KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — In a continuing effort to recognize the accomplishments of student-athletes beyond the field of competition, the SEC once again has highlighted a Community Service Team for women’s basketball for the 2020-21 season.
This marks the 23rd year for the SEC Community Service Team for women’s basketball as well as for men’s basketball. All league-sponsored sports have had a Community Service Team since 2004, with at-large teams for men’s and women’s sports being chosen from 1999-2003. The SEC began this concept with a football Community Service Team in 1994.
Because of the unusual nature of this season, during which gatherings of groups are typically discouraged and many times prohibited due to COVID-19 public health guidelines, Tennessee’s entire team is being honored for its community service. The Lady Vols found alternative ways to help out those in need in 2020-21.
Members of the program offered their time and energy at Sunshine Industries, an organization serving special needs adults in the Knoxville area, and participated in UT Women’s Hoops’ annual “adopt a family” event for Christmas, chipping in to buy toys, clothing and other items for a local family in need.
They also volunteered with the Salvation Army and read virtually to children, including a Black History Month series featuring selected excerpts from Jamia Wilson’s book, “Young, Gifted and Black.”
Additionally, they distributed card-making kits with Knox Area Rescue Ministries, assisted in food collection packaging with FISH pantries and ran collaboratively in the virtual Forget Me Not 5K for Alzheimer’s, which benefits the Pat Summitt Foundation.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Senior Rennia Davis scored all 26 of her points in the second half, including 20 in the fourth-quarter, leading No. 20/21 Tennessee to a 78-73 win over Missouri at Mizzou Arena on Thursday night.
Junior Rae Burrell was also a factor for UT (14-6, 8-4 SEC), notching 23 points and eight rebounds. Redshirt junior Jordan Walker was UT’s top rebounder, pulling down 10 boards on the night.
Missouri (8-10, 4-9 SEC) was led by Haley Troup and Aijha Blackwell with 16 points each. Shannon Dufficy and Shug Dickson were also in double figures with 10 points apiece.
Burrell came out with the hot hand, putting in seven points in the first three minutes to propel the Lady Vols to a 9-2 lead. Troup rallied Mizzou with five-straight points to pull UM back within two points two minutes later, and back-to-back treys by Lauren Hansen and Troup would put the Tigers up by four with 3:36 to go in the first. Tamari Key ended the 11-0 Missouri run with a layup, but Dufficy countered with another MU 3-pointer to put Mizzou up by five. Jordan Horston and Key combined for two buckets to close out the quarter with UT trailing, 18-17.
Hansen hit a three 20 seconds into the second frame to put the Tigers back up by four, but Burrell cut their lead to two with a jumper 20 seconds later. Blackwell followed it up with a trey before Horston set off a 14-2 run that put Tennessee up 31-26 by the 5:48 mark. Troup ended the UM drought with back-to-back baskets, but Burrell hit a 3-pointer to score her 18th point of the first half and put the Lady Vols up 34-30 with 3:21 left in the quarter. Blackwell answered with three to pull UM within one, and Dickson hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to put the Tigers up 36-34 at halftime.
Blackwell struck first in the second half, stretching Mizzou’s lead to four before Burrell knocked down her third trey of the game to pull UT within one 34 seconds in. Hayley Frank and Blackwell teamed up for five points to put UM back on top 37-33 with 7:07 to go in the third, but Burrell and Key scrapped back for UT, making the score 43-41 just over 30 seconds later. The Tigers built their lead back up to six by the 5:26 mark, but a Horston layup set off a 7-2 UT run that saw the Lady Vols creep within one with just over four minutes left in the quarter. The teams traded buckets through the 1:40 mark before Missouri closed out the period with four-straight points to take a 60-55 lead into the fourth.
Davis hit two treys in the opening minutes of the fourth to fuel an 8-0 UT run that gave the Lady Vols their first lead of the second half at 63-60. Frank tied it back up with a 3-pointer on the other end, but back-to-back buckets by Davis put Tennessee on top 67-63 a minute and a half later. Davis grew her fourth-quarter point total to 14 off a pair of free throws, stretching UT’s lead to 71-66 with 4:36 to play. Blackwell rallied the Tigers with a layup on the other end, setting off a 5-0 run that tied the game up by the 2:44 mark, but Davis scored seven points in the closing minutes to drive a 9-2 UT run and lead Tennessee to a 78-73 victory in Columbia.
