Kayla Jeter started at Tennessee as part of the class of 2011. Going into what should have been her senior season, the 2010 All-American was the team’s indisputable leader after Lady Vol legend Nikki Fowler graduated the year before. The conference coaches named her to the All-SEC Preseason Team. She was a finalist for the national Senior CLASS Award. And she was the star of the promotional department’s annual volleyball poster. But a little over a week before the first game the unthinkable happened. Kayla landed funny after a jump and heard a pop in her knee.
Tennessee usually has open practices and I like to attend one before the beginning of each season to put faces with names, see what the newcomers can do, and watch how the team is coming together. It was just a coincidence that the scrimmage I attended was on the same day Kayla got her test results and the news was not good. After a rough practice where Rob Patrick didn’t seem completely pleased with how things were going, the coaches gathered the players to the visitors bench and told them that the young woman they expected to lead them that year would miss the season with a torn ACL. The team took the news as well as could be expected but it was clear they were upset for their teammate.
That could have been the end of the story. Kayla was set to graduate in a few months and no one would have blamed her for taking care of herself, finishing school, and moving on with her life. But if you read any of the many interviews she’s done over the past year then you know that’s not who she is and that wasn’t how she was going to go out.
After surgery Jeter threw herself into rehab, and spent the season giving the team whatever support they needed. Her positive attitude in the face of adversity had to have been infectious. What at first looked to be a season of lost promise turned into one of the best seasons in program history. And I’m sure a big part of that was because Kayla knew that you don’t have to set foot on the court to lead your team.
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Jasmine Brown is Tennessee’s go-to serving and defensive specialist. The libero needs some back up in the back row? Chances are good Jasmine will get the call. UT serving for match point? Rob Patrick makes the substitution and puts the game is Jasmine’s hands. That’s the sure-handed and steady 5’8” defensive minded Tennessee-native Lady Vols have come to know over the past four years. But what we haven’t seen are her offensive capabilities — unless you were in Siesta Key, Florida in April 2010, that is.
Jasmine’s all-around skills were on display in high school, where she ended her career with a triple double — 14 kills, 31 assists, and 20 digs, along with 3 aces and 2 blocks — on route to winning her team’s second state championship. Add in her two track and field individual state championships, and her status as an elite athlete is sealed. But for many shorter prep stars moving to the college ranks, the back row becomes their new volleyball home as the front row is the domain of the six-foot players.
As I previously mentioned in Leslie Cikra’s story yesterday, I’ve been lucky enough to use this website as an excuse to make it to a lot of matches played outside Knoxville. And the most unique events I attended were the three SEC sand tournaments Tennessee played in. Besides being the final one UT participated in, the 2010 edition had some other memorable aspects. After celebrating her senior night in the fall, Kylie Marshall made a surprise return to the court to fill in for another player. Kylann Scheidt, who had finished high school a semester early to enroll at Tennessee in the spring made her Lady Vol “debut” on the sand rather than indoors. And Nikki Fowler and Kayla Jeter went 8-0 in pool play. But my biggest memory of that day is being astonished watching Jasmine Brown soaring all over the court. She was everywhere! Not only diving for digs, but getting above the net to block and raring back to attack. She was absolutely amazing to watch!
That was two and a half years ago. And ever since then I’ve had a secret wish that one day the Lady Vols would run out of substitutions while Jasmine was in the back row and she would be forced to rotate up front. With the increased subs alowed this season I’ve given up hope, but man if we weren’t close during that wild Florida match a few weeks ago!
There are a few photos from that event along with some others from her career below, but be sure to check out this page (click “Mahoney & Brown”) to view all of them. You’ll see a side of this senior you’ve never seen before — that I am so glad I got to see in person!
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I assumed two more wins this past weekend would surely move the Lady Vols at least to #25 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll. But I should have known better. Tennessee, winner of twelve of their last thirteen, seven in a row, and a road win over #13 — stays put at an unofficial #27. And like last season, the AVCA has quietly removed what was supposed to be next week’s final regular season poll from their list of upcoming polls, meaning this ranking will stand until December 18th! With the Lady Vols up to an impressive #15 in the RPI, we could be in the odd situation of having one of the sixteen NCAA Tournament seeds not being ranked by the coaches!
