Tennessee has added a transfer with a familiar last name in Brooklynne Villano, formerly with Jacksonville State. A 5’8″ defensive specialist/outside hitter, Villano is the younger sister of Bridgette Villano, who played with the team from 2013-2016.
Brooklynne will have three years left of play as an incoming sophomore for the Lady Volunteers. She appears to be immediately eligible for the upcoming fall season.
“Brooklynne is a great addition to our roster and I am happy to have another Villano in the program,” new Tennessee head coach Eve Rackham said in the team’s release of the transfer. “She is a tremendous athlete who will help us in a variety of ways.”
That comes after she spent just one year with Jacksonville State and a team that went 23-13 (9-7 OVC). In the short stint, Villano appeared in 11 matches and 19 sets, totaling 10 kills on a .068 mark, 21 digs, five aces and four blocks. Her season-high came of kills and digs came against Tennessee State on October 6 in the same match when she notched six and eight, respectively.
A native of Davie, Florida, Villano attended The Sagemont School and played with a couple of clubs in Boomer Volleyball Academy and Tribe Elite Volleyball in her prep career. As a senior she won Team MVP in leading her school to a district championship.
“I believe she has untapped potential and a very high ceiling with a year of college volleyball already under her belt,” Rackham added in the release. “She has good length and great foot speed, which we highly value in our athletes. We are certainly looking forward to having Brooklynne join us this fall.”
The move gives Tennessee seven players who can fill the outside hitter position, along with five who are listed as being able to play defensive specialist.
The 2018 season for the Lady Vols begins on August 24 against Michigan State. They are coming off of a 12-15 record in 2017 in which they went 5-13 as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
Leave a Reply