It’s a busy week for Tennessee, with 10 events spanning six sports. ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ will be at Auburn with the Vols as they look to take down the top basketball program.
Jan. 23: Women’s basketball at Texas
The Lady Vols start off the week in Austin, taking on the No. 7 ranked Longhorns (17-2, 4-1 SEC). Tennessee (15-3, 3-3) is coming off a brutal loss to unranked Vanderbilt with a tough stretch in the upcoming season. Although they sit at No. 17 in the rankings, the Lady Vols are 2-3 in their last five games, as they have struggled to close out close games this season. On the bright side, they’ve only lost by four combined points this season.
Texas has been consistent in the rankings, hanging around the No. 5 spot until a three-point loss to No. 2 South Carolina two weeks ago. Aside from the loss, the Longhorns have been dominant, beating No. 18 Alabama by 44 and No. 8 Maryland by 38.
Tennessee leads the all-time series 26-16 despite Texas’ recent attempts to fight back. The Lady Vols are 10-8 in Austin but look to extend their lead in the series.
Jan. 24: Track and field at the Orange and Purple Invite
Tennessee track and field looks to add another impressive outing after a solid performance in Nashville last week. Tennessee finished with a total of eight event titles over two days, including a dominant win in the men’s pole vault competition.
This week, Tennessee will head to South Carolina — the home of the Clemson Tigers. This meet will also be a two-day event, spanning Friday and Saturday.
Jan. 24: Women’s tennis vs. Texas Tech – 1 “T-Credit” opportunity
Women’s tennis will have an opportunity to keep the early-season momentum rolling. The No. 18 Lady Vols are sitting at 2-0, thanks to a 4-3 victory over Wake Forest and a clean 4-0 sweep over East Carolina.
Texas Tech also sits at 2-0, posting sweeps over Xavier and Abilene Christian to start the season. Tennessee is expected to win this match, but the Lady Raiders aren’t going to go down without a fight.
Students who attend this match can earn 1 “T-Credit.”
Jan. 25: Women’s tennis hosts ITA Kickoff Weekend
Following their match against Texas Tech, the Lady Vols will host the second round of the ITA Kickoff weekend here in Knoxville. Although the matchups aren’t set, Tennessee will face either NC State or Ohio State. No matter who they face, this will be the first ranked matchup of the year for the Lady Vols, with NC State coming in at No. 14 and Ohio State at No. 15 in the latest team rankings.
Jan. 25: Men’s basketball at Auburn
The game of the week for Tennessee athletics will be on the road at Auburn. Just a few weeks ago, the Vols held the top spot in the AP poll, with No. 2 Auburn nipping at their heels. Although this won’t be a matchup between No. 1 and No. 2 anymore, it remains a top-10 matchup and the destination of the first ‘College GameDay’ of the season.
The No. 6 Vols (16-2, 3-2 SEC) would love to steal a win away from the Tigers on their home court. Pulling off the upset would certainly help their case at a No. 1 seed come March, as well as getting back into contention for a top spot in the SEC ladder. Meanwhile, Auburn (17-1, 5-0) looks to keep the top spot in the rankings, despite losing star center Johni Broome to an ankle injury. Broome’s availability is questionable as of now but getting him back would be a big factor in this game for the Tigers.
The Vols are 81-45 against Auburn but have had recent struggles. Although Tennessee has won three of the last four, they’re a mere 3-7 against the Tigers since 2018. Neville Arena has been unforgiving to Tennessee, as the Vols are 23-31 on the road and have lost the last four.
Jan. 25: Men’s tennis vs. Illinois – 1 “T-Credit” opportunity
One of ITA’s games to watch this week is here in Knoxville as the No. 13 Vols (2-1) hosts unranked Illinois. The Fighting Illini have yet to officially start their season, but competed well and won a handful of singles matches in the Fighting Illini Invite. In their last outing, the Vols got swept by No. 4 Wake Forest, losing 4-0. They will look to get back in the victory column as they have yet to get into the bulk of their non-conference slate.
If Tennessee defeats Illinois, it will compete for the ITA Kickoff Weekend championship Sunday.
Students that attend this match can earn 1 “T-Credit.”
Jan. 25: Swim and dive vs. Georgia – 1 “T-Credit” opportunity
Swim and dive will be back in action after the Lady Vols easily handled the Arkansas Razorbacks last week, 164-72. Camille Spink had another impressive outing in the win, making her tally nine individual wins this season.
The No. 9 Vols and No. 5 Lady Vols will be in for a good meet, as Georgia has been solid this season. The men’s team comes in at No. 7 while the women’s team is No. 11. Expect to see a dogfight as Tennessee swim and dive looks to add to the win column.
Students who attend this meet can earn 1 “T-Credit.”
Jan. 26: Men’s tennis hosts ITA Kickoff Weekend
The Vols are back in action, hosting either unranked Auburn or No. 25 Michigan for the second game of ITA Kickoff Weekend. This weekend will also be an opportunity for Tennessee to achieve one of its goals, which is qualifying for the Indoor National Championships.
Jan. 27: Women’s basketball vs. South Carolina – 1 “T-Credit” opportunity
The Lady Vols will have another tough opponent, although this time at home. The No. 2 Gamecocks (18-1, 6-0 SEC) are continuing their winning ways after winning the national championship last season.
These two teams are familiar foes, especially after the events of last season. South Carolina swept the Lady Vols, going 3-0 in the span of a month. The most memorable of the three came in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament, where the Gamecocks took a 74-73 victory off a last-second three by Kamilla Cardoso to advance to the title game.
Although the Lady Vols have struggled recently, they still lead the series 51-16. Since 2018, the Gamecocks are 10-1, including a 3-1 record at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tennessee is riding a seven-game losing streak but looks to make a mark in the first matchup of the Kim Caldwell era.
Students who attend this game can earn 1 “T-Credit.”
Jan. 28: Men’s basketball vs. Kentucky – 1 “T-Credit” opportunity
The Vols round out the week for athletics, this time hosting the No. 9 Wildcats (14-4, 3-2 SEC). It’ll be a tough week for the No. 6 Vols, playing back-to-back top-10 matchups, but at least they’ll get this one at home.
Kentucky has historically dominated the Vols, only allowing Tennessee to snag 78 wins in their 239 total meetings. The Vols have tried to right the ship in recent years, but it’s been a back-and-forth series, with both teams winning five of the last 10 meetings. Tennessee is just below .500 at home with a 53-59 record.
Students who attend this game can earn 1 “T-Credit.”