My choice of which senior to start posting photos of today looks prescient! Congratulations to Leslie Cikra on winning the SEC Offensive Player of the Week award! Oddly, it’s only the second such conference honor of the All-American’s career.
Around this time each year since I started the site I’ve done an almost game by game look back at each senior (here’s an example). It’s a laborious process that, while somewhat enjoyable for a guy that loves the numbers as much as me, takes up a lot of time — especially for a dry piece I doubt a lot of people read past the first paragraph or two due to the relentless recitation of statistic after statistic! This year I thought I’d do something different. I haven’t missed a home game in six years now, and I’m also lucky enough to make it to a lot more away games than most fans, so I’ve seen these young women play probably more than anyone not on the UT staff. So instead of recapping a career with a litany of numbers you can read elsewhere yourself, I thought I’d instead post some of my photos and share a quick story about each player.
While I’m obviously a huge fan of everyone at Tennessee, sometimes a player for whatever reason grabs my attention more than another. I don’t interact with the players directly very much, but the very first time I spoke to Leslie her sophomore year she told me her family liked my website. That didn’t have anything to do with her becoming one of my favorite players on the team. (Though it probably didn’t hurt either!) No, what endeared her to me, very similarly to Chloe Goldman before her, was her ardor on the court. When she plays her emotions — good and bad — come through and it’s fun to watch a player that doesn’t mind showing her enthusiasm and intensity. Now, this year that’s got her into a little trouble a few times! But as long as she remembers to turn to her teammates before celebrating an impressive solo block she’ll be fine!
Recently, while looking for quotes from the players when they were in high school or freshmen at UT I came across one from Leslie where she talked about how supportive her family has been throughout her volleyball career. I’ve got to know them over the years she has been here and I can confirm, yes — they love the website! And yes, they are very supportive of her. She’s lucky to have people like that behind her. And we were lucky to have her wearing that orange and white uniform for four years.
UPDATE: The full size images are now online here:
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The Lady Vols picked up their 10th sweep of the season, this time vs LSU (25-20, 25-19, 25-21), on a day where the team saluted the seniors. More soon.
After posting 20 kills in a five set match two days ago, Leslie Cikra again led the team with an even more impressive 17 kill effort in a three set match, hitting .347. Kelsey Robinson picked up her 47th career double double (and her 13th in a three set match) with 11 kills and 16 digs. Kayla Jeter had 9 kills, 5 digs, and 2 blocks. DeeDee Harrison had 6 kills, hit .500, and had 2 blocks. Oliva Okoro led the team with 5 blocks. Mary Pollmiller earned her 25th double double (and 6th in a three set match) with 38 assists and 10 digs. Bianca Arellano added in 4 more assists. Ellen Mullins led the team with 19 digs — an impressive average of 6.34 per set! And Nikki Brice added in 4 more.
With the win, the Lady Vols have ensured a season with less than ten losses. It’s just the 10th time in school history they’ve done that. And — appropriately enough since they clinched the feat on senior day — the class of 2012 is the first class at Tennessee to have four seasons with single digit losses each year.
While it may have been the smallest home crowd of the year, some special people came to give the seniors a send off. With at least five former players, two former assistant coaches, and a former head coach in the crowd, UT could have almost fielded an alumni team complete with staff!
UT STORY & VIDEOS | BOX SCORE | LSU STORY
In their 10th five set match of the year, Tennessee beat a tough Auburn team (23-25, 25-20, 29-31, 25-19, 15-6). More soon.
The team picked up their 20th win for the fifth year in a row. And Rob Patrick earns another win in his 500th career match.
Leslie Cikra led the team with a career best tying 20 kills. Three players picked up double doubles: Kelsey Robinson with 15 kills and 13 digs, Kayla Jeter with 12 kills and 13 digs, and Mary Pollmiller with 59 assists and 11 digs. With 11 for DeeDee Harrison and 10 for Olivia Okoro, five different players had double digit kills in the same match — a feat the team has only matched one other time in the past eight years. Harrison led the team with 6 blocks, 3 of them solo. Okoro was right behind with 5 total blocks, while Jeter had 4. Robinson 3, and Cikra 2. Ellen Mullins led the match with 28 digs. And Bianca Arellano and Pollmiller each had 2 aces.
