#8 UT Routs Rider, 18-0, in Final Game of Kickin’ Chicken Classic, now 5-0

#8 UT Routs Rider, 18-0, in Final Game of Kickin’ Chicken Classic, now 5-0

Posted on February 10, 2019
Lady Vols / Credit: UT Athletics

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – No. 8 Tennessee routs Rider, 18-0, in a five-inning slugfest on Sunday to close out the Kickin’ Chicken Classic with a perfect 5-0 record.

Nine different Lady Vols came around to score and six players scored at least twice in the contest. Aubrey Leach and Chelsea Seggern led UT with three hits apiece while Ashley Morgan drove in three of Tennessee’s runs. Kaili Phillips, Haley Bearden and Cailin Hannon all homered.

In the first frame, the Lady Vols put six runs up on five hits and one error. Leach led off with a walk and scored on Seggern’s single to center while Amanda Ayala came home on Morgan’s single to left. Bearden then knocked a two-run homer to right before Savannah Huffstetler worked the count for a walk and scored on an error.

Tennessee went through the order for the second time as the Orange and White scratched seven runs across on seven hits and two errors in the second frame. Seggern kicked things off by doubling to center and scored on Ally Shipman’s single to the same spot. Phillips then reached on a fielder’s choice and scored thanks to Morgan’s second hit of the night. Bearden went on to score when Jenna Holcomb singled to left and Ayala plated two runs on UT’s third double of the inning. Leach rounded out scoring in the frame as she crossed home on a wild pitch.

Scoring five times in the third, Tennessee drove in four runs on two homers and scored on a wild pitch.

Rider was limited to just three runners throughout the game as Caylan Arnold dealt 4.0 shutout innings and eight strikeouts. Ashley Morgan came on in the fifth to close out the contest. She faced four batters in the outing.

Notes:

  • RUNS GALORE: Tennessee’s 18 runs vs. Rider are the most for the Lady Vols since they also scored 18 against Arkansas on March 11, 2016.
  • CARREER-FIRSTS: Kaili Phillips and Cailin Hannon each hit their first-career home runs on Sunday. Phillips’ solo shot came in the second inning and Hannon sent a three-run blast to the palm trees behind center field in the third.
  • UP NEXT: Tennessee heads south next for ESPN’s St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational (2/15-17). The Big Orange will take on Notre Dame (who received votes in both major preseason polls), No. 21/23 Minnesota, No. 23/22 James Madison, Utah and No. 1/3 Florida State.

Game 5 vs. Rider Box Score

-UT Athletics

Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard & Wife Hayley Are Expecting Their 2nd Child

Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard & Wife Hayley Are Expecting Their 2nd Child

Posted on February 10, 2019

Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard and wife Hayley announced they are expecting their second child in August.

The couple revealed the news on the red carpet of a pre-Grammy gala on Feb. 9 as Tyler got down on one knee and kissed his wife’s belly.

Tyler and Hayley’s new addition with join 14-month-old big sister, Olivia, in the Hubbard household.

“Thrilled to finally share that Olivia will be a big sister in August!” said Hayley via Instagram. “We couldn’t be more excited and grateful!!!!”

photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com

Jimmy’s blog: Terrific Tennessee runs win streak to 18

Jimmy’s blog: Terrific Tennessee runs win streak to 18

Posted on February 10, 2019

By Jimmy Hyams

Mike White thinks Tennessee is terrific.

Florida’s coach said after the Vols 73-61 victory Saturday that the Vols’ defense is terrific, that point guard Jordan Bone is terrific, that their offense is terrific.

And yet, White acknowledged, Tennessee wasn’t at its best against the Gators.

No, the Vols weren’t. But that just speaks to how good Tennessee is.

Not at its best, Tennessee took down Florida for the second time this season. UT had bursts of brilliance and moments of mediocrity. The Vols led 32-16 with less than five minutes left in the first half, but a 14-4 Florida run cut it to 36-30 at the break.

Tennessee went up by 19 in the second half (69-50) before wobbling to the finish line in a game that was never in doubt before a sellout crowd of 22,261.

Tennessee has now won a school-record 18 games in a row. It is 10-0 in the SEC for only the second time ever (the 1976-77 team won its first 10 before losing). It has won 22 in a row at home. It has won a program-record 14 consecutive SEC regular-season games, dating to last season.

Of course, Vols coach Rick Barnes isn’t paying any attention to records set or streaks broken. He’s worried about one thing: improvement.

“I’m always looking at ways to get better,’’ Barnes said.

White described Tennessee as tough, disciplined and strong.

Those are three components that will serve the team well in the postseason.

But Saturday night, Barnes found an area that didn’t suit him. Florida had 15 offensive rebounds to Tennessee’s eight. The Vols have allowed the last two opponents to rack up 29 offensive rebounds.

Grant Williams, who led UT with 16 points against Tennessee, admits that is too many.

But while Barnes can find warts after each win, Williams is enjoying the ride.