Up Next: The Lady Vols will close out the regular season at home, hosting Auburn on Senior Day in a 2 p.m. ET matchup on the SEC Network.
Davis’ High-Powered Offense: With 26 points against Missouri, Rennia Davis logged the 20th game of her career (seventh this season) with 20+ points, tying Meighan Simmons for sixth all-time at Tennessee.
Burrell Drops 20 Again:Rae Burrell produced her sixth 20+ point game this season and the ninth of her career, firing in 23 vs. the Tigers. She had 18 at the half.
Key Swattin’: Over the last six games, sophomore Tamari Key is averaging 4.9 bpg. Her career total of 142 is good enough to rank eighth all-time among Lady Vols, situated behind seventh-place Nicky Anosike (161).
Cleaning The Glass: The Lady Vols outrebounded Missouri 46-25. They have now outrworked 19 of 20 opponents on the glass this season and have done so by an average of 45.9 rpg. to 32.8 rpg. The only team they did not win the battle of the boards with was against No. 2/3 South Carolina as the teams tied with 40 rebounds each.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A season-high eight-run inning from the No. RV/23/24 Tennessee offense allowed the Lady Vols to run rule UT Martin 10-1 in five innings on Thursday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium.
Senior Amanda Ayala ended the night with a single-game career-high two home runs, finishing the contest 2-of-3. Sophomore center fielder Kiki Milloy ended the night 3-for-3 with one home run and a pair of RBIs.
Ayala blasted her first home run of the night to left center field to give the Lady Vols a 2-1 advantage after falling behind 1-0 in the top of the second when UT Martin opened scoring on a homerun from Kaitlyn Kelley.
UT responded immediately when Milloy reached first base on a bunt and senior Cailin Hannon(2-for-2) drove her home with the team’s first triple of the year to knot the contest at 1-1.
Milloy, who was precise at the plate, opened the bottom of a lucrative fourth inning with a single down the left field line. She then stole second and third as Hannon reached first on a walk. After Hannon stole second, sophomore Madison Webber hit a sacrifice-fly to right field to score Milloy and advance Hannon to third, giving UT a 3-1 lead.
Then the Lady Vols rattled off seven more runs. Seven different Lady Vols made their way home against the Skyhawks, with Hannon and senior Chelsea Seggern (2-for-3) bringing in a pair each.
Ayala launched her second home run of the game, third of the season, to center field to give UT their third and fourth run of the inning, before Milloy sent a no-doubter through center to tally the last two runs of the frame and provide the final margin of victory.
Junior catcher Ally Shipman (1-for-3) hit a hard-line drive to left field, her lone hit of the game, to drive in Davis and Seggern and put the early finish in sight.
In total, the Orange and White outhit the Skyhawks 10-3 and combined for nine RBI.
Junior Ace Ashley Rogers got a surprise starting nod on Thursday evening after going the distance yesterday night in a 17-strikeout career performance. She fanned six batters and gave up just three hits to pick up her second-straight win.
Up Next: The Lady Vols have Friday off and return to action at the Tennessee Invitational on Saturday with a double header. Game one is slated for a 12:30 p.m. ET first pitch against Northern Kentucky, followed by a 3 p.m. matchup with Eastern Michigan.
All contests that include Tennessee will be broadcast on the SECN+. Saturday’s games will be covered by Madison Shipman (Analysis) and Will Boling (PxP) and Sunday’s contest will pair up Shipman and Michael Wottreng.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 15 Tennessee continues its 10-game homestand this weekend as Indiana State visits Lindsey Nelson Stadium for a four-game series.
UT Baseball / Credit: UT Athletics
The Vols and Sycamores open the series on Friday and will play a doubleheader on Saturday before concluding the series on Sunday afternoon. UT is off to a 5-0 start after an opening weekend sweep at Georgia Southern and a pair of midweek wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Relying on the expertise of public health authorities, the state of Tennessee, appropriate university and government agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), we are implementing a number of new initiatives at Tennessee Baseball gamedays this spring. The well-being of our student-athletes, fans and staff are our top priorities and guide our decisions. Exposure to COVID-19 is an inherent risk in any public location where people are present; we cannot guarantee you will not be exposed during your visit.