Tennessee matched their school record high for total five set matches played set in 1991 with 10. The team adds another notch to their already record high for most five set matches won in a season with their 8th victory. In fact this team has won more five set matches than they played all year in 28 of the last 33 seasons!
While I don’t have as many photos of our last senior, there is plenty about her and her time before she donned the orange and white in the archives. DeeDee Harrison was a multi-sport athlete in high school, lettering in volleyball, basketball, and softball. She made All-State her senior year and played in the state All-Star game as well. PrepVolleyball named her the 63rd top recruit in the county.
PrepVolleyball: “Harrison, the 10-4 toucher with unlimited potential. Her length and speed will make her a tough match-up once she sees the court in Knoxville.”
Coach Rob Patrick: “DeeDee could be the most physical net player that we have on our team. Her length, along with the power that she has in attacking the ball, are going to make her a formidable blocker and attacker. She needs to develop her skill level a little more to realize her full potential, but, seeing how far she has come since beginning to focus on volleyball just a couple of years ago, we have complete faith that she can become the player that we envision.”
DeeDee Harrison, on which match she’s looking most forward to: “Florida. I keep hearing about how exciting it is to play them and that it is always a great atmosphere.” On her goals for the season: “Obviously, last year [2007] did not go quite as planned, so we have been working very hard to get back to the level of success that Tennessee is used to.”
PrepVolleyball: “Like future Lady Vol teammate, Kayla Jeter, Harrison brings an athletic pedigree to Knoxville. Her father played college football at Vanderbilt and was Gary Jeter’s teammate with the Los Angeles Rams. Her older brother, David, is a center for the NBA’s Indiana Pacers. The first in-state recruit for Tennessee in some time, Harrison has the potential to be a force with her 10-3 vertical. Although a newcomer to the club scene, Harrison has quickly become a factor at the net, yet still has loads of room for improvement. With 12 brothers and sisters, Deedee will not be the last of the Harrison Family to make a mark on collegiate athletics.”
Patrick: “DeeDee is an extremely athletic player who has just started concentrating on volleyball over her last two years of high school We have been very successful when taking great athletes like DeeDee and helping them become great volleyball players. We feel that DeeDee’s potential will help our team match up physically with anybody in the country. She will be a force at the net, both blocking and attacking. She is already touching 10’3″ and that will only increase as she goes through our skills training and strength and conditioning program at Tennessee. Her potential is unlimited.”
Harrison: “Growing up in a family as big as mine you can’t have a small voice. With our family greatly involved in sports it made the atmosphere of everything you do competitive. Basketball was actually my first passion. It wasn’t until my junior year that I really picked up volleyball. What I like about volleyball is that it is really intense. Every ball means something during the game. When I visited Tennessee for the first time, I enjoyed the way everyone treated me, and it definitely felt like a home away from home.”
Two down, two to go on our tour through the archives looking back at the seniors as they were before donning the orange and white. Kayla Jeter helped her high school earn four district titles, three conference crowns, and a state tournament regional championship. She was named to the All-State team three times. PrepVolleyball named her the 67th top recruit in the country and she was also an AVCA High School All-American.
Kayla Jeter: “Coming from Ohio everyone goes to Ohio State or Michigan or [Ohio] and I was recruited by them but I just wanted something different. So I went to Tennessee for a visit and it just all clicked.”
Coach Rob Patrick: “Kayla is somebody I believe will have an opportunity to vie for playing time very early in her career. Although she is already a great athlete who plays at the 10-foot level, I think she is a more skilled volleyball player than most people give her credit for. She will have the skill level coming in to be a six-rotation player for us during her first year. She is another player who, athletically, will allow us to match up with the top teams in the country.”
PrepVolleyball: “Jeter comes from an athletic background. Her father, Gary, was an All-American defensive tackle for USC, a Top 5 draft pick, and played in the NFL for over a decade with the Giants and Rams. Like her father, Kayla Jeter is extremely powerful. Combined with a vertical that sends her flying beyond 10 feet, that’s a tough combination for defenses to handle. Jeter burst onto the club scene last spring as an outside hitter after playing in the middle the year before. Her great ball control and powerful blasts from the left side will have the fans in Tennessee singing Rocky Top for years to come.”
