KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee added three key players from the transfer portal ahead of the spring slate, head coach Eve Rackham Watt announced Monday.
The Lady Vols brought in senior libero Gülce Güçtekin (pronounced GOOL-jay GOOCH-tek-in), redshirt freshman middle blocker Zoë Humphrey and redshirt senior outside hitter Starr Williams. All three will join the program for the spring semester. Here’s a breakdown of each transfer:
Gülce Güçtekin / Libero / Istanbul, Turkey
A multi-year starter at Wisconsin and Turkish Junior National Team member, Güçtekin is a huge addition for the Big Orange after losing two liberos/defensive specialists to graduation. Throughout her time with the Badgers, she tallied 885 digs, 294 assists and 92 aces in 88 matches. She started in 48 contests between the three years and helped Wisconsin earn three Elite Eight appearances and a trip to the Final Four.
“GG is an exceptional libero who has played at the highest level of volleyball, both internationally and for the last three seasons of her career,” Rackham Watt said. “She is elite as a defender and out of system setter, which will help our defense and transition game immediately. GG plays with so much joy and passion, which I know will spread to her teammates and everyone else in our program. Our staff can’t wait to welcome her to Tennessee this spring and get to work.”
As a back-row defender, Güçtekin posted double-digit digs in 42 outings, including seven 20-dig performances. She boasts two double-doubles for her career. She will also be effective at the service line for UT, where she averages 0.30 aces per set and has eclipsed 25 aces in each season.
As a freshman in 2022, Güçtekin started 29 matches at libero for Wisconsin and recorded 415 digs, 147 assists and 33 aces. She led the team and ranked 10th in the Big Ten in digs per set at 3.95. She had a career-high 28 digs in a contest against Ohio State, while her career bests in aces (6) and assists (14) also came in 2022.
During the 2023 and 2024 campaigns, Güçtekin combined to start in 19 matches as either a libero or defensive specialist for the Badgers. She was second on the team in digs per set (2.56) as a sophomore and was on pace to eclipse 200 digs for a third straight season as a junior but missed seven matches due to injury.
On the international stage, she’s a six-year member of the Turkish Junior National Team. She was considered the best libero in…
The Lady Vols brought in senior libero Gülce Güçtekin (pronounced GOOL-jay GOOCH-tek-in), redshirt freshman middle blocker Zoë Humphrey and redshirt senior outside hitter Starr Williams. All three will join the program for the spring semester. Here’s a breakdown of each transfer:
Gülce Güçtekin / Libero / Istanbul, Turkey
A multi-year starter at Wisconsin and Turkish Junior National Team member, Güçtekin is a huge addition for the Big Orange after losing two liberos/defensive specialists to graduation. Throughout her time with the Badgers, she tallied 885 digs, 294 assists and 92 aces in 88 matches. She started in 48 contests between the three years and helped Wisconsin earn three Elite Eight appearances and a trip to the Final Four.
“GG is an exceptional libero who has played at the highest level of volleyball, both internationally and for the last three seasons of her career,” Rackham Watt said. “She is elite as a defender and out of system setter, which will help our defense and transition game immediately. GG plays with so much joy and passion, which I know will spread to her teammates and everyone else in our program. Our staff can’t wait to welcome her to Tennessee this spring and get to work.”
As a back-row defender, Güçtekin posted double-digit digs in 42 outings, including seven 20-dig performances. She boasts two double-doubles for her career. She will also be effective at the service line for UT, where she averages 0.30 aces per set and has eclipsed 25 aces in each season.
As a freshman in 2022, Güçtekin started 29 matches at libero for Wisconsin and recorded 415 digs, 147 assists and 33 aces. She led the team and ranked 10th in the Big Ten in digs per set at 3.95. She had a career-high 28 digs in a contest against Ohio State, while her career bests in aces (6) and assists (14) also came in 2022.
During the 2023 and 2024 campaigns, Güçtekin combined to start in 19 matches as either a libero or defensive specialist for the Badgers. She was second on the team in digs per set (2.56) as a sophomore and was on pace to eclipse 200 digs for a third straight season as a junior but missed seven matches due to injury.
On the international stage, she’s a six-year member of the Turkish Junior National Team. She was considered the best libero in…
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