With the new year underway, Tennessee athletics is delivering a full slate of events across multiple sports. Most notably, the Vols will continue SEC play in men’s basketball as they look to stay atop the polls.
Here’s a look at the action for the week.
Jan. 8: Men’s tennis Orange and White Scrimmage
Men’s tennis will begin the week. This scrimmage will serve as a warmup for the team since the last action they saw came in November. Fans will be able to watch the No. 13 Vols compete before their first official match of the season later this week.
Jan. 9: Women’s basketball vs. LSU
The No. 16 Lady Vols (13-1, 1-1 SEC) will be back in action for the first time since their heartbreaking loss to No. 9 Oklahoma last week. Despite facing a 16-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter, they were nearly able to pull off the comeback but missed what would’ve been the game-winning shot with less than 10 seconds left.
This game will be a test to see how well Tennessee can bounce back. The No. 6 Tigers (17-0, 2-0) haven’t missed a step after losing key pieces in the off-season, with Flau’Jae Jackson and Aneesah Morrow stepping up to lead LSU. The Tigers are undefeated heading into this matchup, but the Lady Vols have begun to show they can hang with the top teams, especially at home.
Tennessee is 53-19 against LSU all-time, and 23-5 against them at home. Despite the Lady Vols dominating the series early, neither team can get an upper hand as of late.
Jan. 10: Women’s tennis at Texas Invitational
The No. 18 Lady Vols tennis team will hit the road for a highly anticipated matchup against unranked Texas in Austin. This will be the first matchup between these two teams since 2010 when the Lady Vols won 4-1. This time around, they’ll have plenty of firepower for both singles and doubles. Elza Tomase and Catherine Aulia have been stellar for Tennessee, with both qualifying for the NCAA Championships in singles and doubles.
Tennessee is a mere 2-11 against the Longhorns but won the last two matches. This time, Tennessee will be a strong favorite and will be expecting dominance in this conference matchup.
Jan. 10: Indoor track and field at Texas A&M
The indoor track and field season picks up in steam with five meets in January. The first of which will take place in College Station as Texas A&M hosts the McFerrin 12 Degree Invitational.
The meet will be streamed on SEC Network+.
Jan. 11: Men’s tennis vs. Tennessee Tech and Belmont
Tennessee men’s tennis will face off against Tennessee Tech and Belmont at home to begin the spring slate of matches. This will begin the No. 13 Vols’ brutal non-conference slate, which features teams like No. 2 TCU, No. 4 Wake Forest and No. 24 Michigan State.
Getting a chance to knock down two in-state opponents will be good for Tennessee, as it has a long and hard road ahead before opening SEC play against Mississippi State on Feb. 21.
Jan. 11: Swim and dive at Alabama
Swim and dive team will travel to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama for a top-15 matchup for men’s and women’s. With both teams among the nation’s best, this will be a competitive meet early in the spring season.
Neither the Lady Vols nor Vols have competed since mid-December against Kentucky, where the women dominated but the men lost due to missing several key swimmers. This will be a good chance to get the spring slate started on a strong note and make a statement.
Jan. 11: Men’s basketball at Texas
The men’s basketball team will head to Austin for a SEC showdown with unranked Texas (11-4, 0-2 SEC). The No. 1 Vols (14-1, 1-1) are looking to keep the top spot while No. 2 Auburn nips at their heels. Although Texas is unranked, the Vols will need to keep focused, especially after the result of the Florida game.
Tennessee is 5-4 against the Longhorns, including a win in the second round of March Madness last season. The Vols are 1-1 at Texas but look to make it a winning record.
Jan. 12: Women’s basketball at Arkansas
The Lady Vols will travel to Fayetteville for their second SEC road trip of the year. This time, they’ll face the Arkansas Razorbacks (7-10, 0-2 SEC). The Razorbacks have been subpar to say the least, losing by over 30 points to each LSU and Texas this season.
Tennessee will be expected to win this game to extend its win streak over Arkansas to six. The Lady Vols are 35-5 against the Razorbacks and an astounding 15-3 in Fayetteville.