Jeter, on what match she is most excited about: “Just from hearing the rest of the team and how excited they get, I am most looking forward to our matches against LSU, Georgia and, of course, Florida.”
Patrick: I think Kayla is one of the most underrated players in the 2008 recruiting class. She is one of the strongest freshmen that I have ever worked with and is more skilled in her back-row play than people give her credit for. She is not only a tremendous athlete, but a very good volleyball player who can correct mistakes with her physical prowess. She will provide us with a terminator at the outside hitter position very early in her career.
PrepVolleyball: “Jeter is a six-rotation player who soars. Her booming spikes and athletic digs should make her a hit with fans in Knoxville.”
Jeter, on what she likes most about Knoxville and UT: “Everyone here is really accepting and welcoming. They make sure that you know that they are here to support you and help you in any way that they can.”
- The Lady Vols are 28-13-1 all-time vs Auburn. Tennessee is 8-2 in the last ten vs the Tigers, and 9-1 in their last ten in Knoxville.
- Tennessee is 20-33 vs LSU all-time. The team is 4-6 in their last ten vs the Tigers, and 6-4 in their last 10 at home.
- Rob Patrick will coach his 500th match Friday vs Auburn. Already the winningest coach in UT history, Patrick is 339-160 (.679) all-time.
- Tennessee is just a single victory away from their 20th win of the season. It would be their 21st 20+ win season, their 10th of Coach Patrick’s tenure, and their 5th in a row.
- Tennessee is just a single victory away from guaranteeing a season with 10 or fewer losses. It would be their 14th such season in program history, their 10th under Coach Patrick, and their 5th in a row.
- For the first time in recent memory the conference winner might be determined prior to the final week of the season. Florida can clinch a share of the SEC title this weekend with a win over LSU on Friday or South Carolina on Sunday. They would win the championship outright if they win both.
- Before becoming the head coach at Auburn, Rick Nold was the head coach of Jacksonville State. He led the team to their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2005 — a loss in Knoxville to eventual Final Four member Tennessee.
This Sunday is senior day at Tennessee. While I’ll have a lot more individual information about the four women leaving us in other posts over the next week, here are a few other details:
- With four more wins, the 2012 seniors would be the first four-year class since 1984 to win 100 matches in their career. Until the mid-1980’s, UT played many more games in a season than today (the 1980 team played 57 matches!), making the current potential achievement even more impressive.
- The 2012 seniors could lose three more matches this year and still have the fewest losses of any four-year class in school history. Three losses or less would also make them the only four-year class at UT to never have a season with double digit losses.
- Tennessee is 8-2 in their last ten senior day matches. That total includes six sweep wins. The Lady Vols have faced LSU twice on senior day since Coach Patrick took the helm and recorded two 3-0 victories.
highest ranked team middle ranked team lowest ranked team
SEC TEAM CONFERENCE RANKINGS COMPARISON TEAMS ACES ASSISTS BLOCKS DIGS HIT% KILLS OPP HIT% 11th 3rd 3rd 2nd 4th 3rd 3rd 10th 2nd 4th 3rd 7th 4th 2nd 13th 5th 7th 1st 9th 5th 7th
TOP PERFORMERS – SEC INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCE RANKINGS ACES Kelsey Robinson
15th (0.23)Ciara Richard
15th (0.23)Malorie Pardo &
Meghan Mannari
23rd (0.20)ASSISTS Mary Pollmiller
4th (10.49)Santos Raymariely
8th (10.25)Malorie Pardo
6th (10.47)BLOCKS DeeDee Harrison
2nd (1.23)Camila Jersonsky
4th (1.08)Khourtni Fears
8th (0.98)DIGS Ellen Mullins
3rd (4.87)Sarah Bullock
12th (3.77)Sam Delahoussaye
15th (3.46)HITTING % DeeDee Harrison
15th (.292)Camila Jersonsky
2nd (.370)Desiree Elliott
14th (.292)KILLS Kelsey Robinson
1st (4.73)Sarah Bullock
9th (3.56)Madie Jones
4th (3.94)POINTS Kelsey Robinson
2nd (4.63)Sarah Bullock
9th (4.08)Desiree Elliott
6th (4.23)
On top of everything I’ve gotten behind on, I’ve also slacked off this season on keeping up with recruit news. Apologies! I will be sure to do an update soon. Until then, here is today’s news: congratulations to Bridgette Villano, a libero from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, who was named an honorable mention on the AVCA Under Armour Girls’ High School All-America list.
