Maria M. Cornelius

Knoxville

Editor @moxcar; author @utennpress; writer @govols247; board @wbhof; president @etspj; volunteer @StridesKnox; pro-union; DEI; racial justice; #breastcancer

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Articles

Lady Vols softball finds it footing

6 days ago | knoxtntoday.com | Maria M. Cornelius

Before the month of March ended, the softball team found itself at a crossroads. Tennessee had just lost two of three games to Arkansas in Knoxville. The Lady Vols salvaged the third one to avoid the sweep. The Razorbacks are an excellent team and ranked No. 10 in the country, but Tennessee looked like a shell of itself in that series. “Arkansas was a real look in the mirror,” Tennessee coach Karen Weekly said.
Lady Vols softball seizes series win over No. 1 Texas

1 week ago | 247sports.com | Maria M. Cornelius

The Lady Vols won the series against No. 1 Texas in Austin – just two weeks after doing the same at then-No. 2 Oklahoma – and became just the second SEC team to do so against the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the same season. Karlyn Pickens, a generational pitcher, accounted for Sunday's 4-1 win and Saturday's 3-1 victory after Tennessee dropped the opener Friday against the Longhorns.
Nya Robertson commits to Lady Vols

1 week ago | 247sports.com | Maria M. Cornelius

Nya Robertson, an All-ACC guard from SMU, has committed to Tennessee. Robertson, a 5-7 guard from Fort Worth, Texas, announced her decision Sunday via social media. She visited Tennessee over the weekend – and attended the Orange & White football game – and will play her final year of college eligibility as a senior for the Lady Vols. Robertson's social post stated: I VOLunteer to be the for y'all #committed #lastrideShe wore No. 3 at SMU, but that one is in the rafters at Tennessee.
Lady Vols look to portal to fill pieces not roster

1 week ago | knoxtntoday.com | Maria M. Cornelius

The portal giveth, and the portal taketh away. Right now, the Lady Vols have had two players enter the transfer portal in Avery Strickland and Favor Ayodele in stories that can be read HERE and HERE. The giving side of the portal is still to come, but the Lady Vols seem likely to add one or two players with scoring guard and agile forward atop the list. Several players are on Tennessee’s radar – the Lady Vols operate under the radar as well as anyone – so it’s probably a matter of time.
Favor Ayodele enters transfer portal

2 weeks ago | 247sports.com | Maria M. Cornelius

Lady Vols basketball player Favor Ayodele has entered the transfer portal after two seasons in Division I basketball and three in junior college. Ayodele, a 6-1 forward from Móstoles, Spain, spent the 2024-25 season at Tennessee – she was among the players granted a fifth year due to the pandemic – after playing one season at Pitt.
A look back: Kim Caldwell finds success at Tennessee

2 weeks ago | knoxtntoday.com | Maria M. Cornelius

A year ago, as the calendar turned to April, the Lady Vols were in between basketball coaches in what is the most coveted job in the country. The mothership of the sport thanks to the legacy of the late Pat Summitt, it would become just the second coaching search in the history of the program. Enter Kim Caldwell, a relatively unknown coach in Division I women’s basketball who packed quite a résumé while toiling in the lower levels. My first reaction? That’s an intriguing hire.
Avery Strickland to seek new school for final season

2 weeks ago | 247sports.com | Maria M. Cornelius

Avery Strickland, a rising senior guard at Tennessee, will enter the transfer portal. The 5-10 guard from Knoxville posted her intentions on social media in a heartfelt post that noted: "Tennessee - thank you for two unforgettable years on the court. It's been an honor to represent this program and legacy. I will always love and cherish the time I've spent here. From a young age, it was a dream of mine to be a Lady Vol, and living out that dream has been incredible. ...
Kim Caldwell earns extension; softball secures rare feat

3 weeks ago | knoxtntoday.com | Maria M. Cornelius

Lady Vol fans experienced both disappointment and awe over the weekend with basketball falling and softball seizing a rare series win at Oklahoma. Kim Caldwell and her staff led Tennessee to the Sweet 16 before bowing out to No. 1 seed Texas. On Monday, Athletics Director Danny White extended her contract through March 31, 2030, as the metrics of success – unranked to start the season to as high as No. 11; highest attendance at a game since Pat Summitt’s final season – arrived in her debut year.
Kim Caldwell earns contract extension through 2030

3 weeks ago | 247sports.com | Maria M. Cornelius

One successful debut. One year extension. Kim Caldwell earned a one-year extension to her contract, which will now run through March 31, 2030 – that always helps with high school recruiting – after taking the Lady Vols to the Sweet 16 in her first season on Rocky Top. "From our first meeting with Kim, it was clear that she is a groundbreaking innovator destined to lead the future of women's basketball," said Danny White, vice chancellor and director of athletics at Tennessee.
Lady Vols softball wins series at Oklahoma

3 weeks ago | 247sports.com | Maria M. Cornelius

A clutch home run by Ella Dodge and a full outing in the circle by Karlyn Pickens led the Lady Vols to a series win over Oklahoma, which has now allowed just three teams to do so in Norman since 2006. Tennessee (29-7, 5-4) won Friday's game, 5-2, lost Saturday's 4-1, and took Sunday's rubber matchup, 5-3, with all five runs coming with two outs in the fourth inning, capped by Dodge sending a changeup over the right-center field wall.