Lady Vols Soccer ⚽️ SEC TOURNAMENT 11/3-11/10

[MAD]

 

[MAD]

Hey @turbovol
Go to Twitter and look at the signing class announcement from a couple of weeks ago.
What do you make of the two responses?

 

[MAD]

Tennessee soccer players celebrating with the basketball team in Tampa after winning the SEC Tournament.

 

[MAD]

Updated March 21

 

[MAD]

Lots of coaching changes

 

[turbovol]

Hey @turbovol
Go to Twitter and look at the signing class announcement from a couple of weeks ago.
What do you make of the two responses?

Just saw this question of yours, Mad. I hadn't noticed that comment warning that the parents of a player might sue if they don't get their way. It was the first and only tweet by the person who made the remark, and it was directed at not just UT soccer but the Upper Arlington, Ohio girls soccer club. New signee Abby Reisz is from Upper Arlington, and it appears her mother is a lawyer, but the only recent lawsuit involving Upper Arlington that I've seen online was one related to Covid and the plaintiff's desire to reinstate in-person learning in the school district. The plaintiffs were the parents of middle-school student in the district, and there is no indication that Reisz's mother was involved in that; and besides, her firm seems to concentrate on health-care, as best I can tell from a briefish search. There may have been some other issue I haven't seen yet--but don't think it's worth worrying about.

 

[turbovol]

Kentucky and Georgia with new coaches. The new Kentucky coach, Fabiano, comes from the Univ. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he had a ton of success. Milwaukee dominated the Horizon League during Fabiano's seven years at the school, compiling a rather amazing 58-2-4 record, winning the conference in six of the seven years. So he obviously has got some good coaching qualities.

McAlpine, the new Georgia coach, comes from Southern Cal, where he won a national title. I've got to think he'll make Georgia a lot better--but then I said the same of the previous coach, who'd been the top assistant at the Duke program before taking over the Bulldog program. So we'll see.

Both of the new coaches are in our division, the East, so how they fare will impact the Vols. The SEC is a very competitive soccer conference, so it won't be easy for them. As I've said before, I think, I don't really understand why the SEC has divisions in soccer. It doesn't make much sense, and no other conferences do it, as far as I know. SEC football is broken up into two divisions, but that's only because the division winners play each other in the SEC championship game, which doesn't happen in any other sports. That's why it doesn't make sense for soccer.

 

[MAD]

Just saw this question of yours, Mad. I hadn't noticed that comment warning that the parents of a player might sue if they don't get their way. It was the first and only tweet by the person who made the remark, and it was directed at not just UT soccer but the Upper Arlington, Ohio girls soccer club. New signee Abby Reisz is from Upper Arlington, and it appears her mother is a lawyer, but the only recent lawsuit involving Upper Arlington that I've seen online was one related to Covid and the plaintiff's desire to reinstate in-person learning in the school district. The plaintiffs were the parents of middle-school student in the district, and there is no indication that Reisz's mother was involved in that; and besides, her firm seems to concentrate on health-care, as best I can tell from a briefish search. There may have been some other issue I haven't seen yet--but don't think it's worth worrying about.

Interesting, it’s a shame people go to that extent to try to hurt someone’s kid if they have a beef with the parents.
You must be a PI.

 

[MAD]

White Announces Contract Extensions for Pensky, Rackham Watt
Soccer and Volleyball Coaches Extended Through Fall of 2026




SoccerMarch 23, 2022
Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White announced contract extensions Wednesday for soccer head coach Brian Pensky and volleyball head coach Eve Rackham Watt.

Pensky and Rackham Watt both led their programs to NCAA Tournament wins this past fall. Their extensions run through January of 2027.

"As I told Brian and his team after they won the SEC Championship, I want the competitive spirit and team togetherness they displayed last season to serve as the blueprint for Tennessee Athletics," White said. "Brian is as steady as they come, and he's built an excellent staff around him. The student-athletes in his program are being developed holistically, and recruits are clearly recognizing the special nature of what Tennessee soccer has to offer—both on and off the pitch."

Pensky earned 2021 SEC Coach of the Year honors after leading Tennessee to its second straight SEC Eastern Division Championship last fall. The Vols went on to defeat top-seeded Arkansas 3-0 in the final of the SEC Tournament, bringing the trophy home for the first time since 2008 before advancing in the NCAA Tournament to the Round of 16.

"Contract extensions happen because head coaches have phenomenal staffs and outstanding student-athletes," Pensky said. "And that's certainly the case here. I am a lucky guy. I appreciate Danny White and his staff for continuing to believe in what we are doing."

The 2021 squad went undefeated at home in Regal Stadium, opening the season with seven straight shutouts to set a new single-season shutout record of 633:53 en route to a record of 20-3-0 for the program's first 20-win season. Following the historic 2021 campaign, redshirt sophomore Jaida Thomas and senior Wrenne French both received All-America honors.