Today we continue digging through the archives to take a look back at the seniors as they were before ever donning the orange and white. Jasmine Brown joined UT in 2009 along with current senior Leslie Cikra. She was a three sport athlete in high school, lettering all four years in volleyball, track, and basketball. She helped lead her team to two state championships, winning the tournament MVP award her senior year, along with recognition from PrepVolleyball on their High School All American Highest Honorable Mention list. In addition to her volleyball championships, she also claimed individual state titles in track with the triple-jump and the 300m hurdles.
Coach Rob Patrick: “Jasmine may be one of the most athletic players on our team the moment she walks in the door. She has a wide range of athletic abilities, as shown by her prowess in both volleyball and track and field during her high school career. Although she will be behind a little bit experience-wise this season, I think that her athleticism will allow her to catch up quickly. I’m very excited to get her in the gym, so that we can help her improve skill-wise, and feel that she will develop into a player that will be able to help us at both the defensive specialist and setting positions.”
Jasmine Brown: “I expect myself to get better. I have a lot of learning to do because I came into this position [defensive specialist] without much experience. But I’m excited to be here and to work at it.”
Patrick: “Here was this great athlete who had no (club) experience. We watched her play and thought in a year or two she would be a great volleyball player. But she has developed a lot sooner than we thought. She is very coachable, I’m really proud of her.”
Brown: “I wasn’t really sure of what I had gotten myself into before I arrived here, and I was scared out of my mind. When I got here, though, I found out that I had nothing to be afraid of. All the coaches and girls were very nice and encouraging. Specifically Kylie (Marshall) and Farren (Powe). They helped me with all the questions I had about Tennessee. The retreat last week gave me a great chance to bond with my teammates, and that really helped me transition better. I was able to get closer to the girls and open up. Practices have been tough and very demanding, but tough and demanding was what I expected. With the help of all the coaches and my teammates I feel like I have improved greatly over the course of the first two weeks! I really, really like it here, I love Tennessee and I’m really glad that I was given a chance to be a part of the Lady Vol volleyball program.”
I’m always surprised when I realize we’ve reached the week before senior night, and with my recent hiatus it just seems to be here even sooner. Over the final two weeks of the regular season we’ll be looking back at the careers of the four women leaving us after four — or five — years on Rocky Top.
This week we’ll dig through the archives and take a look back at the seniors as they were before ever donning the orange and white — their high school and club accomplishments, what they and others said before they hit the checkerboard court, thoughts on their arrival at UT, and maybe some photos if I have them.
First up is Leslie Cikra, who joined UT in 2009 along with current senior Jasmine Brown, and former players Natalie Guerra and Rebekah Smith. She was the #11 ranked recruit in the country according to PrepVolleyball.com, and was the highest ranked player ever to sign with UT at that time. In high school she was an All-State player her senior year and was named to the Under Armour All-America Second Team. She helped lead her club team to three top ten finishes at nationals.
Cikra’s high school coach Dan Kerul: “I’ve had the good fortune of coaching Cikra for five years. Back then, she was just a really tall person and she was very raw. Her strength and coordination were not there. Now everything has come together for her. She’s pretty strong and pretty quick. She’s still pretty slender and I’m sure [at Tennessee] they will add meat to her bones and more agility.”
PrepVolleyball.com: “Put some meat on Leslie Cikra’s bones and Tennessee might have an attack dog on their roster.”
Coach Rob Patrick: “I am very excited about Leslie’s potential. She will add a lot of length and athleticism to our program next year, which is quite a statement when you look at who we will have returning on our roster. Leslie also has a great attitude and has really taken her game up a notch over the past year while playing for the Renaissance Volleyball Club out of Cleveland. She has really received some great coaching and we feel like she will be able to come in and immediately play at a high level for us.”
