Tennessee’s club lacrosse team showed resilience in a preseason scrimmage against the Virginia Tech Hokies, securing a 14-10 win Oct. 31. Although the game didn’t count toward official records, it served as a good measuring stick for the Vols’ offseason development.
“Honestly, I think they exceeded my expectations,” head coach Tim McGeeney said. “Last year, we played a couple of teams that weren’t at this caliber, but they exceeded my expectations even though the game got a little chippy.”
The scrimmage became increasingly physical, especially in the fourth quarter when tempers flared on both sides. The Vols, however, demonstrated their ability to stay calm as tensions peaked.
Entering the final quarter tied 10-10, the Vols needed a response to the Hokies after they had scored the last three goals.
“I’ve preached to them that their character is exposed in that moment,” McGeeney said. “It was good that we got pushed and how we reacted to that. We kept our cool, and we helped our teammates up that game.”
The Vols stepped up in the final quarter, notching four goals while holding the Hokies off the scoreboard. Logan Aiello led the charge for Tennessee, delivering two goals and two assists in the final 10 minutes to win the game. The Hokies had no answer for Aiello all night as he finished with five goals and four assists.
Tommy Ruddo was another key contributor on the scoreboard, notching three goals.
“Our offense just settled down and did what they needed to do,” McGeeney said. “They put points on the board and gave us the lead back.”
Equally impressive was Tennessee’s defense, which held Virginia Tech to only three goals in the second half.
The Vols’ defense was anchored by goalie Kyle Conklin in the second half. Conklin, the freshman, replaced stater Kyler Gornick after halftime. Conklin had a solid stint, logging five saves in the second half.
“On the defensive side, I was very pleased,” McGeeney said. “We just need to work on defending the red zone a little better, which is the area right in front of the goal. We have confidence in our goalies, so we can give up long shots, but we need to work on eliminating shots right on the doorstep.”
Although Tennessee had a solid game on both ends, the most noticeable part of the game came at the faceoff stripe.
Sophomore Max DeMella dominated at the faceoff line, winning 15 of his 16 attempts in the first half. DeMella relinquished duties to Noah Rodgers in the second half, but not before scooping up 14 ground balls.
“Max is a phenomenal faceoff man,” McGeeney said. “He just loves to play and compete. Being able to win faceoffs and control the tempo is critical in this game, as seen by tonight.”
Tennessee has high expectations for the 2025 club season after a successful campaign last year. It will start the 2025 season at home on Feb. 7 against the Florida Gators.
