THE RACKHAM WATT FILE

Personal Information

Full Name: Eve Rackham Watt
Born: December 20, 1981
Hometown: Sebastopol, Calif.
Education: North Carolina, 2003
Husband: Gavin Watt
Children: Son: Jude

Coaching Experience

2004:
Colgate, assistant coach/recruiting coordinator
2005-07:
East Carolina, assistant coach/recruiting coordinator
2008:
Florida International, assistant coach/recruiting coordinator
2009-13:
North Carolina, assistant coach
2013-2018:
North Carolina, assistant head coach
2018-present:
Tennessee, head coach

Coaching Record

Overall:
131-68 (82-44 SEC)
2024
15-12 (8-8 SEC/T-6th)
NCAA Tournament 1st Round
2023
26-5 (15-3 SEC/2nd)
NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen
2022
17-11 (11-7 SEC/4th)
NCAA Tournament 1st Round
2021
20-10 (11-7 SEC/4th)
NCAA Tournament 2nd Round
2020-21
12-8 (12-8 SEC/5th) - Played an SEC only schedule
2019
15-13 (9-9 SEC/T-7th)
2018
26-6 (16-2 SEC/2nd)
NCAA Tournament 2nd Round

Awards and Honors

All-Americans (11):
2018: Tessa Grubbs, Erica Treiber
2021: Danielle Mahaffey, Breana Runnels
2022: Morgahn Fingall
2023: Morgahn Fingall, Caroline Kerr, Jenaisya Moore, Yelianiz Torres
2024: Nina Cajic, Caroline Kerr
AVCA All-Region (15):
2018: Tessa Grubbs, Erica Treiber
2019: Tessa Grubbs
2020-21: Ava Bell
2021: Danielle Mahaffey, Morgahn Fingall, Natalie Hayward
2022: Morgahn Fingall
2023: Morgahn Fingall, Caroline Kerr, Jenaisya Moore, Yelianiz Torres
2024: Nina Cajic, Kiki Granberry, Caroline Kerr
All-SEC (12):
2018: Tessa Grubbs, Erica Treiber
2019: Tessa Grubbs
2020-21: Lily Felts
2021: Natalie Hayward, Breana Runnels
2022: Morgahn Fingall
2023: Morgahn Fingall, Caroline Kerr, Jenaisya Moore
2024: Nina Cajic, Caroline Kerr
SEC All-Freshman (3):
2018: Lily Felts
2022: Keondreya Granberry
2023: Caroline Kerr

2023 SEC Co-Coach of the Year

Tennessee volleyball head coach Eve Rackham Watt concluded her seventh season on Rocky Top in 2024 and has compiled a record of 131-68. In her first seven seasons, Rackham Watt became the fastest coach in program history to reach 20 wins in conference play and the second-fastest to reach the 50-win and 100-win milestones in Tennessee history. The Sebastopol, California, native is currently the third-winningest coach in program history and holds an 82-44 record against SEC opponents.

In January of 2024, Tennessee Director of Athletics Danny White signed Rackham Watt to a contract extension through the 2028 season.

"From the time I arrived at Tennessee, it's been so much fun to watch Eve and her staff bring our volleyball program back to national prominence," White said. "Finishing in the top 10 of the national rankings for just the third time in school history points to the program's upward trajectory under her leadership. We are thrilled to announce this extension to keep Eve and her family on Rocky Top!"

During the 2023 campaign, Rackham Watt coached the Lady Vols to a 26-5 record, their second-highest ranking in program history at No. 8, and the team earned its highest-ever NCAA Tournament national seed at No. 10. UT reached the regional semifinal for the first time since 2005 thanks to an offense that led the SEC and ranked inside the top five nationally in kills per set, assists per set and hitting percentage. For her efforts, she was awarded SEC Co-Coach of the Year honors by her peers.