Leslie Cikra: The weather [in Tennessee] is great and the athletic department is awesome. They have separate athletic directors for men’s and women’s athletics, and that was important to me. And academically, it’s outstanding. My dad played football at Cathedral Latin with Kayla [Jeter’s] dad and I got to talk to Kayla before I made my visit. I feel it’s just a great fit for me. They recruited me as a middle/right-side hitter but they have two big hitters coming in as freshmen. There’s a possibility I’ll be an outside hitter when I get there.”
PrepVolleyball.com: “Cikra is a long, fluid, energetic competitor. Capable of playing any front-row attacking position, she has spent much of her time in the middle and on the right-side. Cikra, however, is a capable receiver and back-court defender and as she develops and gains strength and experience, her future may be on the left side. Her size, movement skills, offensive versatility, and competitive energy make her, potentially, one of the elite recruits in this class.”
Patrick: “Leslie is a multi-dimensional front-row player who can play either right-side, outside hitter or middle blocker and is already touching 10’4″ even before going through our strength and conditioning program. She can play any of the three front-row positions effectively, can hit every tempo set and has the ability to hit off either one or two feet. She should make an immediate impact on our team.”
Cikra: “UT has been just what I expected. We are all working really hard, and it’s a lot of fun. Preseason has been tough, but it’s definitely worth it because we are all working towards a common goal of the SEC championship. Everyone drives and motivates each other to get better, which makes the practices even better. There has been a lot of good competition during practice and it gets better every day. The team has been awesome in helping with the transition. They are all really motivating and help us out so much in practice, with understanding plays and defenses. We had a lot of time to get close while we stayed in preseason dorms and it gave everyone an opportunity to get closer. I am really excited to see how our preseason tournaments go in the next few weeks with all the work we have been putting in towards being successful this season.”
- Tennessee is now 40-6 all-time vs Mississippi and 35-25 vs South Carolina. UT has nine-match winning streaks over both opponents. The Lady Vols are 23-2 vs the Rebels since 1996, and are 17-3 over the Gamecocks since 2003.
- The Lady Vols have won 10 of their last 11 matches, and have swept 6 of their last 8.
- The team is currently 9-2 in three set matches, 3-2 in four set matches, and 7-2 in five set matches.
- The Lady Vols completed their regular season road schedule this weekend. Their away-from-home non-post-season record of 13-3 is the third best of the past decade. Only the SEC Champion 2004 squad’s 15-1 record and last season’s SEC Champion road record of 14-3 were better.
- Over the team’s 10-1 stretch dating back to October 5th, Ellen Mullins has been stellar on defense — she’s averaged 5.40 digs per set in those eleven matches. Mullins is having the fifth best overall season in school history with 4.49 digs per set.
- Half way through their November schedule Tennessee is 4-0. The team has not lost more than one match in November since 2007.
- Since the move to a 20 match SEC schedule in 2006, the Lady Vols have matched or exceeded their first half record every season but the first. With just four conference games remaining, they are on track to keep the streak going in the final year of the 20 match SEC season.
FIRST 10 SEC GAMES LAST 10 SEC GAMES 2006 6-4 ↓ 4-6 2007 3-7 ↔ 3-7 2008 6-4 ↑ 9-1 2009 8-2 ↔ 8-2 2010 7-3 ↑ 8-2 2011 9-1 ↑ 10-0 2012 7-3 ? 5-1 RECORD WATCH
- DeeDee Harrison moved into the top ten all-time career blocks list for UT.
- Ellen Mullins moved into the top ten all-time career digs list for UT. She also now stands at #7 on the school single season digs chart.
- Kelsey Robinson moved into the top ten all-time career digs list for UT. She also became the 13th Lady Vol to reach 3,000 career attack attempts.
The Lady Vols moved up three spots in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll to number still not ranked! This comes after last week’s poll when after beating the #13 team in the country on their home court Tennessee stayed firmly put — didn’t move up a single spot among the receiving vote getters. And if that wasn’t bad enough: Since the October 8th poll, when Tennessee was an unofficial #30, the team has gone 8-1. The one loss was a five-setter to another team receiving votes. One of the wins was to #13 Florida in Gainesville. And six of the other wins were sweeps. After all that, how far has Tennessee moved in the polls from #30 on October 8th? Three spots to an unofficial #27. Meanwhile the Lady Vols are in the hunt for a seed in the RPI where they’re up to #16 today! What’s going on coaches?