Since 1955, Dogwood Arts has hosted Knoxville’s favorite springtime celebration. What started as a neighborhood beautification project, has blossomed into a year-round celebration of our region’s art, culture, and natural beauty. With the month of April quickly approaching, Dogwood Arts is gearing up to do it all again with events and programs for the entire community to enjoy.
Knoxville’s historic Dogwood Trails date back to 1955 and today cover more than 90 miles in 13 neighborhoods throughout the city. The Dogwood Trails, Open Gardens, and Camera Sites are open April 1-30th and visitors are invited to drive, walk, or bike the Trails as they take in the natural scenic beauty of East Tennessee in the springtime. Open Gardens and Camera Sites are open 10AM-6PM daily. Dogwood Arts is celebrating 69 years of blooming trails by featuring the Trails of West Knoxville this year: Sequoyah Hills, Westmoreland, Deane Hill, West Hills, and Farragut. A ribbon-cutting and community celebration to ‘officially’ open the Dogwood Trails is scheduled for Thursday, April 4th from 5-7:30PM in Talahi Park along the Sequoyah Hills Dogwood Trail (the first trail, established in 1955). The event will take place at 1034 Cherokee Boulevard, Knoxville, TN 37919 and include a ribbon-cutting ceremony with City and County officials, food vendors, music, and a maker market.
Visitors can find Trailhead addresses, trail maps, and a list of Open Gardens, Camera Sites, and Walking Trails online at https://www.dogwoodarts.com/trailsandgardens. Printed Trail Guides are available at Visit Knoxville, all ORNL Federal Credit Union Branches, and the Dogwood Arts office [123 W. Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902].
The Dogwood Trails & Gardens Program is made possible by sponsorship support from ORNL Federal Credit Union, Realty Executives Associates, and the Town of Farragut. The realtors listed below proudly support this neighborhood beautification program, recognizing and celebrating the commitment and efforts of Trail residents across Knoxville. Trail Sponsors help preserve the legacy of the Historic Dogwood Trails for all to enjoy.
2024 Dogwood Trail Sponsors:
● Lakemoor Hills: Sara Price, Realtorⓡ, Realty Executives Associates
● Halls/Timberline: Mary Kidwell, Realtorⓡ, Realty Executives Associates
● Morningside: Realty Executives Associates
Several events are scheduled throughout the month to celebrate the efforts of trail residents and showcase these spectacular neighborhoods. *These events are not hosted by Dogwood Arts
Chapman Highway Dogwood Trail Kickoff Celebration: April 6th 9AM-2PM
● CommonPlace Coffee + Community (6000 Chapman Hwy, Knoxville, 37920)
● Food Trucks, Local Artists and Vendors, Music
West Hills Dogwood Trail Celebration: April 6th 9AM-12PM
● John Bynon Park (7624 Sheffield Drive, Knoxville, TN 37909)
● Dogwood tree dedication celebrating the 60th anniversary of the West Hills Community Association in honor of five outstanding neighborhood volunteers. Local artists, food trucks, Master Gardener Q&A, and volunteer cleanup along West Hills Park.
Talahi Plant Sale: April 20th 9AM-2PM
● Westminster Presbyterian Church (6500 S. Northshore Dr. Knoxville, 37919)
● Benefitting the Knoxville Garden Club. Native plants dug straight from members’ gardens along with herbs, trees, shrubs, annuals, homemade baked goods, and the ever-popular green elephant sale.
Holston Hills Garden Club Plant Sale: May 4th 9AM-2PM
● Holston Hills Community Park (Chilhowee & Wyndcroft Dr.)
Knoxville Botanical Garden & Arboretum Spring Plant Sale: May 4th 9AM-3PM
Find out more at http://dogwoodarts.com/trailsandgardens. Dogwood Arts, presented by ORNL Federal Credit Union, is a 501(c)3 organization with a mission to promote and celebrate our region’s art, culture, and natural beauty.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – In almost a carbon copy of Friday’s series opener, No. 7/8 Tennessee started fast and never slowed down in a 15-4 run-rule victory over No. 17 Ole Miss in front of a record crowd of 5,677 on Sunday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Big Orange finished Sunday’s rubber game with the same number of runs, hits (13) and home runs (five) as they did on Friday night and got contributions up and down the lineup with four players registering multi-hit efforts and five players finishing with multiple RBIs on the day.
