Just a few quick notes:
• The official site has a video interview with Coach Patrick discussing the past weekend and looking ahead to this upcoming one.
• PrepVolleyball is counting down their annual Senior Aces this week. Congratulations to Tennessee commitment Shealyn Kolosky who makes the list at #83. Last season all four UT recruits made the list (three in the top 100), giving Tennessee the 4th ranked class in the nation. We’ll have to await the full list to see how the team did this year. Until then, we’ve already talked up several future Lady Vols the past few months. You can catch up on those here, here, and here. And there are still a couple of 2011 commitments left to discuss! I’ll be getting to them as soon as possible.
• Tennessee has moved up in the polls. We’re up two spots to #17 in the AVCA poll, three spots to #18 in the RichKern.com poll, and move from unranked to #16 in the Volleyball Magazine poll.
• And finally a quick update on what’s going on around here! If you’re interested in the tech part of the site, read on:
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Congratulations to Nikki Fowler on being named the Lady Vol Athlete of the Week!
After going 3-0 in their opening weekend, the Lady Vols have moved up to #17 in the lastest AVCA Coaches Poll. Florida jumped 7 spots to #6 after upsetting both the former #9 and #2 teams in the country back to back. Kentucky dropped 2 spots to #16 after losing to the same two teams the Gators beat. And LSU moved up 2 spots to #21 after their 3-0 weekend.
• Photos from the matches this weekend are now online. I’m using some new website code this year to hopefully make viewing the photos easier. Let me know if it doesn’t work with your browser.
• The official site has more photos and some video highlights of the Virginia Tech match.
• I’m working on resetting spreadsheets so it may be another day or two before I can update the stats pages and get the weekend recap out.
• The Knoxville News Sentinel has an article on the Lady Vols performance at the tournament.
UT defeated Virginia Tech 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-21), going underrated in the Lady Vol Classic. Leah Hinkey and DeeDee Harrison made the All-Tournament team, while Nikki Fowler took MVP honors. Pictures, stats, and more soon.
UPDATE: Four Lady Vols hit over .380: Kayla Jeter (.381), Nikki Fowler (.429), Leah Hinkey (.455), and DeeDee Harrison (.571). Hinkey led with 5 blocks with Leslie Cikra just behind her with 4. Nikki Folwer’s impressive double double streak just barely ends at 18: she had 10 kills and 9 digs. Kelsey Mahoney had 18 assists and Emily Steinbeck had 14. A loud crowd of 1,307 was on hand — the fifth largest in Lady Vol history.
The Lady Vols took down Chattanooga in three this afternoon (25-20, 25-11, 25-13). More later tonight.
UPDATE: This time it was Carly Sahagian’s turn make an impression. She had 7 kills, hit .333, and lead the team with 12 digs. Nikki Fowler keeps her streak alive with 12 kills and 10 digs. She also had 3 aces, hit .357, and had two blocks. Kayla Jeter and Leah Hinkey led the blockers with 4 each. DeeDee Harrison had 11 kills and three blocks. Leslie Cikra had 7 kills, hit .333, and added in a couple of blocks. Amanda Friday, splitting libero duties, had 8 digs. The cool news was the return of Alyssa Hilby who came into the match for a few rotations. Hilby, who had a phenomenal freshman year, sat out last season due to an injury.
The Lady Vols win the season opener against Xavier 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-23). More soon.
UPDATE: It was a breakout performance for two Lady Vols tonight. DeeDee Harrison was dominant at the net, knocking back 2 solo blocks and 3 block assists along with 7 kills. And freshman Kelsey Robinson impressed, with a wicked serve and just missing out on a double double in her college debut: 9 kills and a team leading 16 digs. The rest of the team did their part as well. Nikki Fowler got her 17th consecutive double double with 13 kills and 11 digs. Leah Hinkey hit .455, had 4 blocks, and 2 aces. Kayla Jeter had 7 kills and 3 blocks. Leslie Cikra had a .600 hitting percentage with 10 attacks and no errors, and added 3 blocks as well. Amanda Friday, donning the libero jersey, had a career high 13 digs. Kelsey Mahoney had 20 assists and 7 digs, while Emily Steinbeck had 17 assists and 8 digs. In the first set the team hit an outstanding .483, with just a single hitting error. For the match they were .299.
