The Shadow
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced Wednesday that Tennessee redshirt junior setter Caroline Kerr is one of 30 players on the preseason watch list for the 2025 AVCA National Player of the Year award. The two-time All-American and all-conference performer enters her third season as UT’s starting setter this fall, totaling more than 2,000 assists for her career.
The Champaign, Illinois, native was tabbed with All-SEC second team and AVCA All-America honorable mention honors last season after facilitating one of the top offenses in the conference. She finished her redshirt sophomore campaign with 1,069 assists—her second year in a row eclipsing 1,000—to mark the eighth most for a single year during the 25-point rally-scoring era. Kerr helped the Lady Vol offense average 13.22 kills per set while hitting .277, which ranked 16th nationally and fourth in the SEC.
Kerr eclipsed 40 assists in a match 12 times and 50 assists four times in 2024, including a career-high 57 assists on two occasions, and recorded eight double-doubles on the year thanks to eight double-digit dig outings.
The Preseason Watch List was compiled by the AVCA Division I Women’s Volleyball Awards Committee. They will also be the group working on the additional phases of the Player of the Year process, which include:
- Midseason additions to the list [October]
- Naming the semifinalists [November]
- Revealing the finalists [likely Dec. 15]
- The announcement of the Player of the Year in Kansas City at the AVCA Awards Banquet on Friday Dec. 19.
Tennessee opens the 2025 campaign on Friday, Aug. 29, playing host to the USF Bulls at Food City Center with first serve set for 6:30 p.m. ET. Conference play starts on Wednesday, Sept. 24, as the Lady Vols take on Georgia at home. The SEC Volleyball Tournament makes its return this year, slated for November 21-25 at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Ga.
