Tag: Volleyball

Lady Vols fall to Wildcats in four sets

Recap of Lady Vols volleyball team’s loss to Kentucky Saturday

LEXINGTON — The University of Tennessee volleyball team had a tall order in its first Southeastern Conference series of the 2020 season.

The Lady Vols opened the campaign against No. 3 Kentucky and were swept in their first match Friday night.

Tennessee and the Wildcats returned to the floor Saturday night and Kentucky (2-0, 2-0 SEC) captured a four-set victory over the Lady Vols, prevailing 24-26, 25-23, 25-22, 25-13.

Junior outside hitter Danielle Mahaffey had 17 kills in the match for the Lady Vols (0-2, 0-2) and middle blocker Raquel Perinar, another junior, had a career-high six blocks for UT.

Junior Lily Felts, a local product from Berean Christian School in Knoxville, had two solo blocks and assisted on another.

Despite the loss Saturday, senior Madison Coulter reached a milestone with her 1,000th career dig.

Coulter played her prep volleyball at Maryville High School.

Tennessee volleyball swept in opener at Kentucky

UT falls to Kentucky in volleyball in season opener.

LEXINGTON — The University of Tennessee volleyball team opened its 2020 season on a losing note Friday night.

The Lady Vols were swept by No. 3 Kentucky, 25-15, 25-16, 25-15 at Memorial Coliseum.

Tennessee (0-1, 0-1 SEC) received a solid performance from Ava Bell, who hit .353 in her return to the Lady Vols’ lineup after an injury cut her 2019 campaign short.

Raquel Perinar led Tennessee with eight kills against the Wildcats (1-0, 1-0). She also had two blocks while hitting .545.

Sophomore and one-time Knoxville area high school standout Kailey Keeble had the second double-double of her collegiate career as she had 13 assists and 10 digs.

Keeble, a native of Walland, Tennessee, played her high school volleyball at Heritage High School in Maryville.

Volleyballer Sarah Sponcil on the Olympics

Sports Pulse: Pro Volleyball player Sarah Sponcil on the olympics being postponed and transitioning from indoor to outdoor volleyball

Sports Pulse: Pro Volleyball player Sarah Sponcil on the olympics being postponed and transitioning from indoor to outdoor volleyball

SEC sets start dates for fall sports

The NCAA may have moved all of its fall sports championships to the spring, but the SEC plans to play them in the fall. 

The NCAA may have moved all of its fall sports championships to the spring, but the SEC plans to play them in the fall.

The conference announced plans for the soccer, volleyball, cross country, golf and tennis seasons Thursday, which have all been adjusted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The cross-country season will consist of a minimum of two and a maximum of three competitions prior to the SEC Championship in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Oct. 30. The season will take place between September 11 and October 23. Competition against non-conference opponents is allowed as long as they follow SEC’s COVID-19 testing protocols.

Both volleyball and soccer will play eight-game, conference only schedules. The soccer season will begin on Sept. 18, followed by the SEC Championship, Nov. 13-22, in Orange Beach, Alabama. All 14 schools will compete in the SEC Championship with each team guaranteed at least two matches.

Volleyball will start on Oct.16 with each school competing against four opponents twice in the same weekend on back-to-back days.

Both sports will also compete in the spring, “with details of formats contingent on final decisions by the NCAA to conduct spring championships in those sports.”

For the fall segments of the golf and tennis seasons, SEC teams may compete in up to three team events beginning no earlier than Oct. 1. Both sports will be limited to events involving only SEC members or non-conference teams from the geographic region of the SEC school.

Here are the highlights from the announcement:

CROSS COUNTRY

  • Season runs September 11-October 23
  • Seven (7) weeks of competition
  • Compete in a minimum two (2) events (maximum of three) prior to SEC Championships
  • No restrictions on opponents; must adhere to SEC Testing protocol the week leading into competition
  • No more than 10 teams may compete in a single race
  • Schools may not compete in consecutive weeks

SOCCER

  • Season runs weekend of September 18-November 8 (eight total weeks)
  • Eight (8) regular season matches plus at least two (2) matches at the SEC Tournament
  • Regular season includes six (6) divisional opponents and two (2) crossover opponents (4 home/4 away)
  • One (1) match per week – play dates will be either Friday, Saturday or Sunday based on campus activities & television.
  • Matches may move to Thursday on the fifth weekend of the season for make-up dates.
  • 14-team Conference Tournament – Nov. 13-22; each team guaranteed at least two (2) matches

VOLLEYBALL

  • Season runs weekend of October 16-November 27
  • Six (6) weeks of competition
  • Compete against four (4) opponents; same opponent twice in the same weekend
  • Eight (8) total matches

GOLF AND TENNIS

  • Teams may compete in up to three team events
  • Competition can take place no earlier than October 1
  • Teams are limited to events involving only SEC members or non-conference teams from the school’s geographic region

Gators News: July 15, 2020

There is not much new in the realm of the major sports, with the SEC still finding its way through the issues posed by the novel coronavirus

Today is both humpday and also represents the mid-point of the month of July, and in these summer doldrums, we continue to be mired in the COVID-19 outbreak that still plagues our way of life here in North America and around the world.

