Knoxville Police are still investigating a homicide after a woman is found dead on Better Tomorrow Drive in the Western Heights area.
It happened four years ago today,(Sunday 6/30), officers found 24-year-old Katelyn Slivenski dead outside of an apartment suffering from at least one gunshot wound.
Several persons of interest have been questioned but so far, no arrests have been made.
KPD is asking anyone with information please give them a call.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – With a slate that includes 15 NCAA Tournament teams and seven conference champions, Tennessee volleyball head coach Eve Rackham Watt announced the Lady Vols’ 2024 schedule Thursday morning.
“We are excited to finally announce our 2024 schedule,” Rackham Watt said. “It is quite possibly our most challenging non-conference lineup in recent history. The SEC gets better every year, and this season will be no exception. I am looking forward to the new conference format and know it will challenge our team every night. As always, our goal is to put ourselves in a position to compete at the highest level and prepare for postseason play.”
Tennessee is coming off one of its best seasons in program history, advancing to the regional semifinals for the first time since 2005, hosting the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011 and earning the program’s best-ever national seed at No. 10. The Lady Vols recorded a 15-3 record in league play to finish second in the SEC, which produced a conference-high eight NCAA Tournament teams last year, and they were ranked ninth in the final AVCA poll.
After losing four starters to graduation, including three All-Americans, Tennessee’s new-look roster during the 2024 campaign will be led by All-American setter Caroline Kerr and veteran middle blocker Keondreya Granberry. The Lady Vols boast five other returners who played at least 25 sets last season and two who started double-digit matches. UT brought in nine newcomers to help replace the production from last year, with four transfers and five freshmen.
The Big Orange’s schedule features 13 home matches, starting with a contest against Penn State on Aug. 30. Season tickets are available now with a new reserved seating option. Times and network assignments will be announced at a later date.
Tennessee’s schedule includes 18 matches against 15 different teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season, including seven teams that earned national seeds and five that advanced to the Sweet 16. The Lady Vols will face the reigning league champs from the SEC, Big 12, Conference USA, Mid-Atlantic Conference, Sun Belt Conference, Southern Conference and Northeast Conference. Here’s the full list of opponents who made the NCAA postseason in 2023:
Penn State (#5) // Sweet 16 // Friday, Aug. 30 (Knoxville)
Louisville (#2) // Elite Eight // Sunday, Sept. 1 (Louisville, Ky.)
Long Island // First Round // Friday, Sept. 6 (Knoxville)
Western Kentucky // Second Round // Tuesday, Sept. 10 (Bowling Green, Ky.)
Coastal Carolina // First Round // Saturday, Sept. 14 & Sunday, Sept. 15 (Conway, S.C.)
Wofford // First Round // Monday, Sept. 16 (Spartanburg, S.C.)
Western Michigan // Second Round // Thursday, Sept. 19 & Friday, Sept. 20 (Knoxville)
Missouri // Second Round // Sunday, Oct. 13 (Columbia, Mo.)
Kentucky (#2) // Sweet 16 // Wednesday, Oct. 16 (Knoxville)
Auburn (#7) // First Round // Sunday, Oct. 20 (Knoxville)
Florida (#4) // Second Round // Friday, Oct. 25 (Gainesville, Fla.)
Georgia // First Round // Friday, Nov. 1 (Athens, Ga.) & Friday, Nov. 15 (Knoxville)
Texas A&M // First Round // Sunday, Nov. 10 (Knoxville)
Arkansas (#3) // Elite Eight // Friday, Nov. 22 (Knoxville)
Texas (#2) // National Champs // Wednesday, Nov. 27 (Austin, Texas)
Preseason
The first action of the season for Tennessee volleyball will be on Aug. 21, when fans are invited to Food City Center for the Orange & White Scrimmage. Two days later, the Lady Vols host Lipscomb for a Friday night exhibition.
Non-Conference
Tennessee wastes no time jumping into its loaded non-conference schedule. The Big Orange opens the 2024 campaign with a home match on Friday, Aug. 30, against perennial powerhouse Penn State, who’s advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament during 20 of the last 21 seasons. Coming off a 23-9 record a year ago, the Nittany Lions return two All-Big Ten players, including All-American outside hitter Jess Mruzik.