The Southeastern Conference in August released several conference-wide fan health and safety guidelines for all member institutions this fall. The Tennessee-specific measures outlined on this page are in line with, and in addition to, the SEC’s guidelines.
Parking
Baseball parking is located primarily in Lots GF1, G16, and C1.
Additional on-street parking is located in C10 along Todd Helton Dr. and Chamique Holdsclaw Dr. and along West Volunteer Blvd.
Handicap parking is located in marked handicap spaces on Pat Head Summitt St. and in the G16 Volunteer Blvd. garage.
For more information and gameday info, visit the Tennessee Baseball Gameday Information page by clicking HERE.
Ticket Information
Season tickets for this season are sold out. There are limited seating options still available for select games in the Porch and Deck areas. Fans should contact Maggie Coates at 865-974-9579 or [email protected] for more information.
There are no single-game general admission tickets being sold at the stadium this season. Single-game tickets can be purchased via Vivid Seats by clicking HERE.
BROADCAST INFO
All four of this weekend’s contests are slated to be streamed on Watch ESPN and the ESPN app.
Fans can also listen to the games on UTSports.com and the UT Gameday app, as John Wilkerson and Vince Ferrara call the action.
SERIES HISTORY
Overall: First Ever Meeting
In Knoxville: N/A
In Terre Haute: N/A
Neutral Sites: N/A
Last Meeting: N/A
This weekend’s series will be the first time the Vols and Sycamores have ever met on the diamond.
NOTABLE
Pitching Staff in Midseason Form
With veteran pitching coach Frank Anderson at the helm, UT has come to expect great pitching and this season has been no different. Through five games, the Vols’ pitching staff ranks among the top 25 nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (8th – 5.89),WHIP (19th – 0.94) and walks allowed per nine innings (5th – 1.69).
In two midweek wins against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the Vols recorded 26 combined strikeouts, 16 on Tuesday and 10 on Wednesday. The Golden Lions had just four hits in Tuesday’s game with only two coming against Tennessee’s bullpen over the final seven innings.
Bats Starting to Heat Up
After a somewhat slow start in the team’s first three games, Tennessee’s bats broke out in a big way in two midweek wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Vols score 21 runs on 16 hits in Tuesday’s victory against the Golden Lions and followed that up with 14 more runs on 12 hits in Wednesday’s win.
The Big Orange enter this weekend’s series ranked sixth nationally with nine home runs. UT has hit at least one long ball in every game this season. The Vols also rank in the top 25 nationally in hits (10th – 50), runs (3rd – 52), runs per game (14th – 10.4), doubles (3rd – 15), triples (13th – 2), slugging percentage (20th – .522) and walks (6th – 31).
Vols in the Polls
Tennessee entered the 2021 season ranked in the Top 25 nationally in four of the six major polls. This year marked the first time that the Vols had been ranked in the preseason Top 25 since 2007, when UT was ranked as high as No. 11 to begin the season.
The Vols moved up in most of the polls this week, jumping five spots to No. 15 in the NCBWA rankings, two spots from No. 19 to No. 17 in the Baseball America Top 25 and one spot to No. 18 in D1Baseball.com’s poll. UT is just outside the Top 25 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper rankings, coming in at No. 27.
Current Top 25 Rankings
NCBWA #15
USA Today #16
Baseball America #17
D1Baseball.com #18
Non-Conference Dominance
Tennessee has been extremely successful against non-conference competition since the start of the 2019 season, posting a 46-7 record in that time.
The Vols’ 26 victories against non-conference teams during the 2019 season were their most since winning 30 in 2000. UT was 15-2 in non-league games last season and is off to a 5-0 start this year.
Head Coach: Mitch Hannahs (8th season) // Since taking over the program in 2013, Hannahs has led the Sycamores to over 200 wins, a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and five top-3 finishes in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The Sycamores were picked to finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll and boast a pair of preseason all-conference selections in pitchers Tristan Weaver and Tyler Grauer.
Grauer was also named to preseason All-America teams by the NCBWA (first team) and D1Baseball.com (third team). The redshirt senior reliever had five saves and a 1.59 ERA in 11.1 innings last season.
