It’s that time again… and I know I always say it feels like it came too fast! But the regular season is unbelievably already over! And before we get to the post-season, let’s take a quick look back at the players leaving Rocky Top this year, in stats, photos, recollections from coaches when they were recruited, and with the athletes themselves explaining why they chose UT.

Lady Vols first saw Breana Runnels in 2018 when the team faced Colorado State in the NCAA Tournament. Tennessee fell behind in that match 2-0 before staging a comeback over the next three sets. Runnels led both teams in the match in kills (with 21), attacks, and points. In her collegiate career with the Rams, Runnels had 1,404 kills, hit .239, served up 86 aces, dug up 601 balls, put down 193 blocks, and averaged an impressive 4.24 points per set. She had 15 double-doubles at CSU. Runnels was named to multiple Mountain West Preseason, Mountain West All-Conference, and Mountain West Academic All-Conference honors, and was an AVCA All-Region pick in 2019.

Runnels has kept up her pace here in Knoxville. She leads the team in kills and kills per set, attacks and attacks per set, and points and points per set. In just a single season at UT she has already added 11 more double-doubles to her 15 collected at Colorado State.

Breana Runnels almost knocked the Lady Vols out of their last NCAA Tournament appearance. But she’s a big reason why they’ll make their next one!

• CSU Head Coach Tom Hilbert: “Breana has a fantastic arm swing and she does jump well. She’s not a big tall outside hitter, in fact we are getting a little bit smaller with this class. She gets up in the air high enough… She has a very impressive arm and hits extremely hard. She also has a really nice, calm demeanor as she plays. She’s kind of a sleeper in this class and I think she is going to be a contributor pretty early in her career.”

• UT Head Coach Eve Rackham Watt: “We are thrilled to be adding Breana Runnels to our program. Our first introduction to Bre was in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. In her redshirt sophomore year, she had 21 kills and six blocks against us in a fantastic five-set match. She went on to have an unbelievable career at Colorado State. I am glad she will be able to pursue her Master’s degree at Tennessee and join our Lady Vol family.”

• Breana Runnels: “In high school I was really drawn to the volleyball program itself. With the opportunity that was presented to me and the timing, it all fell into place. Everyone had the same energy and passion about the University of Tennessee and being able to be a part of a community that has modeled the support of women’s sports is exciting.”

Nicole Shanahan joined the Lady Vols as a graduate transfer from Wisconsin. She was part of a Badger team that over four seasons made it to the National Championship match, the Final Four, the Elite Eight, and Sweet Sixteen. While she didn’t get a ton of playing time, she made the most of the time she was on the court. She played in 16 matches, and averaged over one kill and one block per match. In her first ever start Shanahan had 6 blocks. In a match vs a ranked Baylor squad, she had 5 blocks.

She continued that effectiveness in Knoxville. While seeing action in 17 matches, she scored points in all but 3. Against a top ten Baylor team this year she bested her total last time out against them putting down 6 blocks. Shanahan averaged 1.17 kills per set, 0.8 blocks per set, and a career best 1.66 points per set this year.

• UW Head Coach Kelly Sheffield: “Nicole will give us much more depth in the middle which I’m excited about. I’ve watched Nicole quite a bit throughout the club season and I really like how hard she works. She works hard to get out and close on the block, and works to get up and available in transition.”

• UT Head Coach Eve Rackham Watt: “We are so excited to welcome Nicole Shanahan to our program. Nicole is a player who comes to us with a lot of high level experience and tremendous work ethic… She also traveled with the Big-10 All-Star Team. I am looking forward to her adding that experience to our team and providing depth in the middle blocker position.”

• Nicole Shanahan: “Tennessee is special to me because I admire the mission behind being a Tennessee Volunteer. I love how the student-athletes give their all for the state of Tennessee every day and demonstrate excellence in all aspects of their life.”

