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 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.
Nothing better than a championship, celebratory confetti angels and smiles.
National champion Penn State volleyball has a nice ring to it.
The Nittany Lions’ program has an eighth title, and Katie Schumacher-Cawley became the first woman head coach to win a Division I women’s volleyball championship. Schumacher-Cawley and her crew had an incredible march to the Final Four, including battling cancer for the volleyball coach. But she wouldn’t let her health stop her from seeing the Nittany Lions win it all.
On Sunday, Penn State emerged victorious at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky, beating the hometown Cardinals, 3-1. The championship was everything fans could hope for, including a bonkers second set that included 10 set points. Here’s the moment they won it all:
A moment like that deserves some recognition. So, here’s 10 powerful photos of Penn State celebrating its much-deserved trophy:
Penn State celebrated after they defeated Louisville 3 sets to 1 to win the NCAA Championship Volleyball match at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. on Dec. 22, 2024. (Mandatory Credit: Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)Penn State celebrated after they defeated Louisville 3 sets to 1 to win the NCAA Championship Volleyball match at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. on Dec. 22, 2024. (Mandatory Credit: Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Penn State women’s volleyball head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley has cancer, but she’s refused to let it stop her all season long.
In September, Katie was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. However, despite the diagnosis, she’s continued to coach. Katie used practices and games as fuel while she sat through chemotherapy behind the scenes, describing her approach as a combination of “strength, determination, and an unwavering sense of hope.”
Her resilient spirit has helped her as the Nittany Lions finished the regular season with a 29-2 record en route to a Final Four run. Still, it begs the question: Why wouldn’t Katie step away to take time for herself? She didn’t want to. “My mindset has always been wanting to win and having the best team I can,” she recently told ESPN. “I feel normal…I just want to keep going. I feel so loved, and I’m so lucky to have the staff I have.”
"I feel so loved."—Penn State Volleyball coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley on coaching after her cancer diagnosis.
On Thursday, freshman Caroline Jurevicius plays in the Final Four. Meet the Penn State volleyball transfer.
When the women’s volleyball Final Four begins Thursday, Penn State volleyball player Caroline Jurevicius be on the court.
The Nittany Lions have a date with Nebraska, a familiar foe to Jurevicius. She spent the first year of her college career with the Huskers and used that time as a redshirt season before transferring at the end of the year.
Now, she’s a key piece of a squad coached by Katie Schumacher-Cawley, trying to add another championship school’s seven national titles.
If you’re wondering who Jurevicius is and what you need to know about the young player, we’ve got you covered. Here are more facts about the outside hitter, including her ties to the NFL.
1. Caroline Jurevicius was making waves before she arrived at Penn State
Aug 30, 2023; Lincoln, NE, USA; The Nebraska Cornhuskers watch a presentation before the match against the Omaha Mavericks at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Caroline had a stout volleyball career before she arrived at Penn State as a redshirt transfer.
At Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin High School, she led her team to the Ohio DII state championship as a sophomore. Eventually, she returned and won it as a senior in 2022, recording a blistering 27 kills in the championship match.
In 2023, her elite skills landed her at Nebraska, where she was part of history when the Cornhuskers played in Memorial Stadium before a sold-out crowd of 92,003. It was the largest crowd ever for a women’s sporting event in the United States.
2. Caroline Jurevicius’ dad is Joe Jurevicius, an NFL veteran who won a Super Bowl
CLEVELAND – NOVEMBER 04: Joe Jurevicius #84 of the Cleveland Browns carries the ball as he is grabbed by Jordan Babineaux #27 the Seattle Seahawks on November 4, 2007 at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. The Browns defeated the Seahawks 33-30 in overtime. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Fittingly, Jurevicius’ ties to Penn State are a bit deeper than most might realize. Her dad is Penn State alumni and 11-year NFL veteran, Joe Jurevicius. He had several years as a productive receiver with the Nittany Lions before being drafted in 1998 by the New York Giants.
Joe Jurevicius spent four seasons with New York before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent, where he went on to win a Super Bowl in 2003. After a stint in Tampa, the former wideout played for two other organizations, including the Cleveland Browns, before retiring.
Since then, Joe Jurevicius has spent time with his family and is an avid supporter of his daughter. Cameras recently caught him nervously watching a match.
3. Caroline Jurevicius and Penn State have a date in the women’s volleyball Final Four
Penn State volleyball head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley holds up the Big Ten title trophy after the Nittany Lions defeated Nebraska 3-1 to claim at least a share of the title at Rec Hall on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in State College, Pa.
Volleyball fans can watch Jurevicius in action on Thursday, December 19, when Penn State plays Nebraska in the national semifinal at 9:00 p.m. ET during the women’s Final Four.
