The University of Tennessee is a football school, right? Well, not anymore! A baseball national championship in 2024, three consecutive All-SEC sports trophies, and nationwide recruiting suggest Tennessee could be exactly the all-sports school students, players, and fans expect it to be.
Vol fans have long been considered the most passionate among college athletes, and the enthusiasm continues to grow as many other sports at Rocky Top find unprecedented success. This includes the Lady Vols rowing, soccer and softball teams, which continue to excite fans and prospective recruits nationwide.
The Lady Vols volleyball team had one of the best seasons in UT volleyball history last season, reaching the regional semifinals for the first time since 2005 and hosting the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011. Tennessee looks to build on last season’s stellar season, which earned them the program’s best-ever national ranking of No. 10.
One athlete hoping to build on last season’s success is Cate Schnell. A native of San Diego, California, Cate is a redshirt freshman and is looking forward to another season at Rocky Top.
When asked if the team has discussed their goals for the upcoming season, Cate didn’t hesitate to share with us the team’s ambitious goals for the upcoming season. “Every year we talk about raising the bar higher than the year before and our goal as a team is to make the final four. That’s a standard that a team set way back in 2005 and that’s the goal now.”
Cate comes from a very athletic family: her mother, Kimberly Weueste-Schnell, rowed at UC Santa Barbara and her grandfather, Robert Weueste, played basketball at the University of California.
When asked why she decided to leave the West Coast and head east to Tennessee, she said:
“Most of the schools I knew growing up were West Coast schools. My aunt played basketball at Stanford, my grandfather played basketball at Cal, my mom rowed at UCSB, and my sister went to USC. The West Coast schools were all I knew growing up.
“Funny story, my first text to coach Watt was an annoying text with a bunch of random letters and I was like, oh no, but he was nice. I was excited to hear from them. I really didn’t know much about Tennessee. I did research and wanted to learn more about them. When I spoke to coach Watt on the phone, I learned so much about the school. I was excited to hear how they really invest in their female athletes and I learned that all the facilities and everything we have are there to support us as athletes and people.”
“Every time we visit another SEC school, I see that they have nothing compared to us. It’s unbelievable and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. We also support all the other sports teams on campus, we love it. We all do.”
“I don’t think it was a huge culture shock. Thanks to my roommate Katie Barrier, I tried a lot of dishes I hadn’t tried before. No one really said I had an accent or anything.”
I asked her if she thought we Tennessee people talked funny, an observation that native New Yorkers never let me forget when I lived in New York for three years. “I don’t think Tennessee people talk funny, they have a southern accent, but I like it anyway.”
The University of Tennessee has a lot to offer young athletes looking to shine on the biggest stage, but the importance of relationships can’t be underestimated. Speaking with Cate, it was clear that the bond she built with the coaches early on had a huge impact on her decision about which school to attend.
“Our coaches, all four of them, are great, we really feel like a family. Tyler is a father and his kids are always there. It doesn’t just feel like a team, it’s much more than that. I like the way our coaches train and how they take the time to help us develop as players.”
Cate and the members of the volleyball team are excited to start the new season and can’t wait to achieve a little more and hopefully represent the Vols in the Final Four for the first time in 19 years.
Vol fans do a great job supporting all of Tennessee’s sports teams, and support for the volleyball team is at an all-time high. They would love nothing more than to cheer this team to a Final Four appearance this season.
The 2024 UT volleyball season begins on August 30 when the Lady Vols host Penn State at Food City Center.
(James Boofer can be reached at [email protected])
