Tennessee Vols morning report: Justin Martin to Chiefs minicamp
A Tennessee Vols player being invited to minicamp and Rick Barnes being honored at the state capitol lead our Volunteers news for Tuesday, April 30, 2019.
In just one day, it’s gonna be May! Yes, we are truly about to enter full offseason mode, but that’s not quite the case. The Tennessee Vols are entering the postseason in multiple sports, so we’ll still have plenty to cover.
Postseason news is a huge part of our coverage on Rocky Top for today, in fact. We have two sports to mention when it comes to that. But, to be fair, we also have news surrounding a former Vol from 2017 and basketball recognition.
So while there aren’t any games to preview for today, there’s still plenty of coverage surrounding the program. Let’s start with the big news surrounding a former football player and the men’s basketball team.
Justin Martin invited to Chiefs minicamp – Wes Rucker, GoVols247
He actually finished his career with the Tennessee Vols football program in 2017. But Justin Martin is now getting a look from the Kansas City Chiefs, which he tweeted about Monday.
"After rotating in and out of the first-team lineup as a sophomore in 2015 and a junior in 2016, Martin made major strides with his maturity heading into his senior season in 2017 and became a regular starter. He finished his Tennessee career with 79 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, 9 passes defended, one interception (with no return) and one forced fumble in 36 games."
Rick Barnes recognized at State Capitol – Adam Sparks, The Tennessean
Tennessee Vols men’s basketball head coach Rick Barnes was at the State Capitol in Nashville on Monday. Barnes signed autographs, posed for photos and received a cheer in the House Chamber.
"Senate Joint Resolution 403 was read aloud, praising the “coaching genius of Rick Barnes.” After a few minutes, Barnes acknowledged more applause and headed for the back door. But his departure was halted by glad-handing lawmakers donning orange ties and blazers and attendees wanting autographs on UT Vols shirts and hats they brought into the chamber."
Men’s tennis to host NCAA Regionals – UTSports
At 20-7, the Tennessee Vols men’s tennis team will be playing at home for the first two rounds of the NCAA Regionals. This is the 11th time in program history that has happened and first since 2013. They’ll be competing on May 3 and May 4.
"Tennessee’s first round opponent will be Radford (17-6) on May 3 at 2 p.m. from Barksdale Stadium. The following day, the winner of that match will face the winner of the first-round matchup between NC State and Middle Tennessee."
Women’s tennis makes NCAA Tournament – NCAA.com
The Tennessee Lady Vols tennis team made the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year and for the 28th time in program history. At 19-7, they will compete in the Raleigh Regional to open up the tournament against the Southern Conference champion Furman Paladins. Whomever wins that match will face the winner between the N.C. State Wolfpack and the VCU Rams.
"First- and second-round competition takes place May 3-4 or 4-5 and features four teams playing in a single-elimination format. The winner of each site advances to super-regional competition May 10 or 11. Each super-regional site will feature two teams playing a single-elimination format. The super-regional winners advance to the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, where the eight teams will compete for the national championship May 17-19. The event will be hosted by the University of Central Florida and the Greater Orlando Sports Commission."