“Myself, I think it’s cool,’’ Williams said of UT’s run. “I don’t hang too much of my hat on it, but it’s good to know. I think we’re on an 18-game win streak or something like that, and 10 (in a row) in the SEC, which is pretty cool. And making history, it’s nice to make history.

“But we don’t want to just stop there. If you start focusing on that too much and focus on just the wins, you lose track of having fun, you lose track of understanding that every single night you’re playing against a talented team.’’

While Tennessee’s run has been historic, it has featured a few blips. The Vols have had stretches against Alabama and Vanderbilt and South Carolina and Missouri and Florida where it didn’t look like the No. 1 team in the country.

But it has also had stretches where it has looked dang near unbeatable.

One reason for that is point guard Jordan Bone, one of the nation’s most improved players. He has hiked his scoring average from 7.3 points per game to 13.4, his shooting from 39 percent to 46 percent. He leads the SEC in assists and is on pace to set a school record for assists-to-turnover ratio.

“He’s the best point guard in the league,’’ White said. “Why? Because he’s leading the No. 1 team in the country.’’

White praised Bones’ cutting, ball-handling, use of ball screens and the fact he “plays with a chip on his shoulder.’’

After saying recently that Bone was ONE of the best point guards in the country, Williams corrected himself Saturday night: “He’s the best point guard in the country. It’s incredible.’’

Bone isn’t the only one who has been incredible. Sixth man Jordan Bowden has been exceptional in SEC play and even had a left-handed put-back dunk that brought the house down and had Williams buzzing.

“I was shocked,’’ Williams said. “I was really puzzled at first. Me and Bone ran by each other and said, `What just happened?’ Because he dunked with his left hand. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him dunk with his left hand. I was shocked. I’m still shocked.’’

Many are shocked to see that No. 1 beside Tennessee’s name. They’re shocked that the Vols are 22-1, shocked that at this moment, UT is the No. 2 No. 1 seed, according to the NCAA selection committee.

Whether Tennessee remains in that spot remains to be seen.

But the ride has been fun.

Just ask Grant Williams.

Sponsored by Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all 

 

Rogers Spins a Gem With 13 Strikeouts as #8 Tennessee Downs Boston

Rogers Spins a Gem With 13 Strikeouts as #8 Tennessee Downs Boston

Posted on February 10, 2019
Lady Vols P Ashley Rogers / Credit: UT Athletics

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Freshman pitcher Ashley Rogers spun a gem of a shutout in the Kickin’ Chicken Classic as #8 Tennessee blanked Boston University, 4-0, on Saturday night.

Rogers threw a career-high 13 strikeouts and allowed just three hits through 7.0 innings of work to earn her second win of the season. In two appearances (12.0 IP), the Athens, Tenn., native has fanned 22 batters.

Offensively, six Lady Vols recorded hits and four drove in runs. Two of Tennessee’s runs came in the first inning while the other two were spread across the second and seventh frames.

Aubrey Leach kicked things off in the first, singling to center field. She advanced to third on back-to-back putouts and scored on Ally Shipman’s single to shortstop. Amanda Ayala then worked the count and reached base via a walk before coming home on  Kaili Phillips’ RBI-single to right.

In the second frame, Ashley Morgan led off with a single up the middle. She then advanced to second on a muffed throw by Boston’s second baseman in the next at-bat. Coming in to pinch run, Treasuary Poindexter reached third on a walk that loaded the bases with one out. Chelsea Seggern’s sacrifice fly to right gave Poindexter the time she needed to tag up and score

To start the seventh, Kaitlin Parsons singled back to BU’s pitcher and advanced to third on the subsequent throwing error that sailed past the first baseman. The Long Beach, Calif., native scored on Leach’s RBI-groundout to the right side, pushing UT’s lead to 4-0.

In addition to Roger’s 13 strikeouts, she faced the minimum number of batters in four of her seven innings pitched. The Lady Vols also never allowed Boston’s three runners to advance past first base.

Notes:

  • WHAT A GEM: Ashley Rogers’ 13-strikeout outing versus Boston is the most by a Lady Vol pitcher since Caylan Arnold also threw 13 vs. Charleston Southern on March 3, 2018.
  • UP NEXT: Tennessee is set to take on Rider at 11:15 a.m. ET on Sunday to close out the Kickin’ Chicken Classic. Game times may differ due to the length of games earlier in the day, but any updates to game times will be posted to Tennessee’s social media accounts.

Game 4 vs. BU Box Score

-UT Athletics

#8 Lady Vols’ Hot Bats Spur 11-1 Victory Over UIC

#8 Lady Vols’ Hot Bats Spur 11-1 Victory Over UIC

Posted on February 10, 2019
Lady Vols P Matty Moss / Credit: UT Athletics

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Tennessee plated four runs in the first inning and went on to score five more in the third in an eventual five-inning, 11-1 victory over UIC on Day 2 of the Kickin’ Chicken Classic.

Highlighted by Amanda Ayala’s three-run homer in the third and Ally Shipman’s two-RBI single in the fifth, the Lady Vols put up double digits against UIC for the second time this weekend.

Matty Moss earned the win, throwing nine strikeouts while allowing just one run on six hits through 5.0 innings of work. She picked up the save in Friday night’s victory over Coastal Carolina.