Her team has overcome several obstacles to get there, including head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley’s September breast cancer diagnosis. Under her leadership this season, the Nittany Lions produced a 29-2 season and a No. 2 record.
Will the Louisville star be available for the final?
This post has been updated with new information.
We’re down to the finals in the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament, with Louisville facing Penn State, but we’ll see if star and Louisville native Anna DeBeer will play on Sunday.
“We’re going to do everything we can to get her on the court,” Busboom Kelly said, via the Courier Journal. “But we do have a great team behind her if she can’t go.”
Here’s who’s calling the 2024 NCAA women’s volleyball final on ABC.
We’re down to just two teams left in the 2024 NCAA women’s volleyball tournament: it’s Louisville — who beat Pittsburgh in the semis — against Penn State, who defeated Nebraska to get to the title game.
The action will all take place on ABC on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET, and if you’re watching, you might be wondering: who are those voices you’re hearing on the broadcast?
Fear not! We have answers!
That would be Courtney Lyle on play-by-play, Holly McPeak and Kate George are there as analysts, and you’ll hear from ex-volleyball star Madison Fitzpatrick as the sideline reporter.
Here’s who’s calling the women’s volleyball Final Four broadcasts on ESPN.
The women’s volleyball Final Four is here with lots of top-tier action for fans.
On Thursday, December 19, four No. 1 seeds will battle for a chance to win a championship trophy. Tournament play opens with two conference rematches. At 6:30 p.m. ET, Pittsburgh plays Louisville, and at 9:00 p.m. ET, Penn State plays Nebraska. The national championship will be played on Sunday, December 22, between whichever squads emerge victorious from Thursday’s matchups.
If you’re here, you may be wondering: Who are the voices you’re hearing during Thursday and Sunday’s broadcast? Here’s the answer.
There’s a four-person crew calling the games. Courtney Lyle is the play-by-play commentator, and Holly McPeak and Kate George are matchup analysts. Additionally, sideline reporter and former FSU beach volleyball star Madison Fitzpatrick will support the group.
Florida volleyball’s 2024 season came to end Thursday night with a regional semifinal loss to Stanford in the third round of the NCAA tournament.
Florida volleyball’s 2024 NCAA Tournament run came to an end in the regional semifinals against Stanford, 3-1, on Thursday night.
The Gators took the opening set but couldn’t hold off the Cardinal after that. Sophomore Kennedy Martin led all players with 24.5 points, 21 kills and 5.0 blocks. Martin also notched her 1,000th career kill and set various program records with the season over.
In an individual season, Martin had the second-most kills per game (5.56), second-most points per game (6.28) and 10th-most kills in a season (512). she also set the program record for kills in a game this year with 33 against Kansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Only a sophomore, Martin’s breakout season has the Gators primed for another deep run in 2025.
How it happened: Stanford def. Florida, 3-1
Florida led early in the first set, but Stanford rallied to take a late lead. A pair of service errors knotted things up at 23 and 24 points. A kill by Kennedy Martin and a block assist by Isabel Martin — set up by a beautiful pancake save — delivered a 1-0 lead.
Stanford jumped out to a 10-5 lead early in the second set and never looked back, evening things up 1-1 with a 25-17 win. Set 3 started off in Florida’s favor, but a four-point rally made it a back-and-forth affair. Stanford gained the advantage late and won 26-24 to move within a set of the regional final.
The Gators were the first to 20 in Set 4, but the Cardinal went a 3-0 run to put the match within reach. Martin delivered a pair of kills to keep it close, and Florida even reached set point twice, but Stanford prevailed and advanced to the regional final.
Senior sendoff
Five Gators — Trinity Adams, Erin Engel, Annie Cate Fitzpatrick, Isabel Martin, Elli McKissock and Gabrielle Essix missed most of the season with a knee injury and could return if granted a medical redshirt; however, volleyball does not have a participation threshold, so her five sets played against Florida State make her ineligible for a regular redshirt.
McKissock leaves Florida with the most digs (2,147) and sets played (534) in program history. She is also second in matches played (146), third in digs per set (4.02) and eighth in service aces (144)
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Georgia Tech eliminates Tennessee from NCAA Tournament.
Georgia Tech (21-9) defeated Tennessee (15-12), 25-18, 13-25, 32-30, 26-28, 15-12, in the first-round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Wisconsin Field House in Madison, Wisconsin.
Nina Cajic led the Lady Vols with 27 kills, 11 digs, six blocks, two aces and two assists. She also recorded a .338 hitting percentage. Paityn Chapman totaled 13 kills, four blocks and one dig.
Klaudia Pawlik finished with a match-high eight blocks and added five kills.
Redshirt sophomore Caroline Kerr was the Lady Vols’ leading passer, recording a career-high 57 assists. She also recorded 13 digs, four kills and two blocks.