In the classroom, Tennessee soccer owns a 3.64 cumulative GPA and posted a department-high 3.70 GPA during its SEC Championship run last fall. Sophomore Lawson Renie and junior Tara Katz were each named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District Teams.

With 10 starters returning for the 2022 season, Tennessee looks to build on its success this fall as it welcomes the No. 6 recruiting class in the nation.

Pensky boasts a career record of 185-111-45 and a mark of 118-58-25 during his 10 years on Rocky Top.

Rackham Watt has led the volleyball program since 2018. Under her leadership, the Lady Vols have made two trips to the NCAA Tournament while posting a 73-37 (48-26 SEC) record.

"Eve—along with her entire staff—is incredibly driven," White said. "She has a clear vision for what she wants her program to be about. She builds genuine relationships with her student-athletes and is invested in their development far beyond their athletic pursuits. And the fire that her teams compete with is inspiring. All signs point to a very bright future for Tennessee volleyball moving forward under Eve's leadership."

Tennessee's 73 wins during the Rackham Watt era are the third-most in the SEC over the past four seasons.

"I would like to thank Chancellor Donde Plowman, Director of Athletics Danny White, (Deputy Athletics Director) Cam Walkerand (Senior Associate Athletics Director) Angie Boyd Keck for their continued faith in my ability to lead our volleyball program," Rackham Watt said. "We have made tremendous progress over the past four seasons, and Tennessee volleyball is something very special. My staff and I look forward to sustaining our success and building toward championships. Gavin, Jude and I are excited to continue to call Knoxville our home."

As a byproduct of the program's success, the Lady Vols have seen four players earn seven All-America honors during Rackham Watt's tenure. Tennessee has placed at least one student-athlete on the All-SEC Team since 2018, including two players this past fall.

The four-year run of All-SEC selections is the program's longest since a five-year streak spanning 2008-12.

Rackham Watt's teams also have reenergized the Tennessee volleyball fanbase, pulling in five of the top-10 largest crowds in program history.

Tennessee volleyball has performed equally as strong in the classroom, placing 31 student-athletes on the annual SEC Fall Honor Roll and producing three CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees. Additionally, Ava Bell picked up CoSIDA Second-Team Academic All-America accolades in 2021.

 

[MAD]

Former Vol Isabella Cook transfers to Marquette University.

 

[turbovol]

How'd you spot Cook's destination, Mad? Good catch. I think--hope--that Marquette could be a good fit for her. That team was .500 last year in the Big East--clearly respectable but not good enough to beat strong programs like Georgetown, Xavier and others. Finding a new school for someone who's played at Tennessee, and SEC level, but not enough to suit them is tricky, as you want to go to a decent or more than decent program but you also want to start or play more than you did at your previous school. We had an athletic forward transfer to Holy Cross and, while was an immediate starter and might be their best player now, Holy Cross was terrible last year--won 1 game. She could have (perhaps should have) found a better program, though she might just love Holy Cross for reasons other than athletics. Several years ago we had a pretty good player who wanted more PT and transferred to West Virginia, which at the time was a better program than ours. I don't think she played at all and I think she was out of soccer altogether after a year.

Cook is a talented ball handler and ball distributor. She's a classic 8-role, box-to-box midfielder. But Pensky doesn't seem to have a classic 8 when playing a 4-3-3 and certainly not in the 4-4-2 we played all of last year and quite a bit the year before. Our defensive midfielder, the 6, Burdette last year (Cousins in earlier years) doubles as a primary ball distributor. (In the 4-4-2 that we've been playing, you've got an attacking midfielder (Fusco), a defensive mid (Burdette) and two wide mids, or wings (Huff and Dipasupal) and thus no real center-of-the-field pivot. Pensky had Cook playing in Burdette's 6 role--and while she is a better with the ball than Burdette, she's not as physical defensively, which is a very advantageous quality in a 6. I actually thought Cook should be playing more early in the season because Burdette was just not good with the ball--a bit clumsy at times, and not precise with her passing. But she improved over the course of the season and she was just too good defensively, and had too much of a motor, to take off the field for very long, so Cook ended up playing very little--and thus decided to transfer. Wish her well: She started a match for the U20 U.S. National Team two/three years ago, she's got talent.

 

[MAD]

Tennessee is scheduled to play Indiana in Bloomington at noon on Sunday.

 

[MAD]

Maybe they'll get in late. Nearly all of the AC players have considerably more pro and, in particular, NWSL experience than Vignola and Cousins; that's the challenge for the two former Vols. Two or three of AC's starters tonight, while having been in the NWSL for a few years, were mostly bench players for their previous clubs as opposed to starters--but even so they have trained and played at higher level than our two who only played in the Icelandic league for one /two years. I also noticed that AC played a 3-4-3 formation tonight: I don't know what formations their teams in Iceland played, but I'm pretty sure Vignola and Cousins are more comfortable in a 4-3-3. That's certainly what they played at Tennessee. The difference has to do with different roles/responsibilities for midfielders and defenders. I feel a bit more optimistic about the athletic Vignola sticking on the roster and in the league than Cousins. Katie has outstanding soccer qualities--she was a starter on the U.S. Under 20 National team a few years ago, and acquitted herself nicely--but her lack of height and pace might work against her at this level. We'll have to see--I"m just speculating.