Throughout her time on Rocky Top, Rackham Watt has coached nine different Lady Vols to All-American status, including six during the last three seasons. Tennessee has been represented on the AVCA All-Region list 13 times and the All-SEC team on 12 occasions. Rackham Watt and her staff have coached two athletes to National Player of the Week status, as Erica Treiber (2018) and Morgahn Fingall (2022, 2023) earned the prestigious honor.

Successful teams are powered by successful players, and her student-athletes consistently maximize their athletic potential. Throughout her time as a college coach, Rackham Watt has produced 29 AVCA All-American selections, 42 all-conference honorees, two conference Players of the Year, three conference Defensive Players of the Year, four conference Newcomers/Freshmen of the Year, 38 AVCA All-Region selections, one AVCA Regional Player of the Year, two AVCA Regional Freshmen of the Year and four NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team selections.

In the classroom, Rackham Watt has coached 13 CSC (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-District honorees and two CSC Academic All-American. During the 2025 spring semester, the Lady Vols posted their highest GPA ever of any semester at 3.67. Under her leadership, Tennessee volleyball has earned the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award during each of the last five years (2021-25), marking the best streak in program history. Fingall earned SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors in 2022 and 2023.

At the professional level, several of Rackham Watt's players have gone on to enjoy success in numerous leagues, including LOVB and Pro Volleyball Federation. During the 2022-23 season, Tessa Grubbs was named the MVP of the Swiss League, while leading her team to a championship title, and Breana Runnels replicated the same success in the Finnish Champions league, earning the top honors while guiding her team to a title. Following the 2023 collegiate campaign, Fingall and Jenaisya Moore were selected in the PVF Draft. Fingall was taken with the No. 4 overall pick by the Grand Rapids Rise, while Moore was selected in the fourth round with the No. 28 pick by the Columbus Fury. Nina Cajic became the third Lady Vol under Rackham Watt to be taken in the PVF Draft, going to the Indy Ignite with the 28th pick in the 2024 draft.

Between her time at the helm at Tennessee and serving as UNC’s recruiting coordinator, Rackham Watt has put together an impressive track record when it comes to identifying and bringing in top talent. In total, she signed 26 top-100 prospects between 2011-18. With the Tar Heels, she signed three top-10 classes in the country, including the No. 3 overall class by PrepVolleyball.com in 2016.

When it comes to growing the game and fanbase, Tennessee’s enjoyed it’s three best seasons for total attendance and average crowds during the Rackham Watt era. To open the 2024 campaign, UT saw its program record for single-match attendance shattered when 6,193 fans packed out Food City Center for the contest against Penn State. Over the course of the season, the top five largest home crowds in Tennessee history occurred, and for the second year in a row, UT shattered its records for total attendance (41,544) and average attendance (3,196). The 2023 season finished with then-program records for total attendance (27,553) and best average attendance (1,722). Twenty-two of the 25 largest crowds in UT history have been under her watch.

YEAR-BY-YEAR RECAPS
2024 – 15-12 (8-8 SEC) // NCAA 1st Round
Despite losing three All-Americans to graduation and five starters from the previous season, the 2024 Tennessee Lady Vols earned a fourth straight bid to the NCAA Tournament and finished in the top half of the SEC. The Big Orange ultimately fell in five sets against No. 18 Georgia Tech in the first round of the postseason.

The Big Orange was led by graduate student Nina Cajic, who garnered AVCA All-America Second Team honors as one of the nation's top offensive players. In her lone season on Rocky Top, Cajic broke the Tennessee single-match record and SEC modern era record for kills (42) as well as UT's 25-point rally-scoring era record for aces in a match (7) and aces per set (0.39) in a single season. She ranked third in aces (41), fourth in kills per set (4.31) and seventh in kills (448) for a single season in school history during the 25-point rally-scoring era.