Kavares Tears hammered a 2-0 pitch way over the wall in right center for a two-run homer to get UT off to a fast start in the bottom of the first. After the Rebels scored a run in the second to cut the lead in half, the Vols started their offensive onslaught with a five-run third inning that featured a two-run homer by Christian Moore and a three-run blast by Dylan Dreiling to make it 7-1.
Tennessee scored two more runs in the fourth inning and really put the game away with a six-run fifth inning that was punctuated by a Billy Amick grand slam. After a relatively quiet first two games of the series, Amick had a pair of hits and tied a career high with five RBIs on Sunday.
Tears and Dean Curley led the team with three hits apiece and combined for five runs scored and five RBIs. Blake Burke also added a pair of hits, including his SEC-leading 14th double of the year, to extend his hitting streak to 15 games and his on-base streak to 23 games.
On the mound, sophomore righthander Nate Snead was nails out of the bullpen as he set a career high with six strikeouts and did not allow a walk over 4.2 innings of work to earn the win and improve to 5-1 on the year. Senior lefty Zander Sechrist served as an opener of sorts for the Vols and struck out three over 2.1 innings in his first-career SEC start to give the team some early confidence.
Ole Miss starting pitcher Grayson Saunier was tagged for seven runs on six hits in 2.2 innings and fell to 3-3 on the year. Ethan Lege, Luke Hill and Reagan Burford all had two hits each for the Rebels, who had 11 total hits but left seven runners on base for the game.
UP NEXT: The Vols (21-4, 3-3 SEC) square off against Tennessee Tech on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. before another SEC home series next weekend against Georgia.
STAT OF THE GAME: With Sunday’s victory, Tennessee secured another SEC home opening series win and has now won all six of its home opening conference series under head coach Tony Vitello and has posted a 16-2 overall record in those series.
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The seventh-ranked Lady Vols won their second SEC series of the season Sunday night with a 7-0 shutout of 23rd-ranked South Carolina at Beckham Field.
Tennessee (25-4, 5-0 SEC) won its 17th straight game – the longest streak in the nation – thanks to strong pitching and timely hitting.
Graduate Payton Gottshall got the start for the Lady Vols in game two and went the distance as she tossed her fifth complete game of the season. The right-hander fanned seven, walked four and scattered three hits en route to her 11th win.
The shutout is Gottshall’s first this year.
Rylie West finished 1-for-2 on the night and drove in three runs Sunday, including the game’s first as Kiki Milloy scored on a West sacrifice fly in the first inning.
In the third, West clubbed a two-run home run to left – extending Tennessee’s advantage to three. West has eight home runs this season, tying her single-season career high.
Junior Laura Mealer added a little insurance in the fourth inning with a two-run home run – her seventh blast this season – to make it 5-0 Lady Vols. The Chapel Hill, Tennessee, native also went 1-for-2 at the plate with two runs scored.
Tennessee added two more runs in the sixth as South Carolina walked in a run before McKenna Gibson knocked an RBI single for UT’s seventh score of the night.
Gibson and Destiny Rodriguez led the Orange & White as both players went 2-for-4 at the dish.
South Carolina (22-9, 0-5 SEC) managed just three hits off Gottshall – led by Riley Blampied with two. Denver Bryant picked up the Gamecocks’ only other hit on the night.
Alana Vawter started in the circle for South Carolina and lasted 3.2 innings before being lifted in the fourth for Sage Mardjetko. Vawter allowed five runs – four earned – on five hits. She walked two and struck out two.
Vawter took the loss and is 8-5 on the year.
Mardjetko tossed just 1.1 frames, walking one and striking out two before she gave way to Jori Heard who finished out the game. Heard allowed two runs on three hits, walked four and struck out one over three innings of work.
STAT OF THE DAY With the series win, Tennessee has won 10 of its last 11 SEC series dating to May 7-8, 2022.
UP NEXT Tennessee and South Carolina close out the three-game series Monday night on SEC Network. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Fans can also listen to Charley Collier call the action on AM990.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team clinched its second consecutive Sweet 16 appearance, its second time doing so in program history, with a 62-58 victory Saturday night over seventh-seeded Texas at Spectrum Center,
Fifth-year guard Dalton Knecht, who iced the game with four late free throws, scored a game-high 18 points for sixth-ranked, second-seeded Tennessee (26-8, 14-4 SEC), which led for over 36 minutes and forced 17 turnovers in a commanding defensive performance.
