The University of Tennessee is a football school, right? Well, not anymore! A national championship in baseball in 2024, three consecutive All-SEC sports trophies and nationwide recruiting suggests Tennessee might just be the all-sports school that students, players and fans suggest they are.
The Lady Vol basketball program, a Bonafide Blue Blood in the world of women’s sports, has been energized with a recent coaching hire that Lady Vol fans are truly excited about.
Although the men’s basketball team has not reached its goal of making a Final Four, the basketball Vols continue to enjoy the type of success and excitement that hasn’t been seen since the days of Ray Mears many decades ago.
Vol fans have long been recognized as some of the most passionate among the college sports landscape and the fervor only continues to grow as many other sports enjoy unprecedented success on Rocky Top. Among those are the Lady Vols rowing, soccer and softball teams who continue to captivate fans and potential recruits nationwide.
The Lady Vols volleyball team enjoyed one of its best campaigns in UT volleyball history last season, advancing to the regional semifinals for the first time since 2005 and hosting the first and second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011. Tennessee looks to build upon last season's stellar campaign, one that earned them the program's best-ever national seed at No. 10.
One athlete who hopes to help build upon last season's success is Cate Schnell. Cate, a native of San Diego, Calif., is a redshirt freshman and looking forward to another season on Rocky Top.
When asked if the team has discussed its goals for this upcoming season, Cate didn’t hesitate and shared what the team's lofty goals are for the upcoming season. “Every year we talk about moving the needle higher than the year before and our goal as a team is to make the final four. That's a standard set by a team a long time ago back in 2005 and that is the goal right now.”
Cate is from a very athletic family, her mother, Kimberly Weueste-Schnell, rowed at UC Santa Barbara and her grandfather Robert Weueste played basketball at the University of California.
Asked why she chose to leave the West Coast and head east to Tennessee, she said,
“Most of the schools that I knew about growing up were West Coast schools. My aunt played basketball at Stanford, my grandpa played basketball at Cal, my mom rowed at UCSB and my sister went to USC. West Coast schools were all I knew about growing up.
"Funny story, my first text to coach Watt was a butt dial text with a bunch of random letters, and I was like oh no, but he was nice about it. I was excited to hear from them. I really didn’t know much about Tennessee at all. I did my research, wanting to learn more about them. Speaking on the phone with coach Watt, I learned so much about the school. I was excited to hear how they really invest in their female athletes, and I learned how the all the facilities and everything that we have is here to support us as athletes and people.”
After a year on campus, the redshirt freshman says she has no regrets.
“Every time we visit another SEC school, I see they have nothing compared to us. It’s amazing and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. We support all the other sports teams on campus too, we love it. All of us do.”
But what about the obvious culture shock one from California might experience when moving down South?
“Not much culture shock I don’t think. I have tried a lot of food I haven’t tried before thanks to my roommate Katie Barrier. Nobody really said I had an accent or anything.”
I asked her if she thought that we people from Tennessee talk funny, an observation native New Yorkers never let me forget when I lived in New York for three years. “I don’t think people from Tennessee talk funny, they have a Southern accent, but I love it though.”
The University of Tennessee has a lot to offer a young student athlete who wants to excel on the biggest of stages, but the importance of relationships can’t be minimized. In talking to Cate, it was obvious that the bond she made early on with the coaches had a huge impact on her decision on what school to attend.
“Our coaches, all four of them are amazing, we really feel like a family. Tyler is a parent, and his kids are always around. It doesn’t feel like just a team, it’s a lot more than that. I really love the way our coaches coach and the way they put the time in helping us to develop as players.”
Cate and the volleyball team members are excited to embark on a new season and they can’t wait to raise the needle just a little higher and hopefully represent the Vols in the final four for the first time in 19 years.
Vol fans doing an amazing job of supporting all the sports teams at Tennessee and support for the volleyball team is at an all-time high. They would love nothing more than to cheer this team on to a final four appearance this season.
The 2024 UT volleyball season begins on Aug. 30 as the Lady Vols host Penn State at the Food City Center.
(James Boofer can be reached at james.boofer@wvlt-tv.com)