Vignola and Cousins were both on the injury report last week.


Dated 3/19
Injury Report for today's game:

Paige Nilsen ( Illness / unspecified )
Ma Vignola (Right Hip)
Sarah Gorden (Right Knee)
Katie Cousins (Right Hip)

Hope they are recovered and have a chance to play today.

 

[MAD]

Vignola and Cousins were both on the injury report last week.


Dated 3/19
Injury Report for today's game:

Paige Nilsen ( Illness / unspecified )
Ma Vignola (Right Hip)
Sarah Gorden (Right Knee)
Katie Cousins (Right Hip)

Hope they are recovered and have a chance to play today.

As of yesterday

Injury Report
OL Reign

OUT: Megan Rapinoe (calf), Alyssa Malonson (knee)

Angel City FC

OUT: Megan Reid (concussion), Paige Nielsen (illness), M.A. Vignola (right hip), Katie Cousins (right hip), Sarah Gorden (right knee)

 

[MAD]

VFL Carlyn Baldwin goal today with S.C.U. Torreense
Go to the 55 minute mark on the YouTube video.



Result

Torreense 3 Vilaverdense 0
Raquel Ferreira 6’
Caroline Kehrer 11’
Carlyn Baldwin 42’

 

[MAD]

 

[MAD]

Happy Birthday Maddie Eskin

 

[MAD]

Final from Bloomington

 

[turbovol]

Hate to see Vignoila and Cousins missing early-season action with injuries--and the same one, would you believe. Not ideal, to say the least. Hope they heal quickly....

 

[MAD]

 

[turbovol]

Pensky seemed a lot more relaxed about Claire's vlogging after the win than earlier in the day, when he saw the camera and said: "It's game day, Claire," and rather tersely. And not long ago Assistant Coach Morgan, when seeing the camera, said: "Claire needs to work on her possession," and he made a similar comment on the day of the IU game, so the coaches, being coaches, don't want the vlogging to become too much of a distraction, and they might comment on it further in the Fall, when the games get real. For now, it's fun--and thanks for posting it. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of newcomers Midgely and Shell, but didn't notice either one of them and didn't see Romig or Nelson, either. They could have been there and just not spotted, though i'll be that, for various reasons, a couple/three/four players didn't make the trip. One point of spring games is to give younger players or players who were subs the previous years some good playing time to see how they perform. So we heard, for example, that midfielder Stayart played--good prospect out of Eclipse Select (Chicago) who didn't play much at all last year as a frosh--and that Sydney Hennessey played after she missed all of last year with an ACL injury. She's certainly got the potential for significant PT this year as a defender as she played quite a bit as a freshman before getting hurt.

 

[MAD]

Pensky seemed a lot more relaxed about Claire's vlogging after the win than earlier in the day, when he saw the camera and said: "It's game day, Claire," and rather tersely. And not long ago Assistant Coach Morgan, when seeing the camera, said: "Claire needs to work on her possession," and he made a similar comment on the day of the IU game, so the coaches, being coaches, don't want the vlogging to become too much of a distraction, and they might comment on it further in the Fall, when the games get real. For now, it's fun--and thanks for posting it. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of newcomers Midgely and Shell, but didn't notice either one of them and didn't see Romig or Nelson, either. They could have been there and just not spotted, though i'll be that, for various reasons, a couple/three/four players didn't make the trip. One point of spring games is to give younger players or players who were subs the previous years some good playing time to see how they perform. So we heard, for example, that midfielder Stayart played--good prospect out of Eclipse Select (Chicago) who didn't play much at all last year as a frosh--and that Sydney Hennessey played after she missed all of last year with an ACL injury. She's certainly got the potential for significant PT this year as a defender as she played quite a bit as a freshman before getting hurt.

Good observations as far as the video goes. I wonder if it’s just the age of NIL and this is how you get your name out there for deals. Would have been nice to see some of the action on the pitch.

 

[kregman]

These spring games must be like the fall basketball scrimmages where video is not allowed. I

 

[MAD]

These spring games must be like the fall basketball scrimmages where video is not allowed. I

Except you can go watch the upcoming matches in Knoxville I believe.

 

[MAD]

These spring games must be like the fall basketball scrimmages where video is not allowed. I

Remaining schedule
Sunday, April 3 - vs. Chattanooga (Knoxville, Tenn. // 4 p.m.)
Saturday, April 9 - vs. Clemson (Knoxville, Tenn. // 1 p.m.)
Saturday, April 23 - vs. Virginia Tech (Johnson City, Tenn. // 2 p.m.)

Admission for all spring matches at Regal Soccer Stadium will be free of charge. Restrooms will be open at the facility, but attendees should be advised that concessions will not be available during these offseason contests.