University of Tennessee Athletics
Rackham Watt’s Contract Extended After Volleyball’s Historic Season
January 05, 2024 | Volleyball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After leading Tennessee volleyball to one of the best seasons in program history, head coach Eve Rackham Watt agreed to a contract extension through January of 2029, Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White announced Friday.
"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!"
The 2023 SEC Co-Coach of the Year concluded her sixth season on Rocky Top in 2023 and has compiled a record of 116-55. In her first six seasons, Rackham Watt became the fastest coach in program history to reach 20 wins in conference play, became 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 a 74-36 record against SEC opponents.
"I am incredibly excited about the future of Tennessee Volleyball and want to thank Danny White, Cam Walker and Angie Boyd Keck for their support of me, my staff and what we are building here," Rackham Watt said. "Since arriving in Knoxville, we have dedicated ourselves to revitalizing this program and striving to compete on a national stage. Coming off the most successful season in almost 20 years, I am proud of where we are, yet fully aware that there is still much more to achieve. Our administrative support has been tremendous, and I am looking forward to continuing to move our program forward."
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.
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) entering the weekend.
For the season, the Lady Vols broke the program record during the 25-point rally-scoring era for kills per set, assists per set, hitting percentage and aces per set (1.67).
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.
Throughout her time on Rocky Top, Rackham Watt has coached eight different Lady Vols to All-American status, including six during the last three seasons. Tennessee has been represented on the AVCA All-Region list eight times and the All-SEC team on 10 occasions. Rackham Watt and her staff have coached two athletes to National Player of the Week status, as Erica Treiber (2018) and 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 27 AVCA All-American selections, 40 all-conference honorees, two conference Players of the Year, three conference Defensive Players of the Year, four conference Newcomers/Freshmen of the Year, 35 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 11 CSC (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-District honorees and two CSC Academic All-American. During the 2023 spring semester, the Lady Vols posted their highest GPA ever of any semester at 3.61. Under her leadership, Tennessee volleyball has earned the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award during each of the last three years (2021-23), marking the best streak in program history. Fingall earned SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors in 2022 and 2023.
At the professional level, Tessa Grubbs and Breana Runnels both enjoyed successful 2022-23 seasons. Grubbs was named the MVP of the Swiss League, while leading her team to a championship title. Runnels replicated the same success in the Finnish Champions league, earning the top honors while guiding her team to a title. Following the 2023 campaign, Fingall and Jenaisya Moore were selected in the Pro Volleyball Federation 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.
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. During the 2020 signing class, she signed Tennessee's highest-rated recruit since 2013 when Jasmine Brooks joined the Lady Vols as a top-50 national recruit. 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 its two best seasons for total attendance and average crowds during the Rackham Watt era. The Big Orange finished with its highest total attendance (27,553) and best average attendance (1,722) in program history in 2023, shattering the previous records of 19,127 and 1,471 during the 2019 campaign. Nine of the 10 largest crowds in UT history have been under her watch.
"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!"
The 2023 SEC Co-Coach of the Year concluded her sixth season on Rocky Top in 2023 and has compiled a record of 116-55. In her first six seasons, Rackham Watt became the fastest coach in program history to reach 20 wins in conference play, became 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 a 74-36 record against SEC opponents.
"I am incredibly excited about the future of Tennessee Volleyball and want to thank Danny White, Cam Walker and Angie Boyd Keck for their support of me, my staff and what we are building here," Rackham Watt said. "Since arriving in Knoxville, we have dedicated ourselves to revitalizing this program and striving to compete on a national stage. Coming off the most successful season in almost 20 years, I am proud of where we are, yet fully aware that there is still much more to achieve. Our administrative support has been tremendous, and I am looking forward to continuing to move our program forward."
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.
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) entering the weekend.
For the season, the Lady Vols broke the program record during the 25-point rally-scoring era for kills per set, assists per set, hitting percentage and aces per set (1.67).
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.
Throughout her time on Rocky Top, Rackham Watt has coached eight different Lady Vols to All-American status, including six during the last three seasons. Tennessee has been represented on the AVCA All-Region list eight times and the All-SEC team on 10 occasions. Rackham Watt and her staff have coached two athletes to National Player of the Week status, as Erica Treiber (2018) and 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 27 AVCA All-American selections, 40 all-conference honorees, two conference Players of the Year, three conference Defensive Players of the Year, four conference Newcomers/Freshmen of the Year, 35 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 11 CSC (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-District honorees and two CSC Academic All-American. During the 2023 spring semester, the Lady Vols posted their highest GPA ever of any semester at 3.61. Under her leadership, Tennessee volleyball has earned the USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award during each of the last three years (2021-23), marking the best streak in program history. Fingall earned SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors in 2022 and 2023.
At the professional level, Tessa Grubbs and Breana Runnels both enjoyed successful 2022-23 seasons. Grubbs was named the MVP of the Swiss League, while leading her team to a championship title. Runnels replicated the same success in the Finnish Champions league, earning the top honors while guiding her team to a title. Following the 2023 campaign, Fingall and Jenaisya Moore were selected in the Pro Volleyball Federation 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.
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. During the 2020 signing class, she signed Tennessee's highest-rated recruit since 2013 when Jasmine Brooks joined the Lady Vols as a top-50 national recruit. 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 its two best seasons for total attendance and average crowds during the Rackham Watt era. The Big Orange finished with its highest total attendance (27,553) and best average attendance (1,722) in program history in 2023, shattering the previous records of 19,127 and 1,471 during the 2019 campaign. Nine of the 10 largest crowds in UT history have been under her watch.
Players Mentioned
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