Stats | UT story and video (Patrick, Robinson, Fowler) | Xavier story
Coach Rob Patrick was a guest on the Doc, Jeff, & Heather in the Morning show on local radio station WNML this morning. Among the topics discussed: Tennessee and the SEC earning respect, the growth of good volleyball in Tennessee, the in-state recruits, Nikki Fowler, and the weekend matches. Archives of the show should be on the radio’s website today.
UPDATE: Show is now online (but will probably be removed on Monday). Patrick’s interview starts in the 9:00-9:15 segment and continues though the 9:30-9:45 segment.
Today is the day! First serve of the Tennessee season is tonight at 7pm. Here’s some last minute news and info..
• Tennessee has posted the official match notes (PDF) for this weekend’s tournament and a season preview video with Coach Patrick.
• Also over on the official site, news that Nikki Fowler has been named a candidate for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in volleyball. “The honor will be given to the student-athlete with the most notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition”.
• The preseason “Courtside Chat” video series with the players is almost complete with the additions of seniors Emily Steinbeck and Leah Hinkey. Look for Nikki Fowler to probably be released very soon.
• Coach Patrick will give a “Chalk Talk” 45 minutes before the Xavier and Virginia Tech matches in the Ray Mears room at TBA.
• Tickets for the matches are $3 for adults and $1 for kids 12 and under. Free parking is available in the G5/G30 lot above the parking garage adjacent to TBA.
• Special promotions include: UT faculty and staff will get free admission for all matches by showing their ID at the door; Junior Vol club members will get free admission to the Saturday matches; for the UT/Virginia Tech match kids 12 and under will get a voucher for a free hot dog and drink at the concession stand.
• Live stats are available for the matches and video will be online for the UT/VT match.
We’re finally here. The waiting is almost over and it’s about time for the team to hit the court. First up is the Lady Vol Classic, where Tennessee will face Xavier, Chattanooga, and Virginia Tech.
• The Lady Vols are 29-8 all time in season opening matches. In the opening week of the season the team is 71-33. Under Coach Rob Patrick the team is 10-3 in season opening matches and 33-6 in the opening week of the season.
• Tennessee is 26-6 all time in home opening matches. Under Coach Patrick they are 11-2. The team has not lost its home opener since 2001.
• Having the season opening match also be the home opener has been a rare occurrence over the past two decades. Including this year, Tennessee has started off things here in Knoxville just four times over the past 20 seasons. Tennessee hasn’t lost a season opener at home since 1978.
• In increasingly common August matches the Lady Vols are 23-4. At home the team is an undefeated 8-0.
• Tennessee is 28-6 in the Lady Vol Classic under Coach Patrick. The Lady Vols have only lost one match in their home tournament since 2004.
• This weekend the Lady Vols will face fellow Tennessee school Chattanooga. Coach Patrick and his teams are 19-1 against in-state rivals. The last time the Lady Vols lost to another school from their home state was August 31, 1997, when Tennessee Tech handed the first year head coach his first career defeat. Since that day 13 years ago, the Lady Vols have played Tennessee-based teams 17 times without a loss.
• Tennessee is a combined 29-4-1 against the three teams competing in the Lady Vol Classic. The team has not lost to Chattanooga since 1976, to Virginia Tech since 1995, and is undefeated against Xavier.
• Nikki Fowler is 44 digs away from becoming the 11th Lady Vol to break 1,000 career digs. Pairing that with her current place in the 1,000 kills club, she would become just the 4th Lady Vol with 1,000 career kills and digs. Other members of that exclusive group include: Sonja Thomas (1991-94), Kristy Dobson (1988-91), and Stephanie Ehlers (1985-88).
Xavier (2009: 20-12)
Tennessee leads the all time series 2-0.
Tennessee won the last meeting in 2009 3-0 (15-13, 15-12, 15-6).