In the first 7:40, the Volunteers held Texas (21-13, 9-9 B12) to 1-of-6 shooting and forced six turnovers, including not allowing a point for 4:23, on the way to taking an 8-4 edge. Soon thereafter, Tennessee went on a 6-0 run in 1:27 to go ahead by eight with 9:39 on the clock, but the Longhorns answered with a 9-2 burst in 2:40 to make it 18-17 at the 6:38 mark.
Tennessee answered back with 10 straight points in 4:54 to go ahead by 11, 28-17, with 1:28 to go in the frame. A basket by Texas 25 seconds later ended a 5:19 scoreless drought and capped the first-half scoring, as the Volunteers entered the break up by nine, 29-20.
A 9-2 advantage in points off turnovers and a 7-of-8 (87.5 percent) free-throw mark helped Tennessee overcome a 10-of-35 (28.6 percent) field-goal ledger, including a 1-of-13 (7.7 percent) tally from 3-point range that featured 11 misses to open the contest. However, it also limited the Longhorns to an 8-of-26 (30.8 percent) ledger from the floor and a 2-of-9 (22.2 percent) figure from deep.
The Volunteers pushed their lead to a game-best 12 points, 40-28, on a third-chance basket with 12:59 remaining. Texas countered with a 14-5 spurt to get back within one possession, 45-42, with 7:15 to go. Tennessee then tallied eight of the next 10 points, including hitting back-to-back 3-pointers after going 1-of-21 through 34-plus minutes, to make it 53-44 with 4:23 left.
Texas again clawed back, this time using a 9-2 run in 2:18 to get the margin down to two, 55-53, with 1:53 on the timer. After stops on each end, junior forward Jonas Aidoo split a pair of free throws with 48.8 seconds to up the edge to three, but the Longhorns scored 14 ticks later to trim the deficit to one, 56-55.
Aidoo knocked down two free throws with 24.3 seconds to play and then, after a Tennessee stop, Knecht hit two with 8.8 on the clock, extending the cushion to five, 60-55. Texas junior guard Tyrese Hunter drilled a 3-pointer with 4.2 ticks to go, but Knecht made two more free throws—each of the Volunteers’ six makes in the closing 25 seconds were one-and-ones—with 3.8 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
In addition to pacing all players in scoring, Knecht also co-led the game in rebounding, as he pulled down nine boards. The Thornton, Colo., native, who moved into the top three on Tennessee’s single-season scoring list, shot 7-of-8 at the line in the triumph.
Aidoo scored 11 points and blocked two shots, making him the program’s career leader in blocks in the NCAA Tournament with 11. Sophomore forward Tobe Awaka battled foul trouble, but still amassed 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in just 11 minutes.
Fifth-year guard Josiah-Jordan James recorded nine points and matched Knecht with nine rebounds. Junior guard Zakai Zeigler stuffed the stat sheet with six points, a game-high seven assists and three steals while playing all 40 minutes. Fifth-year guard Santiago Vescovi also registered three steals, breaking the schools’ career record in the process.
Hunter and sophomore guard Chendall Weaver scored 13 points apiece for Texas, while graduate student forward Dylas Disu had 12 and graduate student guard Max Abmas notched 10. The Volunteers held Disu and Abmas to 4-of-18 and 3-of-10 shooting, respectively.
Although Tennessee finished 22-of-65 (33.8 percent) from the floor and 3-of-12 (12.0 percent) beyond the arc, it went 15-of-18 (83.3 percent) on free throws and posted a 36-20 edge in paint points. The victors also tripled up Texas in points off turnovers, 15-5, while holding the Longhorns to a 20-of-55 (36.4 percent) clip from the floor.
Tennessee became the second team ever to win an NCAA Tournament game while shooting under 34.0 percent from the floor and under 12.5 percent from 3-point range.
The Volunteers will make the 10th regional final appearance in program history Friday against No. 11-ranked, third-seeded Creighton at a to-be-determined time Friday in Detroit.
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.
TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS POSTGAME NOTES • Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes now owns 805 victories in his career, matching Rick Byrd for No. 14 on the all-time wins list (min. 10 years at a Division I school). • Tennessee improved to 5-4 all-time versus Texas, including 1-3 at neutral sites and 2-1 over the last three years, with this the first postseason meeting between the two sides. • Barnes, who served as the Longhorns’ head coach for 17 seasons (1998-2015), is 4-3 in Tennessee/Texas matchups, as he went 2-2 with the Longhorns and is now 2-1 with the Volunteers. • This is the seventh time Tennessee has won at least 26 games in a single season, including the fourth in the last seven seasons under Barnes. • Tennessee’s 26 wins this year match the fifth-highest single-season win total in program history, tying the marks in both 2017-18 and 1999-2000. • The Volunteers are now 27-26 all-time in their 27 NCAA Tournament trips, including 8-10 in their second games, 9-8 in the first round, 8-5 under Barnes, 7-3 as a No. 2 seed, 2-2 versus No. 7 seeds, 11-20 against single-digit seeds, 22-11 versus lower seeds, 23-24 in regulation, 8-7 in North Carolina and 4-4 in Charlotte. • Barnes’ 8-5 record at Tennessee ties him with Bruce Pearl (8-6) for the most NCAA Tournament wins in program history. • After losing each of the first four NCAA Tournament contests in program history—one was a consolation affair—this is the first time Tennessee has ever owned an all-time winning record. • This is the second time the Volunteers have reached the Sweet 16 in back-to-back years, joining the 2006-07 and 2007-08 campaigns. • Tennessee is in the Sweet 16 for the 10th time ever; that includes doing so in 23-team tournament in 1967 in which it received a bye to the Round of 16 and a 48-team tournament in 1981 in which it received a bye to the Round of 32. • In seven of its last 12 NCAA Tournament trips—all in the last 18 years, since 2007—Tennessee had earned a Sweet 16 trip after doing so just thrice in its first 14 appearances (one of which it started in the Round of 16). • The Volunteers now own a 78-24 (.765) record in 102 games as an AP top-10 team under Barnes’ direction. • The only other team to win an NCAA Tournament game while shooting under 34.0 percent from the floor and under 12.5 percent from 3-point range was fourth-seeded Clemson, also led by Barnes in his third season there, when it went 18-of-57 (31.6 percent) from the field and 1-of-11 (9.1 percent) beyond the arc against fifth-seeded Tulsa on March 16, 1997. • Saturday marked the fifth time this season, including the second in a row, the Volunteers held their opponent to 20 or fewer first-half points. • Tennessee notched a 16-6 advantage in paint points in the opening half and had a 9-3 margin in offensive rebounds. • Awaka, James and Vescovi all committed three fouls in the first 25 minutes of the game. • Texas entered the bonus with 10:05 left in the contest—Awaka picked up his fourth foul at that time—while it then had just two personal fouls of its own. • Awaka had eight points and four rebounds in the first half, shooting 3-of-4 from the field and 2-of-2 at the line, but played just 5:52, as he recorded three fouls. • Saturday marked the seventh time Awaka has scored in double figures as a collegian, including the fifth this season. • Zeigler seven assists to put him at 204 in 2023-24, making him the fourth Tennessee player to reach 200 in a single campaign, alongside Rodney Woods (227 in 1974-75), Johnny Darden (221 in in 1976-77) and Jordan Bone (215 in 2018-19). • Zeigler’sthree steals pushed his 2023-24 total to 62, moving him from co-No. 14 all the way to eighth on the Volunteers’ single-season leaderboard. • After blocking two shots Saturday, Aidoo is now Tennessee’s all-time NCAA Tournament record-holder, as he possesses 11 in his seven appearances, breaking a tie with Rashard Lee and Isiah Victor atop the program’s leaderboard. • Aidoo’s two blocks also put him at 66 on the year, breaking a tie with Kyle Alexander (2018-19) for sole possession of third place on the school’s single-season list. • James moved into a tie with Wayne Chism (2006-10) for third place on Tennessee’s appearances list with his 142nd outing, while Vescovi pushed his second-place tally to 148. • Vescovi now owns 105 victories at Tennessee, breaking a tie with Quinn Cannington (2006-10) and Wayne Chism (2006-10), for sole possession of fourth place in program history, while James upped his third-place mark to 113. • Knecht’s first point of the night, on a free throw with 6:57 left in the first half, made him the fourth Tennessee player—fifth occurrence—to compile 700 points in a single year, joining Allan Houston (806 in 1990-91 and 717 in 1991-92), Dale Ellis (724 in 1982-83) and Tony White (711 in 1986-87). • Now owning 717 points in 2023-24, Knecht surpassed Tony White (1986-87) and tied Allan Houston (1991-92) to rise from fifth to co-third on Tennessee’s single-season scoring leaderboard.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 7/8 Tennessee came up short in a back-and-forth battle against No. 17 Ole Miss on Saturday night, falling 8-5 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Big Orange battled back to take a late 5-4 lead into the ninth inning after tying the game at four with two runs in the seventh before pulling ahead with a Blake Burke RBI single in the bottom of the eighth. However, the Rebels responded with four runs in the top of the ninth to come away with the win and even the series.
