The soccer team seized another SEC victory with a 2-0 win Thursday night against Georgia at Regal Soccer Stadium.

The Lady Vols are now 10-1-1 overall and 4-1-0 in the SEC after Jenna Stayart and Ally Brown found the back of the net in the first and second half, respectively.

No. 3/5 Tennessee got four shots on goal with two saves by Georgia’s Hannah Folliard. No. 17 Georgia had two shots on goal with two saves by Tennessee’s Cayden Norris.

The win marked six consecutive victories for the Lady Vols at home and boosted Norris’ clean sheets with no goals allowed to eight on the season with 30 saves. Through 12 matches, the Lady Vols have scored 28 goals and allowed just four.

“I am most proud of how we played together,” Brown said. “There were times we didn’t have the ball, but we stuck together as a unit and played for each other.”

Next up for Tennessee is a trip to Oxford for a match against Ole Miss on Sunday, Oct. 5, at 3 p.m.

Tennessee’s Shae O’Rourke had started the season as a dynamic scorer in the first five games with five goals but hadn’t played in the month of September in what was initially hoped to be a non-season-ending knee injury. However, that wasn’t the case, and O’Rourke announced on her social media that she would miss the rest of the season.

“I never imagined I’d have to write this again, but I’ve re-torn my ACL,” O’Rourke wrote on Instagram. “This season was unlike any other, and I’m forever grateful for what Tennessee has given me. I may never fully understand why this happened again, but I’ll keep supporting this team because they’re truly something special. I know the road ahead won’t be easy – but I’ve done it once, and I can do it again. My heart is heavy, but I’ll continue to give my all for Tennessee. See you next season, Vols.”

O’Rourke started her college career at South Carolina for two seasons and then transferred to Texas A&M. But a preseason knee injury wiped out her 2024 season and a roster turnover – the Aggies brought in 10 transfers to play in 2025 – led to a return to the transfer portal and a landing spot in Knoxville.

She quickly became a fan favorite with her energetic play and goal-scoring ability. O’Rourke still has two years of eligibility remaining.

VOLLEYBALL

The volleyball team, which is ranked No. 20 in the country with an 11-1 record, has started SEC play with a 2-0 record with wins at home against Georgia and South Carolina.

The conference path gets tougher with the next three games on the road. First up is LSU in Baton Rouge with start time set for 8 p.m. Eastern on Friday, Oct. 3. That is followed by matches at Texas on Oct. 8 and Ole Miss on Oct. 12.

Tennessee has won 10 consecutive matches with the latest coming against South Carolina.

“Tremendous crowd, tremendous crowd support,” coach Eve Rackham Watt said. “I can’t say enough about what our fans have done for us this year. They’ve been unbelievable. I truly believe they’re a part of us winning these matches.”

The next home match is Oct. 15 against Florida with an “orange out” callout for fans. As volleyball’s social media post said: You know what to do. (*wear orange*)

New in 2025 is a postseason conference tournament for SEC volleyball for the first time. It will be held Nov. 21-25 in Savannah, Georgia.

SOFTBALL

Fall softball has started with game details and roster info outlined HERE in a previous column. That is, of course, for the fans to get an early look at the 2026 team.

For young players age 6-16, the Lady Vol Boost Her Club is holding a softball clinic on Nov. 14 at Maryville Little League located at 1400 Sevierville Road. The Fall Festival clinic will feature current players Ella Dodge, Elsa Morrison, Saviya Morgan and Emma Clarke and former players McKenna “Boo” Gibson and Rylie West.

The cost is $75 per athlete and registration is available HERE. The cost includes a designer softball T-shirt; poster for autographs; clinic from 6-7:30 p.m.; and meet and greet from 7:30-8:30 p.m.

The 2025-26 Shirzees also are in stock for the softball team and can be found HERE.

The Boost Her Club plays a big role in opportunities for all Lady Vol athletes in all sports. Memberships and donations are needed and can be done HERE.

BASKETBALL

October means basketball season is getting closer – the first exhibition game is Oct. 29 – and the media availability sessions become more frequent.

Zee Spearman and Kaiya Wynn chatted Thursday with the media.

Spearman’s video and transcript are available HERE and HERE. Wynn’s video and transcript are available HERE and HERE.

Single game tickets also went on sale Thursday and can be purchased HERE.

Here are Spearman’s thought on the freshman class: “I love the team. I feel like we’re going to be great. I’m so excited for the season. They have so much joy, and they just want to win. I love seeing that they don’t want to lose.”

Wynn returns after missing all of the 2024-25 season with a torn Achilles. The team cheered when she made her first basket in practice.

“I think I came down and I did a spin move and hit a little lefthand layup,” Wynn said. “I was running down the court, and I’m not a big crier or anything, but I wanted to tear up, because it was so long since I had played basketball.

“I was excited, and they’re cheering for me and everything. It was special.”

Maria M. Cornelius, a senior writer/editor at MoxCar Marketing + Communications since 2013, started her journalism career at the Knoxville News Sentinel and began writing about the Lady Vols in 1998. In 2016, she published her first book, “The Final Season: The Perseverance of Pat Summitt,” through The University of Tennessee Press and a 10th anniversary edition will be released in 2026.