Baseball
It has been an interesting season for the Diamond Vols. With 18 incoming freshmen and only two seniors, a 13-12 (3-5 SEC) record isn’t at all surprising, but is clearly a little disappointing for head coach Dave Serrano.
“As a newer group we are still doing things that are not allowing us to win games and that is what is disappointing,” Serrano said “… There are a lot of details where we are coming up short and not allowing us to be successful.”
Football
Offensive line coach Don Mahoney said it best when he said, “We have to play better. We didn’t win enough in the past.”
The Tennessee Volunteers have had a few rough seasons, lacking the winning records so necessary to compete in the SEC. With an entirely new head coach and staff, the bar of expectations and the pressure to succeed are both higher than ever before.
“We have to play better with more depth,” Mahoney said. “Yes it is experience, since I’ve got here it’s been, ‘how many guys are back,’ and we do. They’re solid players. But they have to play better than they did a year ago. Last year wasn’t good enough. It’s a challenge for me, it’s a challenge for them. I hit it home to them every chance I get. It wasn’t good enough and we have play beyond that. We have to work that much harder to do things better than we did a year ago.”
First-year head coach Butch Jones said he already sees progress as the team begins the 2013-2014 season with spring practice.
“I am starting to see small steps,” Jones said. “We’re taking those incremental small steps, but you start to see individuals doing what we’re coaching in terms of bodying a body down the field. Again, we have to generate more turnovers on defense and then our quarterbacks have to do a better job of taking care of the football. … So I see it happening in small dosages, but it’s there. It’s encouraging to see that.”
Rowing
The Lady Vol rowing team has taken off full steam ahead. The team placed first in two races against No. 18 Louisville on Saturday. They will be heading to Columbus, Ohio, to face Ohio State University and the University of Michigan next week.
Softball
At 29-6 overall and 6-3 in their conference, these Lady Vols won’t be easily stopped. The Lady Vols have met win after win, riding the wave of success all season. Ellen and Ivy Renfroe, Lauren Gibson and Raven Chavanne all add a sense of maturity and talent to the team, but the freshmen and sophomore class leave nothing to be desired.
Their next game is Monday against Western Carolina at 6:00 p.m.
Women’s Soccer
The team went 14-5-3 (9-3-1 SEC) for the 2012 season but they didn’t stop there. The Lady Vols continue to work together as a team in an effort to further support the community.
On March 16, the team went to the Amherst indoor soccer facilities to participate in TOPSoccer (The Outreach Program for Soccer). There they had an opportunity to help coach soccer for children with disabilities and work one-on-one with the children during individual training sessions.
“As a staff, we are fortunate to have a group of players so committed to reaching out and giving back to many different members of the community,” head coach Brian Pensky said. “To varying degrees, we are all guilty of getting bogged down and lost in the daily minutia of our own lives. Seeing the challenges that many of these individuals face leaves us all feeling extremely thankful and grateful for all of the ways in which we are blessed.”
Junior midfielder Tori Bailey said her main goal was to put a smile those kids’ faces.
“TOPSoccer provided us with a great opportunity to reach out and connect with children in our community,” she said.
Volleyball
The team recently traveled to Johnson City as a part of their spring practice for the 2013 season. There, the Lady Vols participated in a day of drills and scrimmages at ETSU.
Their 2012 season ended with a record of 22-8 (15-5 SEC) and their program record fifth-consecutive NCAA Tournament bid.
Cross Country/ Track and Field
The UT track and field team finished up its second week of outdoor competition at the 86th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays and the Raleigh Relays on Saturday. The men’s and women’s teams completed the weekend with a total of 21 personal records and 31 top-10 finishes.
Three Lady Vol relays posted top-three finishes at the Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, N.C. Led by senior Nijgia Snapp, UT’s 4×800-meter relay managed a second-place finish and broke a Raleigh Relays record in the process. They crossed the line in 8 minutes, 35.06 seconds. The relay team was comprised of Snapp, freshman Alexis Panisse and juniors Kianna Ruff and Brittney Jackson.
Golf
The No. 27 Tennessee men’s golf team took a break from their season and teamed up with the First Tee of Greater Knoxville on Wednesday.
A non-profit organization, the First Tee of Greater Knoxville at Williams Creek works to help build character and invest in their lives through the game of golf.
First Tee’s program director, Reggie Newton, and UT head coach Jim Kelson worked together to provide the opportunity for both the youth and the team. They led the First Tee kids through a 45 minute classroom discussion and then a 45 minute on-course instructional session.
“The (UT) men’s golf team has been gracious enough to come out here and be great role model for these kids,” Newton said. “The kids listen to these athletes because they have been through the things these kids want to do. These kids want to go to college. They want to play at a high level. So it’s a great opportunity for these kids to see what their future could be.”
The Lady Vols were busy competing this past weekend but failed to produce the results they were hoping for. The team competed in the Bryan National Collegiate in Greensboro, N.C.
“We are in a bit of a funk right now and making some uncharacteristic mistakes that are leading to high scores,” head coach Judi Pavon said.
Swimming & Diving
Junior Tori Lamp and a record-setting relay gave the Lady Vols their highest finish in the national meet in program history.
The team finished third at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. They followed Georgia and California with 325.5 points, closely followed by Texas A&M, who had 323.5.
“You just have to look at the smiles and tears on our team’s faces, and that’s worth it to me,” Tennessee head coach Matt Kredich said. “… “I’m thrilled to be part of Tennessee, and we want all of Tennessee nation to be proud of this team.”
Dave Parrington was named the National Diving Coach of the Year and Lamp was named the National Diver of the Year. She was the only competitor to reach the finals in all three diving events, taking second on platform Saturday night.
“I’m shell-shocked right now to be perfectly honest,” Parrington said. “Just a credit to my divers. Tori did a fantastic job tonight and had an incredible week. She and Jodie (McGroarty) have trained for this all season, and put it together when it mattered most.”
The Tennessee men ended 16th in the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. They finished with 59 team points.
“We struggled at the beginning,” associate coach Tyler Fenwick said. “We hadn’t had many guys who have been here before. We had a low, low point to start the meet, but these guys showed tremendous characters and tremendous resilience the last day and a half. They’ve been on fire, and I think they learned a lot.”
Tennis
The No. 5 men’s tennis team holds a 17-5 (2-1 SEC) record, finding a way to come out on top game after game. Head coach Sam Winterbotham said he’s just hoping to see the team come together for an entire match.
“Looking around, we were in a whole world of hurt, we’re just finding ways to win,” Winterbotham said. “I’m waiting for six guys to show up on the right day, but we are finding enough guys to show up to give us a chance.”
The No. 23 Lady Vols haven’t met with the same success. The team is 8-7 (5-3 SEC) overall as they prepare for their Friday matchup against conference rival Arkansas.