Hunter Ensley was the only UT player to record multiple hits on the night, finishing 2-for-4 with a run scored, a double and a two-run homer to give the Vols a 2-1 lead in the second inning.
The major reason for Tennessee’s offensive struggles was the stellar pitching from Rebels’ starter Liam Doyle. Ensley’s second-inning home run was the only blemish for the sophomore lefty until he was chased in the seventh inning after allowing two hits and two runs in the frame. Entering the seventh, Doyle had retired 12 consecutive batters and allowed just one hit.
Drew Beam put together another solid outing for the Vols, allowing three earned runs on six hits in 5.1 innings before handing the ball off to AJ Russell.
The sophomore righthander allowed just two hits but ended up giving up four runs after issuing six walks (one intentional walk) in three innings of relief.
Mason Nichols got the win for Ole Miss to improve to 3-0 after tossing 1.1 scoreless innings with four strikeouts. After the Vols battled to bring the tying run to the plate in the ninth, Connor Spencer recorded a strikeout to end of the game and earn his fifth save of the year.
Andrew Fischer and Ethan Groff both had two hits and two RBIs to lead Ole Miss at the plate while Brayden Randle homered for the second straight game.
UP NEXT: The Vols (20-4, 2-3 SEC) and Rebels (17-7, 3-2 SEC) will play for the series in Sunday’s rubber game. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. on SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.
STAT OF THE GAME: With 5.1 innings pitched on Saturday night, Beam has now tossed at least five innings in all six of his starts this season.
RALEIGH, N.C. – No. 6 seed Tennessee blew the game open in the second quarter vs. No. 11 seed Green Bay and cruised to a 92-63 victory in NCAA First Round play on Saturday afternoon at Reynolds Coliseum.
The Lady Vols (20-12) scorched the nets with 70-percent field-goal marksmanship in the second frame and limited the Phoenix to 18.8 percent shooting, outscoring their foes, 21-7, during the period en route to a season-best 58.3-percent day of accuracy from the floor.
Fifth-year forward Rickea Jackson paced the UT attack with game highs of 26 points and nine rebounds, connecting on 10 of 14 field goal attempts and all six free-throw tries. Senior guard Jewel Spear, who exploded for 11 points in the second quarter, finished with 13, while junior forward Sara Puckett and senior guard/forward Tess Darby chipped in 14 and 11, respectively.
Green Bay (27-7), which hit 60-percent of its field goal attempts in the opening 10 minutes before finishing at 37.9 percent, was led by Maddy Schreiber with 13 points.
Tennessee scored first on a hook in the paint by Puckett and pushed its lead to 6-4 at the 8:02 mark on a corner jumper by Jackson and a layup from Tamari Key, who was playing for the first time as a collegian near her hometown of Cary, N.C. Green Bay fought back, grabbing a 12-6 advantage on a Bailey Butler three-pointer with 6:38 to go in the opening period. Jackson, though, contributed a three-point play and scored off an alley-oop pass from Jasmine Powell to cut the deficit to 12-11 by the 5:53 mark. Following a Phoenix bucket, Puckett knotted the score at 14 with a three from the top of the key before GB moved back in front by the media timeout, 17-14, on a trey by Callie Genkie with 4:34 left. Darby knotted the score at 17 with 4:18 on the clock with a three ball, and the teams exchanged buckets over the rest of the quarter before a Darby put-back sent UT into the second quarter with a 23-21 lead.