Game time is Saturday, August 29th at 12:00pm ET
Follow the match with GametrackerChattanooga (2009: 12-17)
Tennessee leads the all time series 14-3-1.
Tennessee won the last meeting in 2008 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-18).
Game time is Saturday, August 28th at 12:00pm ET
Follow the match with Gametracker
Chattanooga match notes (PDF)Virginia Tech (2009: 19-12)
Tennessee leads the all time series 13-1.
Tennessee won the last meeting in 2004 3-0 (30-18, 30-12, 33-31).
Game time is Sunday, August 38th at 7:00pm ET
Follow the match with Gametracker and live online video
Virginia Tech match notes (PDF)UPDATED
While it’s way too soon for it to mean much, the pollsters are all out now with their preseason rankings. Three-time defending national champion Penn State tops most of them.
• The AVCA poll has the Nittany Lions at #1, followed by Nebraska, Texas, Stanford, and Hawaii. SEC teams represented include Florida at #13, Kentucky at #14, Tennessee at #19, and LSU at #23.
• The Volleyball Magazine poll has it Penn State, Texas, Hawaii, Nebraska, and Stanford. Kentucky makes it at #13, Florida at #14, and LSU at #19.
• The RichKern.com poll mixes it up a little with Nebraska on top followed by Penn State, Illinois, Stanford, and Texas. Florida checks in at #11, Kentucky at #15, Tennessee at #21, and LSU at #28.
• The Pablo Rankings start the season where things ended the previous year. Here it is Penn State, Texas, Nebraska, Hawaii, and Iowa State. Florida is at #19, Kentucky and LSU tied at #21, and Tennessee at #25.
Three days away! I got the edge off of my volleyball withdrawal by hitting some high school matches this week, but that’s just made me more hungry for the college game! If you’re filling the excitement too, here are a few tidbits to help sate your appetite.
• The SEC website is continuing their team-by-team previews of the conference. Going alphabetically, they are currently on LSU.
• Also over on the SEC site you can check out the first weekly press release (PDF) with info, stats, and news about all the teams and matches coming up this week.
• Back over at the official Lady Vol site you can catch up on your “Courtside Chats”. The latest are with Leslie Cikra, Alyssa Hilby, Amanda Friday, and Kelsey Mahoney. UPDATE: Kayla Jeter interview now online too.
Tennessee will take part in the Lady Vol Classic this weekend. The Tennessee home tournament dates back to… 2003? 1997? 1993? 1984? 1978? It’s all a bit confusing!
Last year it was dubbed the “seventh annual Comcast Lady Vol Classic” — meaning it all started in 2003, right? But in 1999, we held the “third annual Toyota Lady Vol Classic”. Semantics over sponsorships, perhaps? Maybe it was the seventh annual Comcast Lady Vol Classic and the third annual Toyota Lady Vol Classic. Nope. Besides the fact that that would seem to be a good way to shortchange the legacy of your tournament, there’s the tiny detail that in 2004 it was the Domino’s Pizza Lady Vol Classic. If we’re counting by sponsor then last year would have been just the fifth time Comcast got the honors not the seventh.
OK, let’s go back then. If they were right that 1999 was the third Lady Vol Classic tournament, then last year should have been the 13th tournament. Except that the 2001 tournament was cancelled due to the September 11th terrorist attacks. So make the 2009 edition the 12th annual. Are we good now? No way!
In 1993, the school held a home tournament called the Lady Vol Classic. From 1994 to 1996, it was gone and our only home tournament is listed as the Mazda Classic. But in the records of at least one of the schools participating (Oregon — who played in the second Mazda Classic) the tournament was called the “Lady Vol Classic”. Did the Lady Vol Classic begin in 1993, then get a title sponsor in Mazda for three years? I honestly don’t know.
