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Languages department hosts annual soccer tournament

The sixth annual Modern Foreign Languages and Literaturs soccer tournament kicked off at the Regal Soccer Stadium Wednesday. The Italian club created the event, and a total of nine language programs (French, Italian, Arabic, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, German and Russian) participated. Each game lasted 20 minutes with five minutes of halftime break.

“It’s much better this year,” Savannah Householder, who represented the Chinese team, said. “There are more people who came to support. The jerseys are much nicer and everyone is more excited.”

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The first round featured matchups between the Japanese and the Russians, Spanish and Arabic, German and Portuguese and the reigning French champions and Italian team.

Italian supporters came out in full force; the Italian team had never won the tournament.

After the first round of tournament, the Japanese dance team performed during halftime.

Students organize teams and practice leading up to the tournament. The language programs provide the jerseys.

Students like Jacob Isber enjoy the opportunity to play against other language students.

“It’s bringing a bunch of people together,” Isber, who represented the Arabic team, said. “It’s my first time. We love it. We are having a great time, because it’s like a mini-world cup. It’s pretty sweet.”

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However, not everyone remained happy during the tournament. The Chinese versus Spanish matchup included a goal controversy that heated arguments between coaches and referees.

The Spanish fouled a Chinese player four seconds before the end of game, and the Chinese earned a free kick. With an automatic clock, the time never stopped, and the game ended.

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The referee kept his own time accounting for extra time, however. The Spanish team became agitated because time expired. The team thought the judge awarded an unfair penalty kick. As no Spanish goalkeeper showed up, the Chinese kicked the ball into the open net and won by 3-2.

The Italian team ultimately swept the tournament, marking its first win.

 

Featured Images: Jeff Park

Edited by Lexie Little

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Former Vol Tennys Sandgren makes dreams come true in Australian Open

All eyes were on Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the men’s draw of the 2018 Australian Open. But former Tennessee tennis star Tennys Sandgren flew fearlessly under the radar in his first appearance at the Australian Open held annually in Melbourne, Australia. Sandgren competed for the Tennessee men’s tennis team from 2010-2011.

The un-seeded American made a historic run in this year’s Australian Open, defeating two ATP top 10 ranked opponents along the way. By the time the Gallatin, Tennessee native lost, he was the last American standing in the tournament. He is the first former Tennessee player to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open since 2000, when current Tennessee men’s tennis head coach Chris Woodruff’s run ended in a loss to tennis great Pete Sampras.

In the first round, Sandgren defeated Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 7(7)-6(2), 6-2 in straight sets. The former Vol moved on to the second round where he defeated 2014 Australian Open winner and No. 9 ranked Swiss, Stan Wawrinka 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 in straight sets.

“It’s something going into a tournament like this, you don’t know if you’ll get an opportunity or a look or even be able to take advantage of it,” Sandgren said after his second-round win. “So, to come out of it with a victory, it’s a huge deal for me.”

Many pundits attributed Wawrinka’s loss to rust from his recovery due to an off-season knee surgery, but it was Sandgren who would move on to the third round where he would face 22-year-old German, Maximilian Marterer. The former Vol defeated Marterer 5-7, 6-3, 7-5, 7(7)-6(5) in four sets.

Sandgren finally turned heads and received international media attention when he defeated No. 5 ranked Dominic Thiem 6-2, 4-6, 7(7)-6(4), 6(7)-7(9), 6-3 in a thrilling five-set round of 16 match. Thiem, who is widely considered to be an up-and-coming tennis star, was a heavy favorite coming into the Australian Open.

“It’s taken a lot of time going into it, but to get all your wins in one sitting is strange,” Sandgren said after defeating Thiem which allowed him to move on to the second week of the tournament.

Sandgren’s debut Australian Open run ended in the quarterfinals where he would lose to Hyeon Chung. Although the former Vol kept the match close and even saved four match points, Chung would defeat Sandgren 6-4, 7(7)-6(5), 6-3 in straight sets.

