Talk about a jam-packed weekend of sports. The Tennessee Vols had a football game, a women’s basketball game and two men’s basketball games over the weekend, and in thrilling fashion, they went 3-1 in all those contests with two wins against ranked teams.
Our morning update on Rocky Top leads with continuing coverage of the aftermath of those events, including postgame interviews with all the coaches and multiple players. Those weren’t the only events to warrant coverage either.
We’ve also got recaps of four events, including two postseason events, as soccer, volleyball, swimming and diving and cross country all made news this past weekend. Let’s dive into all this coverage to kick off the week of Thanksgiving.
Josh Heupel, players recap South Alabama win – UTSports
On Saturday, the Tennessee Vols football team clinched bowl eligibility with a 60-14 win over the South Alabama Jaguars. UT improved to 6-5 on the year with the Vanderbilt Commodores this week to close out the regular season. After the game, Josh Heupel spoke along with Matthew Butler, Velues Jones Jr., Roman Harrison and Hendon Hooker. Here’s a bit of what Heupel said.
"“The environment early in the game was phenomenal as well, so appreciate that and going to need that next week too. I thought our kids answered my question, who we are going to be and what we are going to be about as individuals and as a program. Thought they did a great job preparing, came out and played extremely hard early in the football game. Played assignments sound and took care of business.”"
Rick Barnes, Zakai Zeigler talk Hall of Fame Tip-Off – Jack Foster, SI.com
After a 71-53 loss to the No. 5 ranked Villanova Wildcats at the Hall of Fame Tip-Off in Connecticut Saturday, the No. 17 ranked Tennessee Vols men’s basketball team dominated the No. 18 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels Sunday to rebound for a win and improve to 3-1. Rick Barnes and Zakai Zeigler spoke after the game. Here’s a bit of what Barnes said.
"“Got to give these guys a lot of credit because most of these guys have never known what it is like on a one-day turnaround. Walkthrough, scouting report. You could tell when they went in, they were locked in.”"
Kellie Harper, players recap Texas win – Maria M. Cornelius, GoVols247
For the third time, the No. 16 ranked Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team came back in the fourth quarter. This time they beat the No. 12 ranked Texas Longhorns 74-70 in overtime, overcoming a 10-point deficit for their second straight top 25 win to move to 4-0. Kellie Harper, Jordan Horston, Jordan Walker and Tamari Key spoke afterward. Here is a bit of what Harper said.
"“Obviously, it’s a big win for our program and showed a lot of guts by our team, and they’re excited about how we were able to pull it out. Can’t say that it was pretty, but you can definitely say it’s gutsy.”"
Soccer eliminated in Sweet 16 – UT Daily Beacon
A 3-0 loss to the No. 9 ranked Michigan Wolverines in the Sweet 16 Sunday ended the Tennessee Lady Vols soccer team’s season. UT beat the Washington State Cougars 2-0 Friday to advance to that round. They finished the year with a 20-3 overall record.
"While the team is finished for the season there are plenty of positives to take away. This season was a record-making one for the Tennessee soccer team.The Lady Vols achieved the most shutouts in season history (13) as well as a program record 20 wins in a season."
Senior finishes in top half at cross country championships – NCAA.com
Coming in at No. 125 out of 250 runners, Tennessee Vols cross country senior Karl Thiessen finished in the top half among runners at the NCAA Cross Country Championships Saturday. This is the best finish by a UT player since Peter Okwera’s No. 30 finish in 2012.
"The 2021 DI cross country championship finals were Saturday, Nov. 20. North Carolina State won the women’s team event for the national championship, and Northern Arizona won the men’s national title."
Volleyball sweeps Alabama – Ken Lay, VolsWire.com
In their final two regular season home games, the Tennessee Lady Vols volleyball team defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 3-0 Thursday and then 3-0 last Friday. UT will close out the regular season this Wednesday on the road against the Alabama Crimson Tide.
"Breana Runnels sparked the Lady Vols (19-8, 11-6 SEC) with nine kills and 14 digs against Alabama (10-18, 2-14 SEC).Danielle Mahaffey had nine kills and six blocks in the match. Ava Bell finished with seven blocks."
Swimming and Diving wraps up Tennessee Invite – Robert Gibbs, SwimSwam.com
Over the weekend, the Tennessee Vols and Lady Vols Swimming and Diving programs finished in first place at the Tennessee Invite. In both cases, their closest competitors were the Virginia Cavaliers and Alabama Crimson Tide.
"Tennessee freshman Jordan Crooks completed the sprint free sweep with a 42.41 victory in the 100 free, after winning the 50 free on Thursday night."