the Lady Vols’ volleyball program.

Libero and defensive specialists Orian Drore and Julianna Santiago are part of Tennessee’s 2024 recruiting class.

“We are delighted to finally announce Orian Drore will be joining our Lady Vol Volleyball program,” Rackham Watt said. “Orian is a player who will compete from day one as a libero and help solidify our back row play. She has an excellent platform and good range on defense but what really separates her is the ability to out of system set and communicate at a high level. She will join us this May, as we train for our foreign tour, and our staff is looking forward to watching her develop.

“Juliana is a player who we have watched play for a couple of years now. She has gotten better every season, and we always believe in looking for local talent first. We are excited to add one of the best in-state players to our roster, while continuing to bolster our defensive specialist unit. What I love most about ‘Santi’ is how hard she plays, her competitiveness and how vocal she is with her teammates. I know she will be a great addition to our program, and she too will join us in May as we start training for our international trip.”

Drore is from Mater Academy in Hialeah Gardens, Florida, while Santiago hails from Battleground Academy in Nashville, Tennessee.

Julianna Santiago (11). Mark Zaleski/USA TODAY Network

Tennessee extends Eve Rackham Watt’s contract

Tennessee extends volleyball head coach Eve Rackham Watt’s contract.

Tennessee announced a contract extension through Jan. 2029 for volleyball head coach Eve Rackham Watt on Friday.

“I am incredibly excited about the future of Tennessee volleyball and want to thank Danny White, Cam Walker and Angie Boyd Keck for their support of me, my staff and what we are building here,” Rackham Watt said. “Since arriving in Knoxville, we have dedicated ourselves to revitalizing this program and striving to compete on a national stage. Coming off the most successful season in almost 20 years, I am proud of where we are, yet fully aware that there is still much more to achieve. Our administrative support has been tremendous, and I am looking forward to continuing to move our program forward.”

Paityn Chapman signs with Lady Vols

Paityn Chapman signs with Tennessee volleyball.

Tennessee volleyball announced the signing of Paityn Chapman on Tuesday.

“Paityn has the potential to be a game changer for us,” Tennessee head coach Rackham Watt said. “Her skill set is exceptional, and we are excited to see her growth and development as she joins our team. Paityn’s versatility on the court is what makes her unique. She is a 6-rotation player, who can hit from either pin at a very high contact point. She exhibits fearlessness on defense and has a point-scoring serve. We love how hard Paityn plays the game every time she’s on the floor. She will add depth to our outside hitter position, and as she develops, I know our fans will enjoy watching her play.”

Chapman is from Castle View High School in Castle Rock, Colorado.

Lady Vols to host first two rounds of NCAA Tournament

Lady Vols to host first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

No. 8 Tennessee (24-4, 15-3 SEC) will host the first and second rounds of the NCAA volleyball tournament.

The Lady Vols, a No. 3 seed in the Stanford quarter of the bracket, will open tournament play against High Point (14-0 Big South) Friday at 6:30 p.m. EST at Food City Center.

Tennessee is making its 18th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and is hosting tournament competition for the first time since 2011.

Tennessee is the No. 10 national seed in the tournament field.

The winner between the Lady Vols and Panthers, who won the Big South Conference championship, will advance to play the winner of the Western Kentucky-Coastal Carolina match, which will be contested Friday at 4:30 p.m. EST Friday at Food City Center.

Tennessee’s No. 3 seed represents the highest in program history. The Lady Vols earned a No. 11 seed in 2011. Tennessee will make its third consecutive tournament appearance and fourth under head coach Eve Rackham Watt. She was named SEC Coach of the Year Sunday.

Eve Rackham Watt recaps Lady Vols’ win against Belmont

Eve Rackham Watt recaps Lady Vols’ win against Belmont.

Tennessee opened its 2022 season with a three-set exhibition victory against Belmont Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Tennessee defeated the Bruins, 25-20, 25-20, 25-20.

Freshman Kadynce Boothe and sophomore transfer Erykah Lovett each started three sets for the Lady Vols.

Graduate transfer Abigail Matroso played in two sets, appearing in game No. 1 and game No. 3. Oregon transfer Kylie Robinson played in the third set.

“It always feels good to win, but the best thing about today is that we got an opportunity to see different players on the floor,” Tennessee head coach Eve Rackham Watt said. “It was good to see our newcomers get out on the court and play against someone than ourselves.

“We still have work to do before next week, so we’ll watch the film and get back in the gym and prepare for Loyola Chicago.”

Tennessee’s season opener against against Loyola Chicago is slated for Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. EDT.

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