Chung – the highest ranked South Korean tennis player in the world – made headlines defeating No. 4 ranked Alexander Zverev and six-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic in the previous rounds.

Tennys Sandgren who is currently ranked No. 97 in the world will look to build on an impressive Australian Open campaign, as he continues with the remainder of the 2018 ATP calendar season.

Edited by Ben McKee

Feature image courtesy of Tennessee Athletics

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No. 21 Tennessee finishes strong against Wake Forest

Photo by Brad Blackwelder.

No. 21 Tennessee (9-2) defeated the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 79-60 on Saturday inside Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem. With the win, Tennessee remains undefeated on the road and is now 3-1 against ACC opponents this season.

“We are who we say we are,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. “We’re gonna find a way to get stops and win this game. And we did.”

Early foul trouble kept Tennessee’s key players on the bench for most of the first half. Sophomore forward Grant Williams fouled a Wake Forest player only seconds after tipoff. After each picking up two personal fouls, Williams and junior forward Admiral Schofield exited the game and would not return until the second half.

Wake Forest (7-5) would take advantage of Williams’ and Schofields’ absence in the post and would outrebound the Vols 19-11 in the first half. The Deacons, however, could not capitalize because of its 11 turnovers in the first half alone.

Offensively for the Demon Deacons, Keyshawn Woods led with 14 points in the first half which allowed the team to keep the game close, as the score was 36-35 at halftime. Woods was relatively quiet – as was the rest of the Wake Forest team – in the second half, only scoring four points.

Tennessee’s bench stepped up in the first half with Williams and Schofield sitting out. At halftime, junior forward Kyle Alexander had three rebounds and nine points on 4-for-4 shooting from the field.

The Vols looked much better in the second half and would have no problem pulling away on their way to the win. The visitors spread the ball effectively against a waning Wake Forest side with five different Tennessee players finishing the game with double-digit points.

“Give Tennessee credit,” Wake Forest head coach Danny Manning said. “They made plays and did some good things to prevent us from being as successful as you want it to be offensively.”

Sophomore guard Jordan Bowden drained a three-point shot with 3:48 left in the game to put Tennessee up 69-60 and end Wake Forest’s hopes of a comeback as it would be unable to score anymore points. The Vols finished the remainder of the game on a 16-2 run.

Bowden finished the game with 17 points behind five three-pointers and two free throws.

The Volunteers will remain on the road as they head to Fayetteville on Dec. 30 to face Arkansas in their first SEC matchup of the season after Christmas break. The game will tip at 1 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

“We know that we’ve got to get better,” Barnes said. “I think our guys realize it.”

Edited by Ben McKee

Photo by Brad Blackwelder

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No. 21 Tennessee vs. Wake Forest preview and prediction

No. 21 Tennessee (8-2) will travel to Winston-Salem to take on Wake Forest (7-4) Saturday afternoon, as the game marks both teams’ last matchup before conference play. The matchup inside Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum is the first between the two sides since 2013, when Tennessee won 82-63 at the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. Prior to 2013, their last meeting was during the 1970-1971 season.

Tennessee will look to have a better performance against Wake Forest after squeaking by Furman 66-61 on Wednesday night, where they struggled to cope with the Paladin defense. The Vols shot 37 percent from the field, their worst shooting performance of the season. Much of Tennessee’s performance can be attributed to its emotional loss to North Carolina on Sunday, as it needed a strong performance from sophomore guard Jordan Bowden. The sophomore tied his career-high 21 points to help get the win.

The Vols have all the tools they need to earn their second road win after defeating Georgia Tech in Atlanta earlier this season. Leading the way offensively for Tennessee will be sophomore forward Grant Williams who leads the team with 27.8 points per game.

Bowden has been a key-player offensively as of late and will look to contribute from long-range, as he leads the team with 21 three-pointers.