After going scoreless in the first quarter, Spear made her presence known in the second, knocking down a three-pointer to lift her team to its biggest lead at 26-23 with 9:23 to go. She then followed with a jumper to make it 28-23 at the 8:24 mark. After a three by Green Bay’s Cassie Schiltz trimmed the margin to 28-26 with 7:41 left in the half, Tennessee went on a 16-2 run over the remainder of the period. Spear added threes at the 6:24 and 5:06 marks to run her personal total to 11 points in the stanza and force a Phoenix timeout with UT leading, 38-28. Buckets by Puckett and Jackson and a pair of free throws by Jackson sent the Lady Vols into the locker room with a 44-28 lead on an 11-0 run, while its defense was stifling in holding GB scoreless over the final 5:50 of the half.
The Lady Vols extended their run to 12-0 and lead to 45-28 on a Key free throw at the 9:49 mark, but the Phoenix began to generate some offense and whittle the gap to 49-35 with 7:51 to go in the third. UT roared right back, however, getting a pair of baskets by Jackson and a three from Puckett to make it 55-35 with 7:06 remaining. After GB responded with a two from Jenna Guyer, Key scored inside, Puckett hit a fast-break layup and Jackson tallied off a rebound of her own missed shot and was fouled on the play to force a Green Bay timeout with 5:22 left. Right after the break, Jackson hit her free throw and pushed UT’s lead to 25, 62-37. A Darby three gave her squad a 65-39 lead heading into the 4:42 media timeout. The squads exchanged buckets the rest of the period before Powell buried a mid-range jumper to close out the frame with UT clutching a 70-44 lead.
Tennessee scored the first six points of the final stanza on a Jackson old-fashioned three-point play, a Powell charity toss and a jumper in the paint by Jillian Hollingshead to run its advantage to 76-44 by the 8:17 mark. Hollingshead later contributed an old-fashioned three-point play of her own, and Kaiya Wynn drained a transition jumper to build the Lady Vols’ lead to a game-high 35 with 2:44 remaining, 91-56. Green then closed its final contest of 2023-24 by outscoring the Big Orange 7-1 over the remainder of the game to account for UT’s 29-point margin of victory.
UP NEXT: The Lady Vols advance to Monday’s NCAA Second Round and will face 11th-ranked and No. 3 seed NC State (28-6). The Wolfpack defeated No. 14 seed Chattanooga (28-5), 64-44, in Saturday’s second game in Raleigh. Tip time and TV information for Monday’s contest will be released later.
WINNING 20 FOR THE 47TH TIME: With its victory over Green Bay, Tennessee picked up its 20th win of the 2024 campaign. That marks the 47th time the Lady Vols have registered 20+ victories in a season dating back to 1974. It also is UT’s fourth 20-win season in Kellie Harper‘s five years as head coach (11th in her career), with the 2020-21 total of 17 wins impacted by several COVID-related game cancelations that no doubt would have pushed the Lady Vols to 20.
STRONG SHOOTING PERFORMANCE: UT shot an impressive 58.3 percent from the floor in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, recording its highest shooting percentage of 2023-24 and its eighth time shooting 50 percent or better in a contest this season. In fact, today’s marksmanship was the Lady Vols’ best NCAA percentage under Kellie Harper and highest since making 61.7 percent vs. Liberty in the NCAA First Round in Knoxville on March 16, 2018.
PUTTING UP 20 IN A QUARTER: Tennessee tallied 20 or more points in all four quarters vs. the Phoenix, doing so for only the second time this season. The other occasion was against Troy on Nov. 19, 2023. The Lady Vols now have scored 20 or more points in 59 of 128 quarters played during this campaign.
ANOTHER 20-POINT EFFORT FROM KEA: Jackson registered her third consecutive 20-plus point game vs. Green Bay, her 12th of 2023-24 and 28th as a Lady Vol, which ranks fifth all-time at UT. The forward was just shy of a double-double, adding nine rebounds and two assists to her performance.
