NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee junior running back Dylan Sampson led the Volunteers back from a 10-0 second-half deficit to a 23-17 overtime victory over Florida on Saturday, earning this week’s Tennessee Sports Writers Association Football Offensive Player of the Week honor.
Sampson rushed for 112 yards on 27 carries with three touchdowns with two of the scores coming in the second half and his one-yard plunge gave Tennessee the walk-off win. Sampson also had a 23-yard touchdown with 9:42 remaining in regulation to put the Vols on top.
It was his ninth career game over the century mark on the ground and the fifth of the current campaign. He has also scored at least one touchdown for the sixth straight game – the longest streak since Montario Hardesty in 2009. The three touchdowns gave Sampson 15 on the season – the most by a Southeastern Conference player through the first six games of the season since 1992 and the most by a Tennessee player since Tony Thompson had 16 in 1990.
Teammate James Pearce Jr. was selected as the Defensive Player of the Week as the Charlotte, N.C., native recorded seven tackles, half-a-sack, one tackle-for-loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. With Florida at the one-yard line, Pearce forced Florida quarterback Graham Mertz to fumble at the goal line, then recovered the loose ball. He also had two QB pressures.
VOLLEYBALL: Tusculum senior setter Madison Adkins was named the Volleyball Player of the Week as she helped lead the Pioneers to a sweep on the week with a pair of 3-0 victories over Emory & Henry and Coker. In all, the Olive Hill, Ky., native averaged 11.5 assists per set for a total of 69. She also added four kills, two aces, 15 digs and five assisted blocks.
She recorded 37 total assists – 12.3 per set – at Emory & Henry with eight digs, while she had 32 assists against Coker with seven digs.
WOMEN’S SOCCER: Vanderbilt goalkeeper Sara Wojdelko collected 10 saves and a shutout to take the Women’s Soccer Player of the Week honor, leading the Commodores to their first two SEC victories of the season. At Texas A&M, the Northville, Mich., native picked up the clean sheet with five saves. It is the ninth shutout of her career – tied for the sixth-most in program history – and the seventh for Vanderbilt this season with five behind Wojdelko.
She held Kentucky to one goal in a 3-1 victory on Sunday, picking up five more saves against a Wildcat squad that is receiving votes in the Top 25 poll.
2024-25 TSWA College Players of the Week
FOOTBALL
9/3 | Offensive: Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt); Defensive: Bryan Longwell (Vanderbilt)
9/10 | Offensive: Sam Phillips (Chattanooga); Defensive: Elijah Herring (Memphis)
9/17 | Offensive: Dylan Sampson (Tennessee); Defensive: Alex Mitchell (Chattanooga)
9/24 | Offensive: La’Vell Wright (Austin Peay); Defensive: Major Williams (Carson-Newman)
10/1 | Offensive: Chase Artopoeus (Chattanooga); Defensive: Theron Gaines (Tennessee Tech)
10/8 | Offensive: Jayden Sullins (Carson-Newman); Defensive: Bryan Longwell (Vanderbilt)
10/15 | Offensive: Dylan Sampson (Tennessee); Defensive: James Pearce Jr. (Tennessee)
VOLLEYBALL
9/3 | Maddie Isringhausen (Tennessee Tech)
9/10 | Blair Cherry (Carson-Newman)
9/17 | Jordan Karlen (Tennessee Tech)
9/24 | Reagan Jones (Fisk)
10/1 | Laure Jansen (Middle Tennessee)
10/7 | Jordan Karlen (Tennessee Tech)
10/15 | Madison Adkins (Tusculum)
MEN’S SOCCER
8/27 | Alex Clayton (Belmont)
9/3 | A.J. Chastonay (Belmont)
9/10 | Robbie Lyons (Cumberland)
9/17 | A.J. Chastonay (Belmont)
9/24 | Adan Gonzalez (Trevecca)
10/1 | Juan Carlos Rodriguez (Lipscomb)
WOMEN’S SOCCER
8/27 | Ai Kitagawa (Memphis)
9/3 | Neve Renwick (Tennessee Tech)
9/10 | Gabby Jones (Cumberland)
9/17 | Kiara Pralle (Lipscomb)
9/24 | Abi Brighton (Vanderbilt)
10/1 | Ashlyn Richards (Sewanee)
10/7 | Leah Atkins (Sewanee)
10/15 | Sara Wojdelko (Vanderbilt)