Capping off the opening weekend of play, the Lady Vols head north to face Louisville on the road on Sunday, Sept. 1. The Cardinals earned a No. 2 seed during the NCAA Tournament last year, advancing to the Elite Eight, and ended the season with a 27-5 record and ranked sixth nationally. Louisville returns a trio of All-Americans—led by outside hitter and 2023 ACC Player of the Year Anna DeBeer.
The Big Orange returns to Rocky Top the second weekend of the season, hosting UCLA (Sept. 5) and 2023 NEC champion Long Island (Sept. 6) for back-to-back matches. The Bruins were 18-12 a year ago, but they had four wins against Top-50 teams in the RPI and posted an impressive 15-5 record away from home in a tough Pac-12 conference. LIU entered its league tournament as a four seed and completed a Cinderella run to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
On Tuesday, Sept. 10, Tennessee travels to the Bluegrass State for a second time to take on Western Kentucky. Last season, the Hilltoppers claimed their 17th Conference USA title during a historic season and entered the NCAA Tournament on a 24-match winning streak, before falling to the Lady Vols, 3-0, in the second round.
Continuing a four-match road trip, the Big Orange heads to the Palmetto State for three contests, beginning with a pair of matches against Coastal Carolina on Sept. 14-15. The Chanticleers are the reigning Sun Belt regular season and tournament champions. Coastal fell in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament to WKU in Knoxville. The road slate concludes with a contest at Wofford, the 2023 2023 Southern Conference Tournament champions, on Monday, Sept. 16.
On Sept. 19-20, Tennessee hosts Western Michigan for matches on back-to-back days to conclude the non-conference schedule. WMU is coming off a historic 31-3 season that saw the Broncos claim their seventh MAC title. The squad’s 31 wins in 2023 marked the most since 1982, and with an upset over seventh-seeded Auburn, they advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008.
CONFERENCE
Eight of Tennessee’s 14 opponents in its conference slate made the NCAA Tournament last year. Five of those eight advanced past the first round, with three making it to the Sweet 16 or further.
For the fourth year in a row, Tennessee will open SEC play at home, hosting Alabama on Sept. 25. Following that, the Big Orange will compete in four straight road matches, facing Oklahoma (Sept. 29), Ole Miss (Oct. 4) and Mississippi State (Oct. 6). The road trip ends on Oct. 13 with Missouri, who advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. That match starts the first of five straight against NCAA teams.
The Lady Vols return home to play two matches against Kentucky (Oct. 16) and Auburn (Oct. 20). Last year, the Wildcats earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a Sweet 16 appearance, while the Tigers notched a No. 7 seed before falling to Western Michigan.
Following the home stint, Tennessee will play three more road matches in a row, with the first being a trip to Florida on Oct. 25. The Gators were a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, making it to the Round of 32. After playing Florida, the Lady Vols will take on Georgia on Nov. 1 and South Carolina on Nov. 3.
The Big Orange will play five of their last six matches of conference play inside Food City Center, starting with LSU on Nov. 8 before facing Texas A&M on Nov. 10. Tennessee goes against Georgia for the second time on the season on Nov. 15 and then plays host to Arkansas on Nov. 22. Last year, the Razorbacks were a No. 3 seed and made it to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament. To round off the home slate, the Lady Vols will play South Carolina on Senior Night on Nov. 24.
UT concludes the regular season in a road showdown and rematch from the Sweet 16 last December against the two-time reigning National Champion Texas Longhorns on Nov. 27. The two clashed in a five-set thriller that was arguably the top match of the entire tournament last year. Tennessee was the lone team to take the Longhorns to a fifth set in the tournament, with the final three sets being determined by two points each.
Cumberland County, TN (WOKI) An investigation is underway after two people are found dead Thursday night in a home in Cumberland County.
Officials with the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office say deputies responded to 5029 Shoshone Loop in the Lake Tansi Community for a welfare check, finding 56-year-old Gary Agopsowicz and 56-year-old Angela Fifelski both dead from apparent gunshot wounds.