HOT FROM DEEP: Tess Darby, Jewel Spear and Sara Puckett accumulated UT’s eight 3-pointers vs. the Phoenix, with Darby and Spear knocking down three from deep apiece and Puckett notching two. This marks the eighth and 16th time, respectively, that Darby and Spear have led the team in threes this season. Additionally, Darby’s 170 career threes rank fifth in program history, while Spear is just one three-pointer shy of moving into the top 10 on UT’s all-time single-season list.
SECOND-QUARTER SURGE: The Lady Vols were firing on all cylinders in the second period, shooting a sizzling 70 percent from the floor (7-10). They were sparked by 11 points from Jewel Spear while holding Green Bay to just 18 percent shooting (3-16). Spear hit all four of her field goal attempts in the frame, including 3-of-3 accuracy beyond the arc.
A TEAM SCORING EFFORT: Four Lady Vols registered double-digit points vs. Green Bay, marking the 10th contest in 2023-24 where four or more Big Orange women notched 10-plus points in a single game.
ANOTHER “W” IN NCAA PLAY: The Lady Vols improved to 131-33 in NCAA Tournament play, and they rank first in games played (164) and second in victories (131) in NCAA tourney history.
UT IN THE FIRST & SECOND ROUNDS: Tennessee improved to 64-5 all-time in NCAA First and Second Round games, including 49-1 at home, 4-2 away and 11-2 at neutral sites. The Lady Vols now are 34-2 all-time in first-round contests, including 25-0 at home, 0-1 away and 9-1 at neutral sites.
HARPER EVENS NCAA TOURNEY RECORD:Kellie Harper evened her all-time record in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach at 8-8, including 6-3 while at Tennessee. She is 4-0 at home (4-0 while at UT), 1-2 away and 3-6 at neutral sites (2-3 while at UT). Harper is 5-4 in NCAA First-Round games (2-0 at home/0-2 away/3-2 neutral), 3-1 in NCAA Second-Round games (2-0 at home/1-0 away/0-1 neutral) and 0-3 in the Sweet 16 (0-0 home/0-0 away/0-3 neutral).
COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 7 Tennessee needed extra innings Saturday night to knock off 23rd-ranked South Carolina at Beckham Field, 2-1, to extend its nation-leading 16-game win streak.
Sophomore Camryn Sarvis had the clutch at-bat in the 10th inning, hitting a sacrifice fly to score sophomore Taylor Pannell from third. Initially called out at home, Tennessee challenged the ruling which was reversed as the replay showed Pannell sliding in safely before the tag – scoring the game-winning run.
Tennessee (24-4, 4-0 SEC) started sophomore Karlyn Pickens in the circle. The right-hander tossed nine stellar innings, allowing just one run on six hits, while striking out nine. Pickens earned the win to improve to 13-2 on the year.
Graduate Payton Gottshall relieved Pickens in the 10th inning. She closed the door on the Gamecocks to earn her first save in 2024. Gottshall walked one and struck out two in the relief effort.
A pitcher’s duel, South Carolina (22-6, 0-4) opened with Jori Heard in the circle. She went three innings, giving up just one run on one hit, two walks and four strikeouts. Sage Mardjetko relieved Heard in the fourth and finished the night, tossing seven frames. The right-hander surrendered one run on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
Mardjetko suffered the loss and is now 5-3 on the year.
The Gamecocks opened the scoring in the first inning on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jen Cummings. The run snapped Pickens’ 46-inning shutout streak.
Tennessee answered back in the third as Zaida Puni singled through the left side of the infield, plating Destiny Rodriguez for UT’s first run of the game.
The bats were held in check for much of the night, but Puni finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a walk.
STAT OF THE DAY Tennessee has played two extra-inning games this season in the Palmetto State and both ended in 2-1 victories for the Lady Vols.
UP NEXT The Lady Vols and Gamecocks are back on the diamond Sunday night for game two of their three-game series. The game is slated for a 6 p.m. ET first pitch on SEC Network. Fans can also catch Charley Collier call the game on AM990.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 7/8 Tennessee burst out of the gates with eight runs over the first three innings and never looked back in a dominant 15-3 run-rule victory to open its weekend series against No. 17 Ole Miss on a rainy Friday night at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
The Volunteers (20-3, 2-2 SEC) added two more runs in the fourth to take a 10-0 lead before the Rebels scored their first runs in the top of the fifth. The Big Orange blasted five home runs and finished with 13 hits on the night.
