• I’ve been working hard to get everything on the site ready for 2015. So far the schedule, archives, and stats pages are ready to go. Everything else should be up and running soon!
• The Preseason AVCA Coaches Poll was released about a week ago. Two of Tennessee’s upcoming opponents made the cut and three others are receiving votes: #4 Florida, #15 Kentucky, #30 Texas A&M, #34 Alabama, and #40 LSU.
• The official site has an article about new UT assistant coach Jen Malcom. “I’m here to win. I’m here to make a difference and help get us back on track. That’s what brought me to Tennessee.”
• As I said at the end of last season, Knoxville volleyball is on the rise. More proof? Local high schoolers have been recruited by colleges of all sizes for years now. Recently a few have even been recruited by some of the bigger schools like Louisville, Florida, and Tennessee. But just in the last few months alone, at least five Knoxville-area players have signed to attend big-name Division I schools like Nebraska, Clemson, and South Carolina. Congrats to the players mentioned here and here!
• A few former Lady Vols have left the team during the past year for several various reasons. At least two of them are still playing, so check out these links if you want to continue following their careers: Ashley Mariani (Iowa) and Jamie Lea (Loyola Marymount).
• While I’m still not the sport’s biggest fan, at least they finally got the name right! The NCAA announced recently that their newest (and ninetieth) championship sport will be beach — not sand — volleyball, starting in 2016.
• For those interested in the wider college athletics topic of schools paying full cost of attendance stipends to student-athletes, check out this article from USA Today which breaks down how the new rule is effecting schools around the country. Closer to home, the Knoxville News-Sentinel has details on UT specifically.
• Be sure to follow the new Tennessee social media links listed in the sidebar, as the team is already posting photos, videos, info, and more!
• On a personal note, over the years I’ve been doing this website I’ve occasionally done the proud dad thing and kept you guys up to date on my daughter and her volleyball teams. (And some of you I’ve met have even been polite enough to ask how she’s doing so I can continue to brag in person!) Ever since she started as a third grader I’ve looked forward to hopefully one day seeing her play in high school. And the year has finally come! She just started ninth grade. But there is some good news and some bad news. The good news is earlier this year we found out she was going to be given the opportunity to switch from the high school we thought she was going to attend, to another school with a more demanding academic bent — and which made the just released 2015 Newsweek America’s Top High Schools list. The bad news is they don’t have a volleyball team. Still a proud dad, but for different reasons!