CCSO says there is no threat to public safety in connection to the incident.
“We would like to assure the residents of Cumberland County that there is no threat to public safety and no reason for concern,” Lt. Gary Howard said. “We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Gary Agopsowicz and Angela Fifelski. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they navigate this heartbreaking loss.”
Both bodies were taken to the medical examiner’s office for an autopsy.
Update: The Cocke County Sheriff’s Office says two people have been found dead inside a car.
Sheriff C.J. Ball says the car was found yesterday (Sunday) along Hollow Road in Cosby and the bodies were too decomposed to identify.
Their bodies have been sent for autopsy to determine their identities but they are believed to be the two missing firefighters out of Georgia. The fire station there has confirmed their deaths in a Facebook post.
No other details have been released and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is assisting in this case.
Original Story: Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Police in Tennessee and Georgia are asking for help finding two missing firefighters.
Officials with the Hinesville, Georgia Police Department say firefighters Raegan Anderson and Chandler Kuhbander were reported missing out of Hinesville and could be in Tennessee.
Police say they could be driving Anderson’s car, a black 2017 Ford Focus, and that one of their phones “pinged” in the East Tennessee area.
Officials with the Cocke County Sheriff’s Office confirmed with our news partner, WVLT, that CCSO is looking for the same car, in case the pair are in the area.
Oak Ridge, TN (WOKI) Y-12 Credit Union has announced a hiring event for call center agents next month.
Representatives with the credit union say the organization is seeing rapid growth and wants to attract workers.
The event is slated for July 9 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at 2375 Cherahala Blvd. in Knoxville.
Those interested are asked to attend ready for interviews and on-the-spot hiring.
Employees at Y-12 Credit Union are being offered remote opportunities, benefits and more with pay starting at $17 an hour.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn – Sophomore transfer Maeve Thornton is officially the newest member of the Tennessee women’s tennis program, head coach Alison Ojeda announced on Thursday.
A Knoxville native and graduate of nearby Knoxville Catholic High School, Thornton will join the Lady Vols in 2024-25 with three years of collegiate eligibility remaining.
Thornton joins the Lady Vols after a one-year stint at Furman where she posted a 9-11 dual-match record in singles and served as the No. 2 player in the Paladins’ lineup in 2024. In doubles, she posted 11 wins while competing with multiple partners, extensively playing alongside Grace Thomas. The duo went undefeated together, amassing a 9-0 record primarily playing at the No. 3 spot in Furman’s lineup.
Prior to her time in college, Thornton was rated a blue chip recruit by tennisrecruiting.net and was ranked as high as No. 22 nationally, while also being the top-ranked player in Tennessee. She led Knoxville Catholic to a pair of state championships and claimed two individual singles state titles. The Tennessee Player of the Year in 2019, Thornton was the Southern’s singles champion for 12s, 14s, 16s, and 18s, and won the doubles championship for 18s. She was also a gold ball winner at indoor nationals for doubles at the age of 14.
Thornton is the sixth signee officially announced for the 2024 recruiting class for Tennessee joining Vanesa Suarez, Natalia Perez, Conley Raidt, Brooklyn Schafer and Saray Yli-Piipari.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee had three players earn D1Baseball.com All-America honors on Wednesday as Blake Burke, Christian Moore and Dylan Dreiling were all recognized for their impressive seasons for the national champion Volunteers.
Burke and Moore were both tabbed as first-team selections while Dreiling was named a third-team pick by the publication.
With his selection at first base, Burke earned his fifth first-team All-America honor this season, becoming the second UT player to do so in the Tony Vitello era, joining pitcher Chase Dollander (2022). Burke is now a member of an exclusive group of Volunteers to garner first-team acclaim from five or more outlets, joining the likes of program legends Todd Helton (1995), Jeff Pickler (1998), Chris Burke (2001) and Luke Hochevar (2005), along with Dollander.
The California native had the best season of his collegiate career, leading the nation with 30 doubles and finishing second in the country with 108 hits. The junior slugger’s 30 doubles are tied for the most in program history while his 108 hits rank fifth most in Tennessee single-season history. Burke also posted career highs in batting average (.379), runs (74), home runs (20), RBIs (61), walks (35), total bases (200) and stolen bases (11).
