By Ashley Stadnicki
If the first week of September is any indication, Rocky Top is wasting no time making noise. From a record-breaking crowd in volleyball to a comeback win on the golf course, a ranked soccer showdown and a football opener that turned into a statement, Tennessee has had plenty to celebrate.
Volleyball: The Lady Vols are making winning look easy
The No. 22 Tennessee volleyball team is off to a 4-0 start after sweeping Illinois 3-0 Tuesday night at Food City Center.
And the Lady Vols didn’t just win. They dominated, taking the three sets 25-19, 25-17, and 25-11. Tennessee hit an impressive .422 as a team, with Kennedi Rogers leading the attack with 14 kills. Jalyn Stout also made her mark with her first career double-double as a Vol.
The biggest number of the night, though, might have been 8,212.
That was the crowd inside Food City Center, setting a new Tennessee volleyball attendance record just four days after the previous record had been set. Apparently, Knoxville got the memo: Volleyball is the place to be.
And the Lady Vols aren’t slowing down. They’ll take their perfect record to Nashville on Sunday for a ranked matchup with No. 21 Indiana at the Broadway Block Party. First serve is set for 3 p.m. on ESPN2.
Men’s Golf: Talk about a comeback
The Tennessee men’s golf team opened its season by proving that 6 strokes are apparently no big deal.
After sitting 7 strokes back of the lead following Monday’s 36 holes, the Vols fired a 14-under-par 274 in the final round at Fox Den Country Club to storm back and win the Visit Knoxville Collegiate.
Tennessee finished 15-under overall, four strokes ahead of Memphis.
Leading the charge was Nebraska transfer Rudy Sautron, who made quite the first impression in orange. Sautron fired a tournament-best 7-under 63 in the final round and finished at 9-under for the tournament.
Jackson Herrington also cracked the top 10, while freshman Pennson Badgett finished 13th in his collegiate debut. Not a bad way to start the fall.
Soccer: Unbeaten, but not quite perfect
The No. 10 Tennessee soccer team faced its first real test of the season Thursday, traveling to No. 12 Virginia in a battle between two unbeaten teams.
The Lady Vols passed the test — just not with a W.
Tennessee and Virginia played to a 1-1 draw, keeping both teams at 4-0-1 on the season. Taylor Cheatham gave Tennessee an early lead less than five minutes into the match after a quick counterattack sparked by Ines Derrien and Shae O’Rourke.
Virginia answered early in the second half, and the two teams battled the rest of the way.
Tennessee nearly stole it late, but a save from Virginia goalkeeper Victoria Safradin denied Derrien in the 87th minute.
So while the Lady Vols didn’t leave Charlottesville with a win, they still haven’t lost a game this season.
Tennessee hosts Northwestern on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Regal Soccer Stadium.
What’s next on Rocky Top?
The fun isn’t stopping anytime soon.
The volleyball team heads to Nashville for a ranked showdown with Indiana, soccer returns home to face Northwestern, and Tennessee women’s golf opens its season Monday at the Cougar Classic in Charleston, S.C.
Consider September officially underway. Volleyball is undefeated. Soccer is undefeated. Men’s golf already has a trophy. And football just dropped 56 points.
Not a bad week to be wearing orange.