During Tennessee’s win against Western Michigan on Sept. 19, Cajic had a performance for the ages, tallying 42 kills on 76 attacks and .500 hitting. She shattered the Tennessee all-time record for kills in a match, besting the previous record of 41 kills by Stephanie Ehlers against Washington State on Sept. 24, 1988. She became the first player in SEC history to eclipse 40 kills in a match during the modern era. She is one of two NCAA players during the 25-point rally scoring era to have 40-plus kills in a four-set match. It marked the most kills by a DI player in a match for the season; no other player had more than 38. For the contest, she averaged averaged 10.5 kills per set and had 20 kills in the final frame, including the match winner.

The All-SEC First Team selection led the league in aces per set (0.51) and ranked ninth in kills per set (4.16) during conference play. She was the first Lady Vol during the modern era to post 30 kills in a match, and she did so twice. The AVCA All-Region team member eclipsed 20 kills in five matches throughout the season. Her final numbers for the year were 513 points, 448 kills, 204 digs, 42 blocks, 41 aces and 19 assists.

Redshirt sophomore setter Caroline Kerr garnered All-American status for the second year in a row, becoming the first setter in program history to earn the recognition in multiple seasons. The All-SEC selection finished with 1,069 assists—her second year in a row eclipsing 1,000—to mark the eighth most for a single year during the UT 25-point rally-scoring era, while her 10.28 assists per set ranked sixth. She also ranked sixth in the SEC and 33rd nationally in assists per set.

To open the 2024 campaign, UT saw its program record for single-match attendance shattered when 6,193 fans packed out Food City Center for the contest against Penn State. Over the course of the season. the top five largest home crowds in Tennessee history occurred, and for the second year in a row, UT shattered its records for total attendance (41,544) and average attendance (3,196).

2023 – 26-5 (15-3 SEC) // NCAA Sweet Sixteen
The Big Orange enjoyed one of the best campaigns in program history, advancing to the regional semifinals for the first time since 2005, hosting the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011 and earning the program's best-ever national seed at No. 10. The Lady Vols finished second in the SEC, which produced a conference-high eight NCAA Tournament teams, with a 15-3 record, and they defeated five ranked opponents throughout the season. The team reached as high as eighth in the AVCA rankings, which marked the highest regular season ranking and second-best ranking ever in program history.

In her sixth year at the helm, Rackham Watt was named SEC Co-Coach of the Year. Tennessee swept 19 opponents in 31 matches on the year, marking the second-highest total for a single season in program history and the most since having 20 in 1983. UT boasted one of the country's elite offenses, ranking inside the top five nationally and leading the SEC in kills per set (2nd/14.75), assists per set (3rd/13.60) and hitting percentage (4th/.304). Defensively, the Lady Vols paced the SEC in kills per set allowed (11.39) and assists per set allowed (10.78), while ranking second in the conference in both opposing hitting percentage (.194) and aces per set allowed (0.82).

Right side Morgahn Fingall, the 2023 AVCA Southeast Region Player of the Year and SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, was tabbed to the AVCA All-America First Team after finishing with 457 kills on .321 hitting, 193 digs, 84 blocks and 30 aces. She joined Beverly Robinson (1982) as the only Lady Vols in program history to achieve this feat. After being named a Second Team All-American last year, Fingall became the only player in program history to be tabbed a First or Second Team All-American in back-to-back seasons.

Setter Caroline Kerr claimed a spot on the All-America Second Team, joining Julie Knytych (2004-05) and Mary Pollmiller (2011) as the only setters in program history to earn All-America recognition. One of the best setters in the nation, Kerr finished with 1,245 assists, 210 digs, 70 kills, 40 blocks and 33 aces during her first season of competition. She ranked third nationally, second in the SEC and led all NCAA freshmen in assists per set at 11.75. Outside hitter Jenaisya Moore and libero Yelianiz Torres received All-America Honorable Mention accolades. Fingall, Kerr and Moore were also members of the All-SEC Team after pacing the conference's top offense.

For the season, the Lady Vols broke the program record during the 25-point rally-scoring era for kills per set (14.75), assists per set (13.60), hitting percentage (.304) and aces per set (1.67).