Moore received first-team honors in the designated hitter spot and has garnered All-America acclaim from all five major outlets this season, including three first-team selections after having one of the greatest single seasons in program history.
The junior second baseman became just the third player in Southeastern Conference history to win the Triple Crown with his stats in league play, leading the SEC with a .429 batting average, 20 home runs and 41 RBIs in conference play while also leading the league with 57 hits and 123 total bases.
Moore finished the year as the nation’s leader in hits (111) and total bases (236) while also ranking in the top-25 nationally in home runs (3rd – 34), runs (t-8th – 83) and slugging percentage (14th – .797).
Moore’s numbers from this season rank in the top 10 in UT single-season annals in multiple categories, including first in home runs (34), first in total bases (236), first in extra-base hits (55), second in hits (111), third in runs (83), seventh in slugging percentage (.797) and seventh in RBIs (74).
Dreiling rounded out the group with his first-career All-America selection, earning third-team honors. The Kansas native had a monster sophomore season, hitting .341 with 19 doubles, 23 home runs and a team-leading 75 RBIs, which rank sixth most in program history. The first-team All-SEC outfielder also led the Big Orange with 53 walks and a .459 on-base percentage.
Dreiling saved his best performances for the biggest moments, earning Most Outstanding Player honors at the Men’s College World Series after leading the team with a .542 batting average, three home runs and 11 RBIs during the Vols’ championship run in Omaha. In the championship series, Dreiling went 7-for-12 with four runs and seven RBIs and became the first player in MCWS history to homer in all three games of the finals.
The complete D1Baseball.com All-America teams can be found HERE and a full listing of Tennessee’s postseason All-America honors can be found below.
Drew Beam – Jr. – RHP
NCBWA – 3rd Team
Blake Burke – Jr. – 1B
D1Baseball.com – 1st Team (1B)
ABCA – 1st Team (1B)
Baseball America – 1st Team (1B)
NCBWA – 1st Team (1B)
Perfect Game – 1st Team (1B)
AJ Causey – Jr. – RHP
ABCA – 3rd Team (P)
NCBWA – 3rd Team (RP)
Perfect Game – 3rd Team (SP)
Dylan Dreiling – So. – OF
D1Baseball.com – 3rd Team (OF)
Dylan Loy – Fr. – LHP
NCBWA – Freshman 2nd Team (RP)
Christian Moore – Jr. – 2B
D1Baseball.com – 1st Team (1B)
Baseball America – 1st Team (DH)
Perfect Game – 1st Team (IF)
ABCA – 2nd Team (2B)
NBWA – 2nd Team (2B)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. –Dalton Knecht became the ninth-highest drafted player in University of Tennessee men’s basketball history Wednesday night, as he went No. 17 overall to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2024 NBA Draft.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced Knecht’s name at 9:58 p.m. at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., live on ABC and ESPN. He was the 11th collegian selected, including the third from the SEC.
The highest-drafted Volunteer since Marcus Haislip went No. 13 in 2002, Knecht is the 10th top-20 pick in Tennessee history and the first since Tobias Harris went No. 19 in 2011. He is the 54th total NBA Draft choice from Tennessee, including the 16th in the top 30 and the 12th in the first round.
Three prior Volunteers have been drafted by the Lakers, two of whom were chosen when the team played in Minneapolis. Knecht joins Doug Atkins (No. 119 in 1953), Carl Widseth (No. 83 in 1956) and A.W. Davis (No. 43 in 1965) on that list.
Knecht is the 44th NBA player Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes has coached in his 37 years leading a program, including the 33rd draftee, 19th first-rounder and 11th top-20 pick. Knecht is the 10th player Barnes has guided from Rocky Top to the NBA, including the eighth draftee and the fourth—all in the last six drafts—in the first round.
Just 11 prior individuals from a Colorado high school have been selected in the first round of the NBA Draft, with Knecht the first since Derrick White went No. 29 in 2017. Knecht is the highest-drafted such player since Chauncey Billups went third in 1997 and is the eighth-highest draftee ever from Colorado high school, with all but Billups coming over 40 years ago. The Prairie View High School graduate is the 10th top-20 selection from a Colorado high school, including the first since Jason Smith went No. 20 in 2007.
