LOUDON — Ninety-one degree heat, 61% humidity and a dew point of 76 degrees made for a hot, stewy day on the Tellico Village Wellness Center Tennis Courts and Pickleball Courts.

These conditions did not deter participation in the annual mixer with The University of Tennessee Men’s and Women’s Tennis Teams on August 15. Friendly competition between the young Volunteers and the members of the Pickleball and Tennis Clubs prevailed.

Tellico Village and UTK Tennis Mixer, Lee Brockman


The UTK Mixer is in its fifth year at Tellico Village. The event is the brainchild of Tellico Village resident and career tennis professional Lee Brockman.

Brockman is the Loudon High School tennis team co-head coach and serves as liaison between Tellico Village and the Volunteers tennis program.

As the fall tennis season is about to begin, UT Vols tennis team members are arriving in East Tennessee and warming up their tennis games. Our annual event serves to raise awareness, support the team, introduce new team members to the community and provide a social occasion.

Brockman, along with the Tennis Club and Pickleball Club, provided breakfast, lunch and dinner. The morning session was filled with round robin matchups between Tennessee and Tellico Village players playing both tennis and pickleball.

Then, they watched an exhibition featuring two Loudon High School tennis players along with two Tennessee players on the pickleball courts.

Some club members volunteered to take them boating for a few hours and they capped off the day with a pizza party overlooking Tellico Lake.

“This is such a fantastic opportunity for village players to experience a higher level of play,” said Tennis Club President Carl Nordman. “We love hosting the Vols.”

“The college players pick up on the joy it brings our players, to be part of something like this,” said Brockman. “They have good character and I know they enjoy seeing other people really enjoying themselves.”

Tennessee Men’s Tennis starting 2026 fall season soon

For the Vols, the fall season brings invitational tournaments into their schedule. Tennessee tennis fans are encouraged to make a field trip to home matches at the Goodfriend Tennis Center on campus in downtown Knoxville.

“After connecting with these great young men and women we plan to put out a call to our players to continue to support the Vols in these tournaments,”Pickleball President Kevin Land said.

“We typically designate at least one men’s match and one women’s match a year in the Fall to attend as a group,” Brockman said. “Then, in the spring, when dual match play begins, they’ll say, ‘You know what? This is fun. This is really high class tennis. Let’s look at the schedule and go support those kids.’”

From the Tennessee Volunteer teams, 10 men and eight women participated in the mixer.

The Vols represent the United States and many other countries including Poland, Czechia, Israel, Japan, Tunisia, Australia, France and Argentina. About 40 Tennis Club and Pickleball Club members signed up ahead of time and were mixed and matched with the college players.

The University of Tennessee Men’s Tennis team will open its 2026 fall season by hosting the Rocky Top Invitational Tournament from September 18-20 at Goodfriend Tennis Center. They’ll play singles and doubles against Indiana, Louisville and Memphis.

The Lady Volunteers finished the 2026 spring season ranked #19 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).