It wasn't just the team making history, the Lady Vol fanbase saw record-breaking attendance numbers for the season. The Big Orange finished with its highest total attendance (27,553) and best average attendance (1,722) in program history, shattering the previous records of 19,127 and 1,471 during the 2019 campaign. Five of the 10 largest crowds in UT history occurred in Food City Center this year, including the fourth-largest crowd of 2,575 fans during Tennessee's win against No. 22 Auburn.

2022 – 17-14 (11-7 SEC) // NCAA 1st Round
During the 2022 campaign, the Lady Vols made their 17th NCAA Tournament appearance after overcoming adversity all season long. Tennessee battled injuries throughout the year–only becoming fully healthy in November–to finish the campaign 17-14 overall and 11-7 in SEC play, tying for fourth place in the league. Once at full strength, UT closed the season with a 7-2 mark to punch its ticket to the tournament. The Lady Vols traveled to Louisville for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Big Orange showed their fight and resiliency in a five-set thriller against No. 8 seeded Purdue but ultimately fell to the Boilermakers.

During the season, senior Morgahn Fingall eclipsed the 1,000 career kill mark and earned All-America recognition. She became the 23rd player in program history to reach the 1,000-kill milestone and just the 10th to reach it in the rally-scoring era. She was named to the All-SEC Team for the first time in her career and was tabbed the league's scholar-athlete of the year. The Fairfax, Virginia, native finished the season with a career-high 483 kills - the second-most in Tennessee history during the 25-point rally-scoring era. Her 4.39 kills per set mark was also the second-most by a Lady Vol during the 25-point era.

True freshman Keondreya Granberry earned SEC All-Freshman Team recognition as she capped her first year on Rocky Top with 149 kills and a team-leading 103 blocks.

With a sweep of Norfolk State on Sept. 10, Rackham Watt became the third-winningest coach in program history.

2021 – 20-10 (11-7 SEC) // NCAA 2nd Round
In 2021, the Lady Vols earned their 24th 20-win season in program history and make their 16th NCAA Tournament appearance. Tennessee finished the year 20-10 overall and 11-7 in SEC play as it placed fourth in the league. UT traveled to Ohio State for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Big Orange defeated North Carolina in four sets in the opening round before falling to No. 9 seed Ohio State in four in the second round.

UT finished with an SEC-best 3.01 blocks per set and closed out the year third in the conference in kills (14.15), assists (12.95) and hitting percentage (.271). Tennessee's blocks per set ranked second nationally in 2021.

A pair of Lady Vols secured All-SEC Team honors as setter Natalie Hayward and outside hitter Breana Runnels landed spots on the team. The season also witnessed head coach Eve Rackham Watt become the fourth winningest coach in program history and Knoxville native Lily Felts surpass 1,000 career kills.

Danielle Mahaffey and Runnels also earned All-America honors in 2021, with Mahaffey garnering recognition from the AVCA and VolleyballMag.com. Runnels was tabbed All-America by VolleyballMag.

2020-21 – 12-8 (12-8 SEC)
The 2020-21 season presented many challenges for teams across the country, including the Lady Vols, as the UT volleyball program had to deal with schedule adjustments and an unprecedented fall and spring schedule. Tennessee played just eight matches in the fall, going 4-4, before returning to the court in the spring.

In the second half of the season, UT went 8-4 to finish the unusual year at 12-8 overall and placed fifth in the conference standings. Tennessee earned three victories vs. top-16 opponents during the season and was one of four teams from the SEC ranked in the AVCA top-50 programs nationally. In the SEC, the Lady Vols were second in the conference in digs, third in kills and blocks and were fourth in the league in hitting percentage and opponent hitting percentage.

Two Lady Vols nabbed postseason honors in 2020-21, as junior Lily Felts was tabbed to the SEC All-Conference Team and middle blocker Ava Bell landed AVCA Honorable Mention All-Region Honors.