Ava Bell followed Eve Rackham to Knoxville from North Carolina a year after the head coach had taken the reins, and she made an immediate impact. In her third match she hit .875 with 7 kills on eight attacks. Over the next ten matches, she hit over .300 half the time. Her .415 season hitting percentage is second in program history, and just 1/100th of a point from tying the record set in 1983. In the COVID shortened season, she hit over .300 in 12 of 20 matches. She notched 4 solo blocks in two different matches. In her senior season, Bell is once again hitting over .400, something only she and Tennessee Hall of Famer Beverly Robinson have ever done. In 11 matches this year she has hit over .500! For her career, she should finish at the top of UT’s hitting percentage record book. She’s also just become the 15th Lady Vol in the rally-scoring era to block 100 balls in a season — one of the reasons Tennessee currently ranks 3rd in the nation in blocking. Bell herself rates as the 59th top blocker in the NCAA stats.

Bell, originally recruited by Rackham, thankfully made the decision to also make the move to Tennessee. She has been an integral part of making the team the success that it is today.

• UNC Head Coach Joe Sagula: “Ava is a competitor. She is one of the hardest workers in this class and will be able to make an impact early in her career. She has the capability of playing multiple positions, which has become a bit of a staple on our roster. She is explosive with a great arm and has court awareness, which can allow her to compete from the first day she arrives on campus.”

• UT Head Coach Eve Rackham Watt: “We are looking forward to Ava joining us this spring and continuing her career at Tennessee. I feel very fortunate she chose us, and believe she will make a great impact in our program. She is joining a great freshman class, along with a team that has set high expectations for themselves. Ava is a hard working player with a great competitive drive. We are excited about her versatility and what she can bring to our offense. I am looking forward to developing her game further and see her contributing to our success in the SEC and nationally.”

• Ava Bell: “The standard of excellence at Tennessee is what inspires me. I love being around like-minded people who care about working hard to achieve big goals.”

Natalie Hayward may have only been here for two seasons, but on Rocky Top, that is not anything new for a setter! Believe it or not, in the 15 years I’ve been doing this website, Tennessee has had only one four-year player in that position! Thankfully, Hayward came to us from Depaul ready to lead. In her first season here, shortened by COVID, she was just outside the school’s all-time top 20 list for assists per set. Not only that, she hit at .321 clip (27th best at UT all-time), tied for the most service aces on the team, and put her defensive skills to use to pick up 8 double doubles over 20 matches. She hasn’t slowed down this year. He’s currently ranked 23rd in assists in the nation. She just jumped into the UT single season top 20 for total assists, will also make the top 20 for assists per set, and has 12 double-doubles this year. Maybe most impressively, she’s done all that while hitting an incredible .397! If you’ll remember, above I noted only two UT players have ever hit over .400 in a year. Hayward is having one of the top 5 hitting seasons in Tennessee history. UT career-wise, she is on the cusp on reaching the top 10 in assists and assists per set. And in all likelihood, she’ll finish with the 2nd best career hitting percentage of all-time.

Leadership and consistency are so important for the player in charge of running the offense, and they’re something Tennessee hasn’t always had over the years. Thankfully, Hayward has been able to cram so much of both into her two seasons in Knoxville.

• DePaul Head Coach Nadia Edwards: “Natalie was a dual sport athlete who chose volleyball over softball. She is extremely strong as a setter and can set a ball from one end of the court to the other with ease. She has the ability to run a 5-1 faster tempo-offense, is a sound blocker and when needed has proven to be an offensive weapon and top point scorer for her team; showing her versatility and athleticism. We look forward to Natalie coming in and helping to enhance our offensive production this upcoming season.”

• UT Head Coach Eve Rackham Watt: “We are thrilled to welcome Natalie Hayward to the Lady Vol Volleyball program. Natalie has the potential to be a top-notch setter in the SEC, and we feel fortunate that she will be joining us this spring. She will help us in running a stable and consistent offense while providing fantastic intangibles on and off the court.”

• Natalie Hayward: “Tennessee is special to me because it has given me the opportunity to grow, learn, become a better person and has given me the opportunity to be a part of a special group of female athletes rooted in Lady Vol tradition.”