Tennessee inks 18 new Volunteers in SEC’s top-ranked signing class for 2024

Tennessee head coach Joe Kirt has announced the addition of 18 players in the program’s 2024 signing class.

The class, ranked No. 11 nationally and No. 1 in the SEC by Top Drawer Soccer, is comprised of 16 field players and two goalkeepers with 10 enrolling as freshmen and eight arriving as transfers with previous collegiate experience. Transfer students Kylie Finney, Addison Yelton, Luciana Latino, Ella Giannola and Zoe Cuneio are all mid-year enrollees who are on campus and with the team this spring.

The Lady Vols are looking to build off a 2023 campaign in which UT went 9-7-4, playing No. 18 Kentucky and No. 5 South Carolina to draws during the regular season and defeating No. 17 Xavier in double overtime on the road in the NCAA Tournament to advance to the NCAA Second Round for the 10th time in program history.

“We are extremely excited to welcome our 2024 class to Rocky Top!  These 18 individuals bring exceptional talent and depth to bolster our current roster. Our eight transfers bring valuable experience and a passion for winning to our program,” said Kirt.

“Our 10 incoming freshmen have been anxious to step on campus since deciding to become Lady Vols.  They have already become a close-knit group and are counting the days until arriving on Rocky Top in July.  All 10 are ferocious competitors who possess the ability to make an immediate impact on the field this fall.  Collectively, this group is talented, driven and fit seamlessly into our team on and off the field, and we couldn’t be any more excited for them to join our current players on campus this summer!”

Nyla Blue
D | Knoxville, Tenn.

A Knoxville native, Blue led Bearden High School to three consecutive state championships and finished her high school career with a record of 88-1-2. A two-time All-State and four-time All-Region and All-District nominee, Blue spent her freshman season at Girls Preparatory School before arriving at Bearden for her final three seasons. She served as captain during her senior campaign and earned 2023 High School All-America honors. A participant in the 2023 Girls All-America Game, she earned Best XI and Co-MVP honors. Other 2023 accolades include: TSWA First Team All-State, Five Star Preps Co-Player of the Year, Sports Illustrated Top 21 Top High School Players in the Nation, USA Today Preseason Player to Watch, and United Soccer Coaches All-South Team. She plays club for FC Alliance ECNL, serving as captain all four seasons and winning an Ohio Valley Conference championship in 2023. Blue has strong ties to Rocky Top as the daughter of Kristen “Ace” Blue (Clement) who played basketball at Tennessee from 1997-2001 and was part of the 1998 NCAA National Championship squad under Pat Summitt.

Kameran Bluette
F | Fenton, Mo.

Bluette attended Webster Groves High School where she was a two-sport athlete, competing in soccer and cross country for two seasons. She served as captain of the soccer team for one season and earned Offensive MVP honors. She plays club for SLSG 06 ECNL Navy, winning back-to-back ECNL National Championships and claiming Midwest Conference Championships on four occasions.

Jasmine Boggs
D/M | Ashburn, Va.

Ranked as the No. 26 Defender by Top Drawer/IMG Academy, Boggs has been active in the U.S. Soccer system, being selected for U.S. Soccer U16 National Team Camp, U.S. Soccer U14 Talent ID East Region Camp, and multiple U.S Soccer National Training Centers and ID2 Camps.  A two-sport athlete for Independence High School, she led the soccer team to a state title in 2023 and helped the swimming program to a runner-up finish in 2020. She plays club for Virginia Development Academy, winning a Virginia State Championship and claiming a 2023 ECNL Mid-Atlantic Championship. In 2022, she was named to the ECNL NJ Showcase Best XI by Top Drawer.

Sarah Bridenstine
D | Rochester, Mich.

A graduate transfer from the University of Michigan, Bridenstine served as captain during her senior season, starting all 18 matches and logging 1,383 minutes on the pitch as the Wolverines posted a 7-7-4 record in 2023. Over four years at Michigan, she appeared in 63 contests, starting 49 and logging eight assists and three goals, one of which was the game-winner. Prior to her collegiate career, she was a two-time national champion with the Nationals and a member of the Region II ODP team from 2015 to 2017.

Zoe Cuneio
D | Wildwood, Mo.

Cuneio joins the Lady Vols after spending her freshman season at Purdue where she started all 18 matches on defense for the Boilermakers, leading the team in minutes played with 1,555 and registering two goals on nine shots. She played club for St. Louis Scott Gallagher, serving as team captain for six seasons and being named ECNL Midwest U16 Player of the Year, ECNL U16 All-America, and earning Midwest All-Conference honors on three occasions. In her lone season competing for Eureka High School, she was named the Class Four Defender of the Year and made the 2022 Missouri All-State roster.

Devin Davis
F/D | Frisco, Texas

Davis plays club soccer for FC Dallas, making it to the Elite Eight of the ECNL Finals and earning a spot in the 2023 ECNL National Selection Game. She served as team captain for Greenhill School, garnering team MVP honors as a senior. A three-sport athlete, Davis also competed in volleyball and lacrosse, leading her lacrosse team with 87 goals to earn Texas All-State honors as a junior while helping the squad to a runner-up finish in the state championship.

Kylie Finney
F | Chantilly, Va.

Finney is a spring enrollee, transferring from Baylor where she appeared in eight games and recorded one shot as a freshman in 2022. A graduate of Chantilly High School, she played two seasons for the Chargers, leading her team to the state quarterfinals and district semi-finals in back-to-back seasons. She also competed in track and field, qualifying for state finals in 2020. Finney played club for Virginia Union ECNL under head coach Nadir Moumen.

Ella Giannola
F | Ladera Ranch, Calif.