2019 – 15-13 (9-9 SEC)
Rackham Watt had the Lady Vols playing their best volleyball of the season at the end of the 2019 campaign as Tennessee won five of its last six matches with three of the wins coming on the road. It helped UT move up three spots in the conference standings as the Lady Vols tied for seventh.

Rackham Watt challenged Tennessee with one of the toughest schedules in the country as UT played 12 matches against teams who made the NCAA Tournament, six matches against AVCA top-25 opponents, seven matches against RPI top-25 teams and 11 matches against RPI top-50 opponents.

Despite the tough schedule, the Lady Vols finished with a winning record both overall and in conference play. It marks the first time since the 2011 and 2012 season that Tennessee has accomplished the feat in back-to-back seasons.

In non-conference play, the Lady Vols increased their home tournament-winning streak to 24 matches, sweeping every match in the Tennessee Classic. During the final match of the tournament against North Dakota State, UT hit a season-high .427 percent, which ranks 11th in program history during the rally-scoring era. Also during the match, Tennessee held the Bison to just 12 kills, tying the fewest kills by an opponent in the rally-scoring era.

One match later in the SEC opener at Ole Miss, the Lady Vols tallied 78 kills, ranking sixth in program history during the rally-scoring era. During the match, senior Tessa Grubbs set a new career-best with 11 kills in the opening set. She went on to lead the team with 4.06 kills per set, earning her All-SEC honors for the second consecutive season. She became the first Tennessee player to accomplish this feat since Kelsey Robinson in 2011 and 2012.

Grubbs, who had a career-high 29 kills in the season opener against No. 6 Illinois, became the 22nd member of the 1,000-kill club while totaling the fourth most kills in the rally-scoring era and the most in the 25-point rally-scoring era. She ended her career ranked eighth in program history with 1,413 kills.

Fellow senior Sedona Hansen also cemented her place in the Tennessee record book, finishing fifth all-time in total assists with 3,494 assists in her career. She also finished 11th in digs with 1,129 in her four seasons on Rocky Top. Hansen was a double-double machine throughout her four seasons, as her 60 career double-doubles rank second in program history. Under Rackham Watt the past two seasons, she has tallied 27 of her double-double performances, leading the SEC with 13 during her junior campaign.

She posted a career-best 20 aces during her senior season with three matches of three or more aces. The Lady Vols as a whole saw an uptick in aces in Rackham Watt’s second season. They increased their service aces per set by 0.19 while having three matches with 11 or more aces.

2018 – 26-6 (16-2 SEC) // NCAA 2nd Round
In Rackham Watt’s first season at Tennessee, she helped orchestrate the largest single-season turnaround in program history. She guided the Lady Vols to a 14-win increase overall, 11-win increase in Southeastern Conference play and an eight-place jump in the conference standings.

After being picked to finish 10th, she led Tennessee to 16 SEC wins and a second-place finish in her first season as a head coach. Tennessee won a total of 20 SEC matches in the four previous seasons combined.

Rackham Watt became the first Tennessee coach in any sport to beat a ranked opponent in her debut. In front of the second-largest crowd in Lady Vol volleyball history, Tennessee defeated No. 22 Michigan State in four sets to claim their first win in the Eve Rackham Watt era.

On the season, Rackham Watt and the Lady Vols went 2-0 vs. Big Ten opponents, which is their best record against the Big Ten in program history, tying their record of 2-0 in the 1983 season.

The Lady Vols captured four-ranked wins in 2018, the most of any SEC team and the only team in the conference to have a winning record against the AVCA Top-25. After coming back from 2-0 sets down to defeat Georgia in five sets, Tennessee entered the AVCA Top-25 poll themselves for the first time since 2012. The Lady Vols would climb as high as No. 19 in the polls as they were ranked in the final five polls of the season.