There is not much new in the realm of the major sports, with the Southeastern Conference still finding its way through the issues posed by the novel coronavirus. However, the league did announce that three fall sports are scheduled to begin competition on September 1: cross country, soccer and volleyball.

Otherwise, we are still waiting to hear how things might play out on the gridiron as well as the parquet come November. Professional sports have also continued to push forward with their reopening plans, with mixed results. For now, we remain in a holding pattern.

Around the Swamp

  • Gators quarterback Kyle Trask named to Davey O’Brien Award Watch List: Florida quarterback Kyle Trask, who is getting considerable attention for a former high school backup heading into his redshirt senior season, has been named to the preseason watch list for the Davey O’Brien Award, given annually to the nation’s top quarterback, UF announced in a release Tuesday.
  • Trask ranked among the top quarterbacks for the 2021 NFL Draft: Many media figures around the country may not have known his name heading into the 2019 season, but UF quarterback Kyle Trask’s performance filling in for Feleipe Franks, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the third game, has attracted some attention.

It’s great to be a Florida Gator!

[lawrence-related id=18320,18290,18158,18099]

Gators News: July 9, 2020

The number of positive coronavirus cases continues to increase steeply leaving the nation and sports wondering how to move forward.

As we head into the downslope of another week, the number of positive coronavirus cases continues to increase steeply, leaving the nation — much less the sports world — wondering how to take its next steps forward.

Yesterday, the Ivy League announced that it will cancel all fall sports and will not resume athletics no sooner than January 1, 2021. The decision affects football as well as men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, and women’s field hockey and volleyball. Stanford also announced that it is cutting 11 of its 36 varsity sports programs, including field hockey, wrestling and men’s volleyball.

Additionally, Ohio State decided to hit the pause switch on all voluntary workouts after an unconfirmed number of athletes tested positive for COVID-19; the exact number was not released in order to protect the identity of those infected.

Here is the rest of our stories from yesterday.

Around the Swamp

It’s great to be a Florida Gator!

[lawrence-related id=17974,17782,17754,17688]

Volleyball player creates inventive way to practice at home

A volleyball player with Kansas’ Great Bend High School team created a clever way to practice at home with plywood boards and a basketball hoop.

A volleyball player with Kansas’ Great Bend High School team created a clever way to practice at home with plywood boards and a basketball hoop.

UT News: November 28, 2019

UT News: November 28, 2019

Welcome to a Thanksgiving edition of UT News, where the turkey is moist, the wonderful scents of the holiday permeate the room, and nobody fights at the table. There is not much on tap today to cover, though the Lady Vols volleyball team triumphed over Auburn for Senior Night and wet-head Erika Brown was named SEC Swimmer of the Week. So without further ado, on to the news.

Lady Vols grab Senior Night victory over Auburn

The Lady Vols volleyball squad defeated Auburn last night in four sets, in their final match of the season at Thompson-Boling Arena.

The cherry on top of the victory was that the win came on Senior Night, making it a suiting finale for the women who have played in their last home game in Knoxville. The triumph also gave the Volunteers their fourth victory in their last five matches. Tessa Grubbs’ 14 kills now places her at No. 8 all-time at Tennessee, with 1,405 kills in her four-year career.

Coach Eve Rackham had the following to say about the Senior Night win.

“You can’t hope for anything else other than to be able to play great at home and send your seniors out the right way. We gave them all a chance to start and they played so well. It’s kind of storybook ending, but that’s what you want to be able to do. And I just feel fortunate we were able to do that for them and to be able to repay as much as we can.”

The Lady Vols wrap up the season in Starkville, Miss. against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. UT has won four of their previous matches, including a sweep earlier this season. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET and will air on SEC Network+.

NEXT: Erika Brown named SEC Swimmer of the Week

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

UT News: November 25, 2019

UT News: November 25, 2019

The Volunteers football team emerged victorious Saturday night over the Missouri Tigers, earning a postseason bid for the first time in three seasons. Meanwhile, the swimming and diving team had a record-breaking effort at the Tennessee Invitational while the women’s volleyball team split a pair of matches over the weekend. Additionally, the men’s basketball team looks to extend their perfect start tonight while the Lady Vols get set to face Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Tuesday evening.

Men’s basketball takes on Chattanooga

The 20th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team takes on the Chattanooga Mocs tonight at Thompson-Boling Arena. The 4-0 Vols look to extend their season-opening winning streak to five against their Southern Conference foes.

The Volunteers and the Mocs have tangled 39 times on the hardwood over the years, with the Vols dropping their last match, 82-69. However, the Big Orange leads the all-time series, 33-6, and sports a 94-17 all-time record against teams from the Southern Conference.

A win would extend UT’s Division I-leading home winning streak to 30 games and also give Tennessee a 52-14 record as a ranked team during the Barnes era, per the Associated Press Top 25 Poll. Head coach Rick Barnes lost his only previous match against the Mocs, that same game that the Vols last lost to them opening the season three years ago.

Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network, and can be heard on local Vol Network affiliates.

NEXT: Lady Vols volleyball split a pair of matches

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3