Giannola arrived on Rocky Top for the spring semester after spending two seasons at Ohio State. As a sophomore for the Buckeyes, she started 18 contests, tallying two assists and four goals, three of which were game-winners. She also saw action as a rookie, appearing in 19 matches and making 16 starts, including both NCAA Tournament matches. The California native was a 2017 USYS National Champion with San Diego Surf and a two-time state and regional champion.

Muriel Kroflin
D | Langenargen, Germany

Kroflin joins the Lady Vols having played two seasons and redshirted a year at Oklahoma. As a redshirt-sophomore in 2023, she appeared in 20 games, making 18 starts and accumulating five points on three assists and one goal. For her career as a Sooner, she saw action in 42 contests, starting 38 and logging 2,802 minutes on the pitch. She has been active in 20 matches for the German Youth National Team, leading the squad to the Four Nations Tournament title in 2020. At the club level, she led SC Freiburgh to the German Youth Bundesliga title in 2019 and was named Most Outstanding Player at the German Futsal Cup in 2019.

Luciana Latino
M | Norwood, N.J.

A spring enrollee from Penn State where she competed in 2023 as a redshirt-freshman, Latino appeared in three matches, taking six shots and helping the team to a pair of shutouts. Rated as a 4-star recruit and the No. 14 midfielder coming out of high school by Top Drawer Soccer/IMG Academy, she has attended camps with the U14 and U18 U.S. Youth National Teams. She played club for PDA Blue 04, winning a North Atlantic Championship and earning ECNL All-Conference honors in 2021.

Reese Mattern
F | Charlottesville, Va.

Mattern helped lead Western Albemarle High School to a state championship in 2021 and a regional title in 2023, earning All-District, All-Region and All-State honors in both seasons and being named Virginia High School 4D Player of the Year in 2023. She ran track for one season, helping Western Albemarle to a Virginia High School Class 3 Indoor Track State Team Title and winning an individual state championship in the 300-meter hurdles while placing second in the 55-meter hurdles. She posted the fastest 300-meter time by a freshman in the nation at 40.28 and set school records in both events. She is the leading scorer for her club team, Richmond United ECNL, and has attended USYNT ID Center and ODP National Training Camp and played with the ODP East Region International Team in Iceland.

Skylar Miller
M/F | Virginia Beach, Va.

A three-time Virginia All-State selection, two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year nominee, and United Soccer Coaches All-American, Miller has recorded 45 goals and 35 assists through three seasons at First Colonial High School. She plays club for Richmond United, making it to the ECNL Final Four in 2021 and Elite Eight in 2022. She was named Mid-Atlantic Conference Player of the Year, earned ECNL All-America accolades in 2021 and received Mid-Atlantic All-Conference honors in 2022 and 2023. She was selected for U.S. Soccer Regional YNT ID camp in 2021 and ECNL National Team camp in 2022.

Sydney Miller
D | Virginia Beach, Va.

A two-sport athlete at First Colonial High School, she lettered in basketball for two seasons and played soccer all four years, serving as team captain as a senior. A two-time First Team All-State and three-time All-Region honoree, she was named Region Player of the Year in 2023. She plays club for Richmond United, earning Mid-Atlantic First Team honors in 2022 and 2023 and Second Team accolades in 2021.

Cayden Norris
GK | Johnson City, Tenn.

An in-state product from Johnson City, Tenn., Norris has won four district championships and three regional championships at Science Hill High School, receiving All-Region accolades every season and garnering All-State honors in 2021 and 2023. She plays club for FC Alliance, earning ENCL All-Conference nods in three seasons and participating in ECNL National Team Training Camp. She was twice selected for the ECNL National Showcase and U.S. National Team Selection Camp.

Bella Smith
M | Wichita, Kan.

Rated as the No. 28 overall prospect and No. 9 Midfielder by Top Drawer Soccer/IMG Academy, Smith plays club for Kansas City Athletics Academy Elite where she was named the 2021 ECNL Midwest Conference Player of the Year while leading her squad to an ECNL U15 National Championship. She has been named to the ECNL All-Conference Team and ECNL National Selection Team on two occasions and attended camps with Kansas City Current and U.S. Soccer. During her lone season competing for Eisenhower High School, Smith racked up 32 goals and 13 assists to earn AVCTL D2 5A Player of the Year honors while leading her school to its first state championship appearance.

Alivia Stott
F | Knoxville, Tenn.

A Knoxville native, Stott attended Bearden High School where she won three TSSAA State Championships, was a three-time TSWA All-State selection and finished her high school career with 84 goals and 69 assists. She was named Five Star Preps Co-Player of the Year with teammate and fellow signee Nyla Blue, and she was chosen to participate in the 2023 Girls High School All-American Game, where she was named a Top 15 Performer by Top Drawer Soccer. She plays club soccer for FC Alliance, earning All-Conference honors.

Samantha Woods
F | Saline, Mich.

A Michigan native, Woods captained the Wolverines to a 7-7-4 record in 2023, leading the team with eight goals and 17 points. She started all 18 matches as a senior, earning All-Big Ten honors and being named Offensive Team MVP. A four-star recruit out of high school, she was a four-time team captain of the Michigan Hawks, leading the club to the ECNL Playoffs on two occasions and earning All-Conference and All-America honors in 2019. In 2018, she was a top-10 scorer for the U.S. Development Academy with 24 goals, and she played with Adidas ESP in the Portland Invite in 2016 and the Lyon, France Invite in 2018. A 2023 CSC Academic All-Region nominee, she arrives on Rocky Top as a graduate transfer.

Addison Yelton
GK | Johnson City, Tenn.

Yelton enrolled for the spring semester on Rocky Top after spending her rookie season at Ole Miss, making three starts and accumulating 10 saves on 42 shots faced. A Tennessee native, she was a four-year letterwinner and two-time MVP at Baylor High School where she also lettered in basketball.