Defensively, Tennessee cannot afford to switch-off and let a young Wake Forest team gain confidence on offense. This is where the Vols will look to Williams to secure defensive rebounds and earn crucial blocks to thwart any attack down in the paint.

Another player that Tennessee will need a big game from at both sides of the ball is junior forward Admiral Schofield who earned his second career double-double on Wednesday night, finishing with 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Schofield has the ability to not only take on the big guys in the paint, but he is also a threat on the perimeter with his long-range shooting, as he is tied for second on the team with 16 three-pointers this season. Wake Forest will need to keep a watchful eye on him.

The Demon Deacons are fresh off a close 84-80 win over Coastal Carolina. Despite early losses in the season – losing four of its first six games – Wake Forest have been riding on a six-game win streak. A key victory over Illinois in November shows that this young team has learned from its mistakes and has the capabilities to come out with a win on Saturday.

Tennessee’s defense will have its hands full with junior guard Bryant Crawford who had an impressive 22-point season-high performance to help Wake Forest defeat Coastal Carolina on Monday night. Last season, Crawford became the first player with 500 points and 150 assists in a season since 1994-95 and has not slowed down this season. The junior is a dynamic player that the Demon Deacons have not seen since Chris Paul and will be a key player against the Vols on Saturday.

 Prediction

If Tennessee can clean up its mistakes from the Furman game and mentally get over the North Carolina game, then they can beat Wake Forest. The Vols have proved their resilience in games away from Knoxville with strong, gritty performances in the Bahamas and at Georgia Tech.

Wake Forest, however, should not be counted out as they are playing with confidence and will not allow Tennessee to easily beat them on home court. The game will be physical, and the score will be close to the very end. Tennessee’s biggest advantage is that it has head coach Rick Barnes, who will have them prepared for this game, and perhaps, the Vols can get away with simply outcoaching Wake Forest and leave Winston-Salem with a win before conference play begins.

Edited by Ben McKee

Feature image courtesy of Tennessee athletics

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No. 7 Lady Vols shakes off late surge to beat No. 18 Stanford

No. 7 Tennessee defeated the No. 18 Stanford 83-71 on Thursday night. With the win, the Lady Vols break a five-game losing streak in Maples Pavilion.

“I just like the way we compete,” senior forward Jaime Nared said. “Everybody came in and did their part tonight.”

Tennessee is now 12-0 for the first time since 2005-2006, which is the same season when the Lady Vols last won in Palo Alto.

With the loss, the Cardinals fall to 6-6 on the season. Senior guard Brittany McPhee finished with 27 points and was the only Stanford player to finish with double-digit points on the night. Stanford is now 0-5 against ranked opponents this season.

For Tennessee, Nared led the team in scoring with 28 points. Fellow senior Mercedes Russell earned her 36th career double-double, finishing the game with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

The game started out slowly as both teams traded missed shots to open the first quarter. Stanford held an early lead, but a three-pointer by freshman Rennia Davis followed by a breakaway lay-up from fellow freshman point guard Evina Westbrook allowed Tennessee to take a 6-4 lead.

Westbrook would go on to finish the game with a career-high 17 points, breaking her previous record of 15 points in Tennessee’s win over Texas.

Since the early lead change in the opening quarter, the Lady Vols never allowed the Cardinals to take the lead in the game. They led by as much as 17 points in the fourth quarter.

Stanford would make a late surge and go on to cut Tennessee’s lead to only six points at 68-62 with 3:12 left in the game.

The Lady Vols had plenty of scoring opportunities to put the game away, but they were outrebounded 48-35 and allowed Stanford to keep the closing minutes interesting.

“When we rebound the basketball, we were good,” Lady Vols head coach Holly Warlick said following the game. “But when they went it, and missed it, and got extra second chance points… that’s on us for not finishing the play with the rebound.”

Late, clutch free throw shooting from Tennessee allowed them to comfortably finish out the game and pull away with the 83-71 win. The visitors finished the game shooting 86% from the free throw line.

“This game’s huge,” Warlick said. “This was a great test for us.”

