Tennessee Vols morning report: Trey Smith out, basketball ranking
Tennessee Vols offensive lineman Trey Smith being hurt and men’s and women’s basketball news lead our Volunteers updates for Friday, Oct. 26, 2018.
Happy Friday! The final weekend of October is on the horizon, and that calls for lots of Halloween celebrations, scary movies, the full enjoyment of the fall, and yes, the Tennessee Vols continuing to play football.
Our headlines on Rocky Top lead with football once again today, but it’s bad news. We actually have a ton of other news to cover as well, though. In addition to football, another men’s basketball ranking is out along with women’s basketball media day.
We also have smaller sports to cover, including a recap of a soccer game and previews of cross country and women’s tennis events. So it’s clear that UT is in full swing with all of its sports. Let’s start with the football news, even though it’s bad news.
Trey Smith out indefinitely – Mike Wilson, Knoxville News Sentinel
Tennessee Vols football offensive lineman Trey Smith is out indefinitely after the blood clots returned to his lungs. Smith has started at left tackle all year and emerged last year as a freshman at guard as one of the top linemen in the SEC. He missed spring ball due to the same issue but is expected to make a full recovery.
"Tennessee’s options behind Smith include Nathan Niehaus, Drew Richmond and Marcus Tatum. Niehaus stepped in and played left tackle when Smith briefly left UT’s season-opening loss to West Virginia. Richmond started 13 games at left tackle in the past two seasons."
Men’s basketball No. 6 in USA TODAY poll – Eddie Timanus, USA TODAY
The Tennessee Vols men’s basketball team was ranked No. 6 in the preseason AP Poll earlier this week. Well, they’re also ranked No. 6 in the preseason USA TODAY Top 25 poll. They are behind the Kansas Jayhawks, Kentucky Wildcats, Duke Blue Devils, Gonzaga Bulldogs and Virginia Cavaliers. Other SEC teams in the Top 25 include the Auburn Tigers and Mississippi State Bulldogs.
"There are four teams each from the Big 12, Big Ten and SEC. The top team from the Big Ten is No. 10 Michigan State. No. 6 Tennessee and No. 6 Nevada achieved their highest preseason ranking since USA TODAY Sports took over administering the poll in the 1991-1992 season."
Lady Vols basketball media day – Maria Cornelius, GoVols247
The Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team held its media day ahead of the 2018-2019 season on Thursday. Holly Warlick spoke to the media along with Cheridene Green and Evina Westbrook. Here’s a bit of what Warlick said.
"“I have a big smile on my face. I love this basketball team,” Warlick said by way of an opening statement. “They are very gritty, they are very competitive, and for the most part, they work hard. They’ve done a great job in practice, been very coachable. It’s a really, really tight-knit group."
Tennessee soccer defeats Missouri – UTSports
The No. 12 ranked Tennessee Lady Vols soccer team defeated the Missouri Tigers Thursday on Senior Night with a 2-1 overtime victory. Bunny Shaw was the hero again, scoring the match winner in the 96th minute of the game. Tennessee closed out the regular season at 13-2-2 and 7-2-1 in the SEC.
"With the win and other results around the league Thursday, Tennessee has locked up the No. 2 seed in next week’s SEC Tournament. The runner-up finish in conference play is the highest for the Vols since claiming the regular season crown in 2005."
2018 SEC Cross Country Championships – SECSports
The Tennessee Vols are participating in the SEC Cross Country Championships set for Friday. The Women’s 6K began at 10 a.m. E.T., and the men’s 8K was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. E.T.
"The 2018 SEC Cross Country Championship will be televised at 1 p.m. ET on November 4 on SEC Network."
Women’s tennis to compete in Tennessee Fall Invite – UTSports
The Tennessee Lady Vols tennis team will host the Tennessee Fall Invite this weekend starting at 2 p.m. Friday. The event is a three-day event and also involves IUPUI, Ohio State and Wake Forest.
"The event will not feature draws, rather coaches will set their teams’ lineups each day. Play will begin each day with two teams facing off in dual-style singles play, followed by all four teams taking part in doubles. Each day will conclude with another singles dual-style match, featuring the two teams that did not compete in the match that started the day."