Born in Fargo, N.D., Knecht is the second-highest-drafted player ever born in the Peace Garden State, trailing the state’s only other first-rounder, Doug McDermott, who went No. 11 in 2014. Knecht, who competed at Northern Colorado from 2021-23, is the sixth individual who played in the Big Sky to go in the first round, including the first since Damian Lillard went sixth in 2012.
Following his two seasons at Northeastern Junior College, Knecht totaled 1,739 points in three years at the Division I level, an average of 16.9 per contest across 103 appearances. Before transferring to Tennessee in advance of the 2023-24 season, the 6-foot-6, 213-pounder spent two years at Northern Colorado, where he won the Big Sky scoring title in 2022-23 at 20.2 points per game.
During his lone season at Tennessee as a fifth-year guard, Knecht led the SEC in scoring at 21.7 points per game, good for eighth-best in the country. The four-time SEC Player of the Week and two-time USBWA National Player of the Week added 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per outing, while shooting 45.8 percent overall, 39.7 percent beyond the arc and 77.2 percent at the line.
The SEC Player of the Year and Julius Erving Award designee, Knecht collected consensus First Team All-America status, becoming the fourth Volunteer ever to do so. The runner-up for Associated Press National Player of the Year and a finalist for both the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award, Knecht became the first SEC player since Shaquille O’Neal (Feb. 1991) to record back-to-back 35-point games.
Knecht scored 35-plus points six times in 2023-24 to break Bernard King’s single-season program record (five in 1975-76) and logged 30-plus eight times, matching Allan Houston (1989-90) for fourth-most by a Volunteer in a campaign. Knecht averaged 25.5 points per game in league play and 24.8 points per game on the road, both the second-best marks by an SEC player in the last two decades, with the former tops nationally in any league this season and the latter third-best (min. 3 GP) among DI players in 2023-24.
This is the fourth consecutive year a Tennessee player has been selected in the NBA Draft. Just nine other colleges entered 2024 with at least a three-year streak.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Two days after leading Tennessee baseball to its first national championship in program history, head coach Tony Vitello was tabbed as the America Baseball Coaches Association National Coach of the Year.
Vitello led the Volunteers to a single-season record 60 victories and also guided the team to SEC regular season and tournament titles as part of an historic 2024 campaign.
UT made more history as the first SEC team to reach the 60-win mark in a single season and just the fourth conference team to win the SEC regular season title, SEC Tournament title and the NCAA Men’s College World Series in the same year, cementing itself as one of the greatest teams the sport has ever seen.
The Vols were also able to end the long drought of No. 1 national seeds coming up short in the postseason, becoming just the second No. 1 overall seed to win the MCWS since the tournament switched to its current format in 1999 – joining Miami who did so in 1999.
This marks Vitello’s first national coach of the year honor from the ABCA but is the fourth time he’s been named the nation’s top college baseball coach in his seven-year career.
Tennessee’s skipper was tabbed national coach of the year in 2021 by Perfect Game and the National College Baseball Writers Association. Perfect Game selected Vitello as its national coach of the year in 2022, as well.
Vitello was also chosen as the ABCA Southeast Region Coach of the Year earlier this week, his third time earning that honor in the last four years (2021, 2022, 2024).
Under Vitello’s leadership, Tennessee has made three trips to Omaha in the last four seasons, won four combined SEC championships and three SEC eastern division titles. During that four-year span, the Vols’ 211 victories and .773 winning percentage rank No. 1 nationally.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Yale University has tapped a Knoxville native to be its 24th president.
The Yale Board of Trustees last week choosing Maurie McInnis for the post unanimously.
The board’s Senior Trustee and chair of the presidential search committee Josh Bekenstein described McInnis as “a compelling leader, distinguished scholar, and devoted educator” whose “experience and accomplishments over the past three decades have prepared her to lead Yale in the years ahead.”
McInnis earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia before earning her master’s and doctorate at Yale located in New Haven, Connecticut. Since then, she’s been heavily involved at Yale.