What I can say is that whenever the official start date of the current Lady Vol Classic is, there is a long history of home tournaments and especially home tournament names at Tennessee. In the 15 years prior to 1993, (1978 onward, when UT volleyball records seem to get more solid) home tournaments went by at least 12 different names. There was the Smokey Mountain Classic in 1981, the Volunteer State Invitational in 1986, and the Big Orange Classic in 1983. Sponsor named tournaments included the Mikasa Classic in 1985 and 1986, the Hilton Classic in 1992, the Converse Classic in 1987, and the awkwardly named Exercise Essentials Challenge in 1989. Just good old “Tennessee” has been a popular name, showing up in Tennessee Classic in 1983, 1984, 1986, and 1998, and the Tennessee Invitational in 1990. (In the two very earliest seasons on record, 1973 and 1974, a Tennessee Invitational and an East Tennessee Invitational were held, though it’s unclear if those were held in Knoxville.) The first Volunteer/Cardinal Invitational took place in Louisville in 1982 before visiting Knoxville in 1983. The name “Lady Vol Classic” was hinted at in the Lady Vol Invitational held in 1978, 1979, 1981, and 1987. Even the “Lady Vol Classic” name itself was used once before in 1984 before officially disappearing for nine years.
While it may be hard to pin down the exact “genealogy” of the Lady Vol Classic, the name itself has come to represent the UT home tournament — whether officially or not. Of the 26 seasons since the first in 1984, 14 seasons (over half) have seen a named Lady Vol Classic. And with only a weekend of searching I’ve found four separate years where a differently named tournament was held in Knoxville but our opponents still called it by its unofficial but apparently reputed name: MTSU in 1986, Chattanooga in 1988, Colorado in 1989, and Oregon in 1995.
So let’s embrace them all! The Lady Vol Invitational was a precursor of the Lady Vol Classic. The Tennessee Classic was a forerunner of the Lady Vol Classic. Yes, even the Exercise Essentials Challenge can be part of the tradition! (True some years from 1987 backwards had more than one home tournament a year. But that can be sorted out another time!) Starting with 1978, you could say this year is the 29th annual tournament now known as the Lady Vol Classic. Or start it from the first tournament by that name in 1984 and call it the 25th annual Lady Vol Classic.
In the end no matter what number we’re at nor what name we call it, the fact is Tennessee defends the “Lady Vol Classic” very well. The Lady Vols are 78-33-2 in (non-post season) home tournaments. Under head coach Rob Patrick that number is 28-6. And in the past six years the team’s record is an impressive 17-1.
Bad news: we have a huge target on our backs. Good news: The SEC coaches have predicted Tennessee will win the conference title! “This marks the first time since 1994 that a different team has been voted to capture the title, snapping at least a 16-year run at the honors for the Florida Gators”.
2010 Preseason Coaches PollTEAM (1st PLACE VOTES) – POINTS
Eastern Division
1. Tennessee (9) – 11
2. Florida (2) – 21
3. Kentucky – 25
4. Georgia – 39
5. South Carolina – 44Western Division
1. LSU – 13
2. Auburn – 19
3. Arkansas – 25
4. Ole Miss – 43
5. Mississippi State – 46
6. Alabama – 49UPDATE: Tennessee has a video interview with coach Rob Patrick.
We’re into a single digit number of days before Tennessee finally hits the court! But high school volleyball is also getting underway across the country, and today we look at another 2011 commitment coming to Knoxville next year before we start focusing on the 2010 season. (If you’ve enjoyed these looks at the Lady Vols of the future…)
Shealyn Kolosky is a 6’2” middle hitter at Wheaton Warrenville South in Wheaton IL. The past two years her team hasn’t been able to crack regionals in the tough Illinois state tournament. Nevertheless, Kolosky has gotten noticed. For the past two years she’s been on PrepVolleyball.com’s list of top players in Illinois. Last year she was named an honorable mention on a local 2009 All-Area (All-Sports) Girls Team. She’s one of the top 50 volleyball players in the Chicago area according to the Sun-Times. And just recently she was listed on the AVCA Under Armour Girls’ High School All-America Watch List. Kolosky plays club at Sports Performance VBC. Her team finished 9th at the AAU Girls’ Junior National Volleyball Championship, and was ranked 16th nationally.