Following in the footsteps of Martina McBride, Jennifer Nettles and Kelsea Ballerini, Sara Evans will serve as the headliner for the 4th annual CMT Next Women of Country Tour.
The 15-date tour kicks off on Feb. 12 in New York City and caps on April 7 in Mobile, Ala.
RaeLynn and Kalie Shorr will serve as openers.
“I absolutely love that CMT champions female artists with the Next Women of Country Tour and am so honored to be headlining it in 2018,” said Sara. “I can’t wait to hit the road with RaeLynn and Kalie. They are both incredible singers, songwriters, and overall artists and we’re going to have a blast.”
LONG BEACH, Calif. — Junior Meme Jackson hit a career-high five three-pointers, and seniors Mercedes Russell and Jaime Nared each posted their fifth double-doubles of the season, propelling No. 7/7 Tennessee to a 90-61 win over Long Beach State (2-8) at Walter Pavilion on Sunday afternoon.
With the win, the Lady Vols improved to 11-0 for the first time since 2005-06. That season, UT won its first 18 contests before suffering a loss.
Russell finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds to log her 35th career double-double, tying her with Mary Ostrowski for fourth on UT’s all-time list. Nared, meanwhile, contributed 11 points and 11 rebounds. On the strength of a 5-for-9 day beyond the arc, Jackson tossed in 15 points, tying freshman Anastasia Hayes as UT’s high scorer. Freshman Evina Westbrook chipped in 14 to give Tennessee five players in double digits. She also added seven assists.
Jackson started the game with a hot hand, going 4-of-5 from behind the arc to help propel Tennessee to a 27-16 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Lady Vols connected on six of 11 three-point attempts in the period, with Westbrook and freshman Rennia Davis adding to the long-range bonanza. Davis also had six rebounds in the opening 10 minutes and finished with 10 for the game.
UT continued to build on its lead in the second quarter, starting the period with a 12-3 run and leading by as many as 23 points before finishing the half with a 49-32 lead. Tennessee shot a sizzling 57 percent from the three-point line in the first half, knocking down eight of 14 attempted treys. They also controlled the boards, holding a 33-15 advantage at the intermission, with 12 of those caroms coming on the offensive glass.
Jackson set the tone for the third stanza, opening the quarter by knocking down her fifth three of the afternoon. While Tennessee cooled from the three-point line after that, the Lady Vols stiffened their defense, forcing six Long Beach State turnovers. They limited the 49ers to only 12 points during the period on 33.3 percent shooting.
With the game well in hand, Head Coach Holly Warlick was able to get her reserves some extended minutes. Hayes had seven of her 15 points in the final 10 minutes. Kortney Dunbar, meanwhile, drained a pair of threes, helping bring Tennessee’s final long-range tally to 12-of-29 on the day.
Up Next: Tennessee will travel to Northern California, where it will face No. 18/17 Stanford Thursday in a 6 p.m. PT (9 ET) contest at Maples Pavilion. In a game slated to be carried by the Pac-12 Networks, the Lady Vols will try to end a five-game road losing skid in the series vs. the Cardinal.
Cleaning The Glass: Tennessee out-rebounded Long Beach, 62-30, winning the battle of the boards for the 11th time this season. The Lady Vols pulled down a season-best 23 offensive boards and notched their second-highest rebounding margin of the season behind 33 vs. Troy to improve their season average to +14.5.
High Scoring Lady Vols: The Lady Vols now have scored 90 or more points on four occasions this season, including three of their last four games. They increased their season offensive output to 88.8 per contest and boosted their average scoring margin to +27.7.
Easy Buckets: Tennessee likes to push tempo, and the Lady Vols were able to get easy buckets in the transition game while eliminating that threat from Long Beach State. A look at the stat sheet showed that UT enjoyed a one-sided 18-0 advantage in fast break points on Sunday.
Visitors On Hand: Tennessee had a nice representation of orange-clad fans on hand at Walter Pyramid on Sunday. At least three former Lady Vols were present, including Chamique Holdsclaw, Loree Moore and Jordan Reynolds.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — After a hard-fought battle, the 20th-ranked Tennessee men’s basketball team came up short against No. 7 North Carolina, 78-73, before a sold-out crowd of 21,678 at Thompson-Boling Arena Sunday.
The Volunteers led for 37:10 of the contest, but a late 11-3 scoring run pushed the defending national champion Tar Heels to the win.
After a turnover with 1:25 left, Schofield hustled to force a crucial turnover on the inbounds play by UNC. Tennessee took possession, and Williams got the ball near the free-throw line and drove to the paint for a basket with 1:09 left to give UT a 70-67 lead.
North Carolina responded by getting to the foul line, converting both free throws and then forcing a UT turnover on the ensuing inbounds attempt. Kenny Williams dropped a massive 3-pointer for the Tar Heels with 32.7 seconds left to give UNC a 72-70 advantage.
The Vols struggled to find a basket in the second half, shooting just 30 percent (11-36) from the floor. Jordan Bowden hit a three to with six seconds remaining to make it a one-possession game, but North Carolina drained a pair of free throws in the final moments to put the game away.