Tennessee ended conference play on an 11-match win streak, which included the first sweep over the Florida Gators since the 1988 season and just second time in program history. Inside of Thompson-Boling Arena, the Lady Vols tallied 14 home wins this season. It marks just the second time in program history Tennessee have accomplished that feat. It is also the first time since 1983 that UT had 14 or more wins at home in the regular season.

After a 26-win season, third most in UT history in the rally-scoring era, Tennessee was selected to the NCAA Tournament for the 15th time in school history and the first time since the 2012 season.

After earning a No. 2 seed in the Washington State regional, Tennessee advanced to the second round of the tournament for the 10th time in program history, defeating Colorado State in five sets in the first round of the tournament.

Rackham Watt helped senior Erica Treiber, junior Tessa Grubbs and freshman Lily Felts to postseason honors. Treiber and Grubbs became the 44th and 45th players in program history to be named to the All-SEC Team, the first Lady Vols to be voted to the team since 2012. Felts garnered SEC All-Freshman honors, becoming the ninth Tennessee player to do so in UT history.

Treiber and Grubbs went on to be named AVCA All-Southeast Region, marking the first time since 2011 multiple Lady Vols have been selected to the team. This was the second time Treiber was named an All-Region selection while Grubbs became the 19th player in UT history to be named All-Region.

Both Treiber and Grubbs went on to earn AVCA All-American honors, making it the first time since 2012 the program has had multiple All-Americans in the same season. Treiber became the eighth player in UT history to earn multiple All-American honors in her career while Grubbs became the Lady Vols 19th All-American.

PRIOR TO TENNESSEE
Rackham Watt was hired as UT’s new head volleyball coach on Jan. 10, 2018. Prior to her arrival on Rocky Top, she spent nine seasons on staff at North Carolina, serving as assistant head coach from 2013-18. The Sebastopol, California, native oversaw recruiting and was responsible for UNC’s offensive development.

During Rackham Watt’s tenure on staff with UNC—where she stands as one of the most accomplished volleyball student-athletes in school history—the program posted a 210-77 record. She was named the AVCA Division I Assistant Coach of the Year in 2014, and the Tar Heels earned seven consecutive NCAA Tournament berths from 2010-16.

No stranger to championship-caliber teams, Rackham Watt was instrumental in guiding North Carolina to ACC Championships in 2014 and 2016. The 2014 squad (29-3, 16-0 ACC) advanced to the NCAA Tournament semifinals, and the 2016 team (29-4, 19-1 ACC) reached the NCAA Tournament Round of 16.

The 2014 Tar Heels—a team that strung together a school-record 20-match win streak—ranked among the best in the ACC in three different categories, including fourth in the ACC and 29th nationally in hitting percentage (.259), fourth in the ACC in assists/set (12.86) and fourth in the ACC in kills/set (13.84). Following that historic season, Rackham Watt was named the AVCA Division I Assistant Coach of the Year.

Rackham Watt began her collegiate coaching career in 2004 as assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at Colgate, where she mentored the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year.

In 2005, Rackham Watt began a three-year run as assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at East Carolina. During her tenure at ECU, seven Pirates garnered all-conference acclaim. In her first year, she helped lead the squad to a 20-11 record, marking only the third 20-win season in school history.

Before returning to UNC, Rackham Watt spent the 2008 season as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at Florida International. She helped guide the Panthers to the Sun Belt Regular-Season Championship and the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001. She coached the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and NCAA kills leader, along with two All-Sun Belt honorees and one AVCA All-American.

UNC’s starting setter from 1999-2002, Rackham Watt led the Tar Heels to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2002 NCAA Round of 16 and North Carolina’s highest-ever ranking to that point in the AVCA Coaches’ Poll (No. 11).

Carolina’s all-time career leader in assists per set (12.58), Rackham Watt earned first-team All-ACC and first-team AVCA All-Region honors in 2002. She was part of the winningest class in school history, as the Tar Heels compiled a 110-27 record, winning more than 80 percent of their games during her playing career.

Rackham Watt graduated from UNC in 2003 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She and her husband, Gavin have a son, Jude.