Only three SEC rivals — Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida — sit higher on the standings table. Kentucky and Tennessee are responsible for two of Vanderbilt’s three losses, along with a loss to Missouri in September. With a strong finish to the season, Vanderbilt will earn a top seed at the NCAA tournament. In three weeks, just before Thanksgiving, the Commodores have a chance to avenge their few losses at the SEC tournament in Savannah, Ga., beginning Nov. 20. [...] February 19, 2026 cover of the Nashville Scene featuring Vanderbilt University football player Cole Spence

Anchor Up: Candice Storey Lee Leads Vanderbilt Athletics to Victory

The school’s athletic director — the first Black woman to hold the position in the SEC — is helping her teams dominate [...] Women’s sports have found particular success under Lee, battling for championships in basketball, soccer and now volleyball. This season is already a comeback story: After the university shuttered the program in 1980, women’s volleyball returned from a 45-year hiatus in August of last year.