Projected Friday starter Geremy Guerrero got the start in ISU’s season-opening win against Pittsburgh and earned the win after pitching 5.1 scoreless innings.
Redshirt junior infielder Jordan Schaffer is the team leader in batting average (.462), hits (six) and runs (two) entering the weekend.
The Sycamores won their season opener against Pittsburgh but lost the next two games to drop the series last weekend.
Indiana State had one of its best seasons in program history in 2019, defeating Dallas Baptist to win the MVC Tournament. The Sycamores advanced to the NCAA Nashville Regional Championship game before falling to top-ranked Vanderbilt.
GAME PROMOTIONS
Upcoming promotions for all Tennessee athletics home events can be found on the UT Fan Experience page by clicking HERE.
Fans are encouraged to download the My All App for their phones and devices this season. The app is available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store and will allow fans to participate in in-game trivia, the custom filter selfie cam and more throughout the year.
ON DECK
Following this weekend’s series, the Vols welcome Dayton to Rocky Top for a Wednesday midweek matchup on March 3. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.
Michael Ray is headed home to play a concert this weekend!
It feels like forever since that announcement could be made, but the news is real! Michael shared, “I’m so damn excited. I’m coming home, this Sunday Feb, 28th the bandshell in Eustis Fla. FREE SHOW. Let’s go!”
As he gets ready to jump back on stage, Michael recalls the first time he went to see a concert as a fan, “First artist I ever saw in concert was Garth Brooks. I was 12, at the TD Waterhouse in Orlando, Florida…and that changed the whole game.”
Perhaps Sunday will be a game changer for one of Michael’s fans.
One thing is for certain, they’ll get to hear this one — it’s his latest single!
Check out the music video for Michael Ray’s “Whiskey And Rain.”
Dolly Parton has a new fragrance called “Dolly – Scent from Above” and she wants you to try it!
On social media she posted “Discover ‘Dolly – Scent from Above’ Make sure to snag your deluxe samples while supplies last!” along with this video…
In case you were wondering what “Dolly – Scent from Above” smells like, it’s described as “A playful floral, as soft and spirited as its namesake.”
Additionally, “Welcome to Dolly’s world, where fruited notes as bright as rhinestones dance and float above irresistible florals, like butterflies in a garden. The earthen scents of southern fir and musk rise up to join them, in a sweet, singular harmony.”
LANCO‘s music video for their brand new song, “Near Mrs.” is truly a family event.
Not only does the video include band members Brandon Lancaster, Chandler Baldwin, Jared Hampton, Tripp Howell, and Eric Steedly — but there’s special appearances by their wives!
Brandon’s daughter also makes a special cameo along with a couple of baby bumps on the wives of Chandler and Tripp.
Check out the band new music from LANCO for their song “Near Mrs.” right here…
Tennessee basketball senior and reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year Yves Pons has been named to the 10-man semifinal list for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club Announced Thursday.
The list was chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s board of selectors, comprised of leading journalists from around the country, who base their decisions on outstanding on-court defensive performances during the 2020-21 college basketball regular season.
Pons is one of two players from the SEC who has been named a semifinalist for the award. Joining him is Alabama’s Herb Jones.
The Fuveau, France, native has the innate ability to effectively guard all five positions on the floor and makes the Vols virtually matchup-proof while he’s on the court.
This season, Pons has blocked 34 shots, ranking seventh in the SEC with 1.6 per game. Last weekend, sent back three shot attempts against Kentucky. It was his fourth game of the season with three or more blocks.
He currently sits in 11th on UT’s all-time blocks list with 124 career rejections and has tallied 107 blocks in his last 52 games (2.1 per game) dating to the start of last season.
Pons has recorded a career-best 14 steals this season while also ranking second on the team with eight charges drawn.
On the offensive end, Pons has scored in double figures in seven of his last nine contests, averaging 11.3 points per game during that span.
Pons earned last season’s SEC Defensive Player of the Year award after tying Tennessee’s single-season blocks record, with 73. He blocked at least one shot in all 31 of UT’s games last season (2.4 bpg). He became the first Vol to claim the award and just the third Tennessee player to earn a spot on the SEC All-Defensive Team.
The Naismith Defensive Player of the Year candidate list will be trimmed to five finalists next month, and the winner of the award presented to the nation’s best defender will be announced in April.