Christian Moore led the charge from the leadoff spot with a pair of solo bombs and two runs scored, marking his fourth career multi-homer game.
The duo of Kavares Tears and Robin Villeneuve did major damage in the middle of the order, combining for six hits, seven runs scored and six RBIs in the game. Tears set a new career high with four runs scored and also tied his career best with three base knocks to go along with two RBIs and one of UT’s five long balls.
Villeneuve continued his emergence at the plate with a career-high three hits while tying career bests with three runs scored and four RBIs, three of which came on his fifth home run of the year.
Dean Curley added to his home run total as well with a three-run blast to put the Vols ahead 4-0 in the second inning, marking his seventh round tripper this season.
AJ Causey put together another winning performance on the mound to improve to 5-0 on the year. The junior righthander struck out six and allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits in 5.2 innings.
Lefty relievers Kirby Connell and Chris Stamos both pitched 0.2 scoreless frames apiece to close out the victory.
Andrew Fischer and Will Furniss had two hits each for Ole Miss (16-7, 2-2 SEC) while Brayden Randle hit his first-career home run to drive in two of the Rebels’ three runs.
Starting pitcher Gunnar Dennis had a rough outing, surrendering 10 runs on nine hits and two walks in just 3.2 innings pitched to suffer his first loss of the year and fall to 3-1.
UP NEXT: Tennessee and Ole Miss will square off again on Saturday night at 6 p.m. on the SEC Network+ and the ESPN app.
STAT OF THE GAME: The Vols continued their impressive power display with five more home runs on Friday night, marking the third time this season they have hit five in a game and the eighth time that they’ve hit four or more.
Moore became the fourth UT player to have a multi-homer game this season, joining Curley (three vs. Kansas State on March 5), Billy Amick (two vs. Bowling Green on March 1) and Blake Burke (two vs. Bowling Green on March 2).
Nashville, TN (WOKI) Officials with the Metro Nashville Police Department have confirmed that a body found Friday in the Cumberland River is that of missing University of Missouri student, 22-year-old Riley Strain.
Metro Nashville Police Department Chief John Drake addressed media from the Cumberland River in West Nashville where Strain’s body was recovered Friday morning.
Nashville Police recovery boat leaving the scene of the search for Riley Strain (Courtesy: WVLT / WSMV)
Drake said Strain’s body being found was first reported to authorities by barge operators near the river at 61st Avenue North. He said workers were working to remove an object from the river when they spotted the body.
“They noticed what appeared to be Riley Strain pop up,” Drake said, adding the Nashville Fire Department responded and pulled the body from the river. “The medical examiner’s office reviewed the body, and we’ve confirmed that it is Riley Strain.”
According to Drake, Strain still had on the shirt he was wearing when he went missing on March 8 after getting kicked out of Luke’s 32 Bridge in Downtown Nashville; his body was found eight miles down river from where he was last seen.
Drake said authorities do not suspect foul play in Strain’s disappearance nor his death.
Strain’s body was found after two weeks of extensive search by air, boat and on foot that included the Metro Nashville Police Department, Nashville Fire Department, Nashville’s Office of Emergency Management, Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office, and the United Cajun Navy as well as countless volunteers.
Now that Strain has been found, the search will turn more to the investigative side. The Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) has been conducting a separate investigation to determine whether Strain was overserved the night he disappeared.
Drake said Strain’s family has been notified of his recovery.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Ijams Nature Center officials issue a warning Friday about Mead’s Quarry Lake.
Officials say you should not swim in the Quarry right now and neither should your pets.
The lake is suffering a temporary algae bloom which Ijams says has the potential to be toxic to both people and pets.
The bloom was discovered through water quality testing by UT students and faculty during a class.
Officials say until the health advisory is lifted, neither you nor your pets should swim, wade, or come into contact with the water until further notice.
According to officials, symptoms to watch out for include upset stomach, vomiting and diarrhea. Heavy exposure could also result in liver or kidney damage and can harm your pets as well.
The center said it’s working closely with the Tennessee Department of Health and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to monitor the levels.
If you think you, your family or your pets are experiencing symptoms after swimming in the lake, contact the Tennessee Department of Health. You can e-mail them at [email protected] or call 615-741-7247.