The Lady Vols will remain on the road as they head to Lexington on Dec. 31 to face Kentucky in their first SEC matchup of the season. The game will tip at 12 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

“I’m really excited with how we’ve done so far.” Nared said. “But at the end of the day it’s December still. We have so much basketball to go. We want to keep getting better.”

Edited by Ben McKee

Feature image courtesy of Tennessee athletics

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No. 21 Tennessee passes another tough test from mid-major Furman

The Tennessee Volunteers (8-2) took down the Furman Paladins (9-4) in a sluggish Wednesday night game. The Vols came out slow, but from a spark by Jordan Bowden that carried throughout the game, they closed out a solid mid-major team in Furman.

Barnes didn’t believe a North Carolina hangover was what was stopping the Vols tonight, but careless play and missing easy baskets against a good team from the SoCon was the issue tonight.

“Grant missing easy baskets early … Admiral came back at the end (of the game), he got a little careless in the open court because he was playing at a speed he can’t play at,” Barnes said. “But his rebounding and his energy, it was there. Our guards weren’t very good (tonight).”

The Vols were continuously tested by Knoxville native and current Furman point guard Devin Sibley, but the Vols proved resilient by taking each blow and answering it with their own.

Sibley scored 22 points on the night and led all scorers. Sibley was the talk of the crowd throughout the second half of the game, as fans who watched Sibley in high school were in the stands cheering him on. Some even predicted he would have an interesting return to Knoxville:

The Vols eventually took back some momentum when Sibley left the game with foul trouble with 10 minutes remaining. Sibley had four fouls and had to sit much of the second half. Jordan Bowden led the charge.

Putting up 21 points to lead the team, Bowden lit a match under the Vols in the first half and continued throughout the game. Bowden finished the first half of the game with 12 points, and the offense seemed to run through him up until the half ended.

Rick Barnes believes the guard play can use improvement and it starts with Bowden being more aggressive than he was tonight.

“Late, I thought he (Bowden) really started driving the ball … he needs to be more aggressive, it’s not just shooting threes, but he needs to create more for himself,” Barnes said. “We’re trying to do that for him …. play off him a little bit, let him make plays.”

Bowden finished the game with 21 points, and scored nine of those in the second half.

Hustle is the word to describe Bowden tonight, as all six rebounds the Knoxville native tallied tonight were on the offensive glass. Bowden hustled all over the floor, but his strength down the strength was driving to the bucket.

“We were trying to be aggressive, we were in the bonus early,” Bowden said. “We had a tough first half. Sibley was in foul trouble early, we tried to get that last foul on him and get to the free throw line.”

Whether it was a hangover from the North Carolina loss or the later start time, Tennessee came out with little to no fire in this one. Although the crowd was moderate for a 9:05 p.m. tip-off,  the Vols found offense through both Grant Williams and Bowden in the second half.

Scoring only two points in the first half, Williams finished the game with 14, a hair under his season average of 15.8 per game. Williams has become the go-to-guy down the stretch for Tennessee. Rick Barnes credits Furman for the Vols tough game.

“We knew they were going to come in here and not be intimidated, because of their experience,” Barnes said. “We found a way to get the win … Furman’s the big story, they played their hearts out.”

Sibley came out firing in the second half, after only scoring three points in the first 20 minutes of the game. He came out and went blow for blow with the Vols by scoring nine points in the first five minutes of the second half.

Sibley finished the game with 22 on the night, and seemed nearly unstoppable before getting in foul trouble with 10 minutes remaining. Barnes recognizes the success Sibley had on the floor.

“One thing we know for certain is Tennessee has some pretty good basketball players,” Barnes said. “We know that because the two guys on the floor who played their best were both from Knoxville.”

No. 21 Tennessee will travel to Wake Forest on Saturday to face the Demon Deacons in its last game before conference play. The game will tip at 12:30 p.m ET.

Edited by Ben McKee

Feature image courtesy of Tennessee athletics