Haley Bearden brought in UT’s first run of the night on an RBI-walk in the leadoff frame. In the next at-bat, Kaili Phillips hit a fielder’s choice to shortstop that scored Jenna Holcomb. Bearden and Phillips then scored on a single and another bases-loaded walk, respectively.

UIC plated its lone run in the second as Alyssa Griman hit a solo shot over the left field wall.

The Lady Vols scratched five more runs across in the third inning as UT’s first five batters all reached base and scored. Ayala had the big hit of the night as she homered over the right-center wall with two runners on. Ashley Morgan and Kaitlin Parsons also found their way home as Morgan scored on Chelsea Seggern’s single to right and Parsons stole home in a delayed double steal play.

In the top of the fifth, Tennessee scored its final two runs of the game. The Orange and White loaded the bases to start the frame with both Aubrey Leach and Parsons scoring on Shipman’s single to center field.

Game 3 vs. UIC Box Score

-UT Athletics

#1 Tennessee Pushes Win Streak to 18 with 73-61 Victory Over Florida

#1 Tennessee Pushes Win Streak to 18 with 73-61 Victory Over Florida

Posted on February 9, 2019
Vols F-G Admiral Schofield / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – In front of a season-high crowd of 22,261, No. 1 Tennessee’s high-flying second half helped the Vols top the Florida Gators, 73-61, Saturday.

Tennessee (22-1, 10-0 SEC) pushes its win streak to 18 games, the longest streak in Rick Barnes‘ 32-year head coaching career.

Tennessee had four players score in double figures, with Grant Williams’ team-high 16 points leading the way to go along with a team-high six rebounds. Admiral Schofield, who also grabbed six boards, finished with 14 points.

Schofield provided the punctuation on the Vols’ second victory over the Gators (12-11, 4-6 SEC) this season when his got his defender in the air, drove the baseline and threw it down with two hands to bring the sellout crowd to its feet.

That dunk was a part of a 9-0 run to push the lead to 16 points with less than eight minutes to play. From that point, Tennessee led by double digits the rest of the way.

The Vols pushed the lead to as many as 19 points when Jordan Bowden knocked down a left wing 3-pointer. The junior, who was fouled in the act of shooting, converted the and-one opportunity to make it 69-50 with 5:14 left on the clock.

For much of the game, Tennessee was able to limit the impact of Florida’s leading scorer, KeVaughn Allen. Allen, who was in foul trouble for much of the second half, finished with just 11 points (only two points in the second half on 4-of-12 shooting for the game).

Coming out of the halftime break, the game remained within two scores before a pair of 3-pointers from Lamonte Turner pushed the Tennessee lead back to double digits. On the second, Turner got Gators big man Kevarrius Hayes on the switch and drilled the three over the 6-9 center from the top of the key.

Turner’s nine points in the second half help lead Tennessee to its third consecutive victory over Florida, including double-digit margins of victory in both of the games this season.

After Florida had the lead for the first four minutes of play, Tennessee held the Gators without a point for nearly five minutes as the Vols went on an 11-0 run.

The run was capped off by a Bowden putback slam to give UT a 16-8 lead with 11:36 to play in the first half.

The lead continued to grow as Vols kept Florida from getting the ball in the basket. On the other end, Tennessee continued to knock down shots, extending its lead to 32-16 after Williams converted on an and-one opportunity with just under five minutes to play in the first half.

At that point, the Gators were shooting just 24 percent (5-of-21) from the field.

The combination of Jalen Hudson and Allen brought Florida back within a two-possession game at half, as both Gator guards finished the half with nine points apiece. Hudson and Allen netted 18 of the final 22 points for Florida, including an Allen 3-pointer with 1:03 on the clock to make it a six-point game.

The Vols took that 36-30 edge into the locker room with Schofield and Williams leading the way with eight points each.

UT’s Offense Can’t Be Stopped: Despite Florida allowing a league-best 63.4 points per game, the Vols were able to best that by 10 points with 73 points on Saturday. During the last meeting on Jan. 12, Tennessee exceeded that average with 78 points. UT also knocked down 54 percent of its field goals on the night, when the Gators came in allowing opponents to shoot 42 percent from the floor.

Streaks Stay Alive: With Saturday’s win, Tennessee extends its program-record win streak to 18 games, marking the longest of Rick Barnes‘ 32-year head coaching career and the longest active win streak in Division I. The home win also marked the 22nd victory in a row at Thompson-Boling Arena, which is the longest home win streak of the Barnes era.

Perfect in SEC: The Vols are now 10-0 in SEC play, their best start since the 1976-77 season. The Big Orange’s streak in regular-season SEC games extends to a program-record of 14 games. UT is now 7-1 all-time as the AP’s top-ranked team.

Up Next: Tennessee is back inside Thompson-Boling Arena on Wednesday when the Vols welcome the South Carolina Gamecocks to Knoxville. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

BOX SCORE  |  HIGHLIGHTS   |  WILLIAMS POSTGAME ON ESPN

-UT Athletics

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