University of Tennessee Athletics
Rackham Announces the Addition of Carissa Bradford
May 08, 2020 | Volleyball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee volleyball head coach Eve Rackham has announced the addition of transfer, Carissa Bradford.
Bradford, who spent her freshman season at Pacific, arrives on Rocky Top with three years of eligibility remaining. The sophomore outside hitter will join the Lady Vols for the 2020 season.
"We are excited to welcome Carissa Bradford into our program at Tennessee," Rackham said. "She brings great physicality to our outside hitter position and will provide some much needed depth. Carissa has already played a season of college volleyball, which was something that was important to us. She had some impressive matches as a freshman this past season, in a tough conference, against some of the nation's best teams. Our staff feels that she has tremendous upside and will help us compete at the top of the SEC."
The addition of Bradford bolsters an already talented incoming class for the Lady Vols as Tennessee's 2020 class received Highest Honorable Mention from Prep Volleyball in their Top 30 college recruiting classes.
The Granada Hills, Calif., native played a key role in Pacific's offense in 2019, playing in 116 sets over 30 matches with 27 starts. Bradford's 231 kills ranked third on the team as she averaged just under two kills per set.
Bradford notched nine double digit kill performances, including a career-high 15 kills in a 3-1 win over Portland on Nov. 9. The 6-2 outside hitter earned the first double-double of her career against Gonzaga as she picked up 12 kills to go along with 10 digs.
On transferring to Rocky Top, Bradford said, "Tennessee has so much to offer and so many resources available to student athletes. I am super excited to be a part of such a strong athletic tradition and awesome volleyball family! Go Vols!"
In high school, she helped Granada Hills Charter to four-straight West Valley League Championships and a pair of LA City Section Open Division Championships in 2016 and 2017.
She earned First Team All-League honors in all four of her seasons and received First Team All-Section honors in her final three seasons with the Highlanders. Bradford was twice named the West Valley League Player of the Year and in 2018 was tabbed as the LA City Section Open Division Player of the Year.
In a total of 292 sets played, Bradford totaled 910 kills, 86 blocks, 535 digs, and 89 service aces. She hit .284 with a kill percentage of 41.9. Bradford's best career performance came during her junior season when she smashed a total of 41 kills in a victory over Hart High School.
Bradford, who spent her freshman season at Pacific, arrives on Rocky Top with three years of eligibility remaining. The sophomore outside hitter will join the Lady Vols for the 2020 season.
"We are excited to welcome Carissa Bradford into our program at Tennessee," Rackham said. "She brings great physicality to our outside hitter position and will provide some much needed depth. Carissa has already played a season of college volleyball, which was something that was important to us. She had some impressive matches as a freshman this past season, in a tough conference, against some of the nation's best teams. Our staff feels that she has tremendous upside and will help us compete at the top of the SEC."
The addition of Bradford bolsters an already talented incoming class for the Lady Vols as Tennessee's 2020 class received Highest Honorable Mention from Prep Volleyball in their Top 30 college recruiting classes.
The Granada Hills, Calif., native played a key role in Pacific's offense in 2019, playing in 116 sets over 30 matches with 27 starts. Bradford's 231 kills ranked third on the team as she averaged just under two kills per set.
Bradford notched nine double digit kill performances, including a career-high 15 kills in a 3-1 win over Portland on Nov. 9. The 6-2 outside hitter earned the first double-double of her career against Gonzaga as she picked up 12 kills to go along with 10 digs.
On transferring to Rocky Top, Bradford said, "Tennessee has so much to offer and so many resources available to student athletes. I am super excited to be a part of such a strong athletic tradition and awesome volleyball family! Go Vols!"
In high school, she helped Granada Hills Charter to four-straight West Valley League Championships and a pair of LA City Section Open Division Championships in 2016 and 2017.
She earned First Team All-League honors in all four of her seasons and received First Team All-Section honors in her final three seasons with the Highlanders. Bradford was twice named the West Valley League Player of the Year and in 2018 was tabbed as the LA City Section Open Division Player of the Year.
In a total of 292 sets played, Bradford totaled 910 kills, 86 blocks, 535 digs, and 89 service aces. She hit .284 with a kill percentage of 41.9. Bradford's best career performance came during her junior season when she smashed a total of 41 kills in a victory over Hart High School.
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