Both teams shot the lights out to begin the game. At the under-12 media timeout (10:16), North Carolina was shooting 60 percent (9-15) from the field, while Tennessee shot 56 percent (9-16) to make it a 22-21 game in favor of UT. Out of the break, the Volunteers used a 12-4 run behind a trio of baskets by Williams to extend their lead.
The Vols had active hands on defense in the opening half, nabbing six steals and forcing 12 turnovers that led to 15 points. Tennessee went into halftime with a 38-32 lead.
Daniel paced UT in the first 20 minutes, coming off the bench to post 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting in 11 minutes of action. Bone also scored in the double-digits, entering the break with 10 points.
Sharing the Ball: Tennessee has had 10 or more assists in each game this season, and they recorded 11 tonight.
Crashing the Boards: The 18 offensive rebounds by the Vols are the most allowed by UNC this season.
Great Defense: The Vols forced 16 North Carolina turnovers and scored 19 points off those miscues.
Hot First Half: Tennessee has scored 30 or more points in the first half of all games this season and scored 38 in the first half today.
Up Next: Tennessee will stay home to welcome Furman to Thompson-Boling Arena Wednesday, Dec. 20, at 9 p.m. ET (SEC Network).
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee freshman offensive lineman Trey Smith has been named to the 247Sports True Freshman All-American Team, as announced by 247Sports on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, Smith was named to the AP All-SEC Second Team, Coaches All-SEC Second Team, SEC All-Freshman Team and Phil Steele’s All-SEC Second Team.
The Jackson, Tennessee, native was the only Tennessee offensive lineman to start all 12 games for the Vols in 2017. He had eight starts at right guard, three at left tackle and one at left guard. Smith led the Vols in pancakes and was UT’s second-highest rated offensive lineman behind only senior Jashon Robertson. Smith became the first Tennessee true freshman to start at left tackle in at least 30 years.
Smith made several highlight reels with his physical blocking style and showed the poise of a veteran player despite 2017 being his first year of college football. Smith’s blocking helped pave the way for career-best seasons by running backs John Kelly(778 rushing yards), Chandler (305 yards) and Carlin Fils-aime (215 yards).
Smith, who is also a candidate for Freshman All-America honors, was the No. 1 overall rated player in the nation in 2017 recruiting according to ESPN.com.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee celebrated 22 student-athletes expected to walk during Fall Commencement on Friday with a pre-graduation reception at the Thornton Athletics Student Life Center.
Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer and Senior Associate Athletics Director and Assistant Provost Joe Scogin congratulated the graduates and their families on successful academic careers and their contributions to the University.
“I am continually impressed by our student-athletes for their resilience and their commitment to the highest levels of success athletically and academically,” said Scogin. “They take great pride in representing Tennessee in all that they do and this day is an opportunity for us to celebrate alongside them and their families.”
This year’s graduates include five former student-athletes, Max Bartlett, Ashlee Boles, Andrew Lee, Bryan Morgado and Hannah Pietila, who returned to campus and completed their degree requirements through the Thornton Center’s Renewing Academic Commitment (RAC) program. The program assists former student-athletes by providing advice on remaining degree requirements, course scheduling, tutoring, employment and internship opportunities, as well as use of the Thornton Center for their everyday needs.
Below is a list of Tennessee’s 2017 December graduates:
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee redshirt junior specialist Parker Henry was named to the Academic All-America Second Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday. Henry is a finance and political science major with a 4.0 grade-point average.
The Hendersonville, Tennessee, native is the fifth Volunteer to earn the distinction and the first since James Wilhoit was named a second-team All-American in 2006.
An SEC Academic Honor Roll selection in 2015 and 2016 and the recipient of the 2017 East Tennessee Outstanding Finance Award, Henry is a two-year starter for the Big Orange. In November, he was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District squad for the second straight year. Henry is only the second Tennessee player to receive CoSIDA All-District honors in back-to-back seasons and became the first Vol to accomplish the feat since Peyton Manning did so during the 1996 and 1997 campaigns. Overall, Henry is just the third Vol to earn the recognition two times and the first since Daniel Lincoln was named to the All-District team in 2007 and 2009.
During his Tennessee career, Henry appeared in 24 games as the Vols’ primary holder. The former Beech Senior High School quarterback plans to continue his education and pursue a master’s degree after graduating from the University of Tennessee with honors this May.
The CoSIDA Academic All-America program is administered by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Top student-athletes, who have already earned Academic All-District first-team honors, are eligible for inclusion on the Academic All-America team. Student-athletes must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their current institutions, have a grade-point average above 3.30 (4.0 scale) and have outstanding athletic credentials. The Academic All-America ballot is voted on by a committee of CoSIDA members. Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 20,000 student-athletes in NCAA Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.
This is the seventh year of the expanded Academic All-America program, with separate teams comprising NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III participants, along with a College Division team of NAIA, Canadian and two-year schools. First-team Academic All-District members advance to the Academic All-America ballot, voted on by a committee of CoSIDA members.
