NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In a weekend of some incredible performances to open up the college football slate, the Tennessee Sports Writers Association selected Vanderbilt graduate quarterback Diego Pavia as its offensive player of the week, narrowly beating Tennessee redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava for the honor as both signal-callers put together impressive performances.
Pavia, a native of Albuquerque, N.M., rolled together 296 total yards of offense and collected three touchdowns in the Commodores’ overtime victory over Virginia Tech. Through the air, he completed 12 of his 16 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Pavia also rushed for a game-high 104 yards on 26 carries, including the game-winning four-yard touchdown in overtime.
He was the only Power 4 QB to throw and run for over 100 yards this weekend and became the first Commodore QB to accomplish that in two seasons. Pavia also helped Vanderbilt win a game when trailing by seven or more points in the fourth quarter since the 2016 campaign.
Iamaleava, in his second career start and first in front of the home fans, set a Volunteer record for passing yards in a half with 314 on 22-for-28 passing with three touchdowns in a 69-3 victory over Chattanooga.
On the defensive side of the ball, Vanderbilt sophomore linebacker Bryan Longwell earned the nod after recording a career-best nine total tackles, including an assist on a tackle-for-loss. Longwell, a Nashville product, broke up a pass that resulted in an interception, leading to a touchdown drive and 10-point lead early in the second quarter. He also had a big third-down stop in the third quarter, forcing the Hokies to punt with Vandy leading by one possession. The Commodores held Virginia Tech to 75 rushing yards and 2.5 yards per carry.
VOLLEYBALL: Tennessee Tech’s Maddie Isringhausen was named the TSWA Volleyball Player of the Week, capturing the honor after claiming the MVP nod at the Carrie Yerty Classic in Memphis. The senior from Edwardsville, Ill., was an unstoppable force while leading Tech to a perfect 3-0 weekend without dropping a set, piling up 48 kills (5.33/set) while hitting a robust .354. Isringhausen dropped 18 kills with a pair of aces and five digs in the opening win over Austin Peay before smashing .382 with 15 kills, an ace, and nine digs in the sweep over host Memphis. She rounded out the weekend with 15 more terminations and a gaudy .500 attack percentage with two more aces in the win over Mississippi Valley State.
MEN’S SOCCER: Belmont senior midfielder A.J. Chastonay played a part in all three of the Bruins’ goals this past week. On Thursday, the Louisville, Ky., native scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over Northern Kentucky – his first goals since the spring season of 2021 and 16th of his career. Both scores were in the first 30 minutes of the match. He followed that with an assist at Florida Atlantic on Sunday.
WOMEN’S SOCCER: After a tough 1-0 loss at Mississippi State on Thursday, Tennessee Tech sophomore forward Neve Renwick had a great showing as Ivy League foe Columbia came into Cookeville. The forward from Sheffield, England, collected five total points in the contest as she scored two goals – an equalizer in the 70th minute, then an unassisted strike in the 80th minute. Renwick also assisted on Anna Baker’s go-ahead goal at 85:50 before Columbia’s Nata Ramirez knotted the game at 4-4 at 88:57 – all eight goals scored in the second half.
2024-25 TSWA College Players of the Week
Football
9/3 | Offensive: Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt); Defensive: Bryan Longwell (Vanderbilt)
Volleyball
9/3 | Maddie Isringhausen (Tennessee Tech)
Men’s Soccer
8/27 | Alex Clayton (Belmont)
9/3 | A.J. Chastonay (Belmont)
Women’s Soccer
8/27 | Ai Kitagawa (Memphis)
9/3 | Neve Renwick (Tennessee Tech)