Tennessee waterway deaths this year have climbed to 23, surpassed last year’s total, after an Arkansas man was killed in Wayne County Oct. 17.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency reported 22 deaths for all of 2024, a decrease from 27 in 2023.

Wildlife resource officers were called to Kentucky Lake in Wayne County just before 3 p.m. Oct. 17 after a boater went into the water, according to a news release.

Wayne County is about two hours south of Nashville on the Alabama, Tennessee state line.

Matthew Hubble, 37, of Brookland, Arkansas, was out on a boat with friends when he was ejected. The group had multiple boats on the water that day, the agency said.

Hubble’s friends immediately began searching for him, the agency said. They were successful and pulled him onto one of the boats where they took him to Clifton Marina. Paramedics met the group at the marina, the agency said.

Hubble ultimately did not survive.

He was not wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident, the agency said.

“The investigation is ongoing, and no further details are available at this time,” the agency said.

Kentucky Lake reported the most the most boating injuries in Tennessee last year with six, according to the 2024 Tennessee Boating Incident Statistical Report.

Water deaths down in Nashville area

Despite the rise in the number of deaths this year, the Middle Tennessee region has largely been spared.

Between April and September of 2023, there were 17 waterway deaths on Nashville District Lakes. Last year there were 14 deaths, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.

Percy Priest Reservoir and Old Hickory Lake led the state in fatal accidents on waterways in 2024 with three each, according to the statistical report.

Percy Priest has seen fewer incidents this year.

In June, a child drowned while swimming with his family at Hamilton Creek Park. Tobias Henock, 5, went underwater and was missing for several minutes before his father found him. Family began CPR until paramedics arrived and took the boy to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital. He was pronounced dead there.

A series of waves rocked David Holcroft’s sailboat, causing him to lose his balance and fall overboard Aug. 2. Nearby boaters heard a call for help.

Officers with the wildlife agency responded to the Hamilton Creek area of the Percy Priest Reservoir and pulled Holcroft from the water. Officers gave him CPR until paramedics arrived at the scene.

Holcroft was taken to TriStar Summit Medical Center, where he died.

Arkansas volleyball’s SEC struggles continued Sunday as the Hogs were swept by the Texas A&M Aggies in College Station (20-25, 20-25, 19-25).

No. 10 Texas A&M is now 7-1 in SEC play, while Arkansas falls to 1-7. The Hogs have not won a conference match since its SEC opener against Ole Miss on Sept. 26, with seven matches remaining on the season.

Arkansas’ offense on the day was led by Lakin Laurendine with 10 kills. Romani Thurman pitched in with seven and was very accurate with zero attack errors on 18 swings forf a .389 hitting percentage.

Sophomore setter Kiki Remensperger had 17 assists and added seven digs, which brings her to 504 in her career. She split setting duties with fellow sophomore Livia Niu in a 6-2 offense, and Niu had 13 assists in the match.

Freshman Journey Peppers had another nice outing with four kills and two blocks, hitting .333.

Set 1

The first set started tight, with five ties early on. A&M then used a 5-1 run and began to pull away at 11-7, a lead the Aggies held only briefly. Arkansas tied it at 14-all with a kill from freshman Sydney Maue, but A&M went ahead at the media break the next point. The Aggies had no trouble keeping the advantage from there and grew their lead to a many as six. Arkansas kept chasing and pushed to 20 points, but the Hogs ran out of time as a final kill handed the Aggies a 25-20 first set victory.

Set 2

The home team carried its momentum into the middle frame and quickly jumped out to a 4-1 lead. Arkansas wasn’t far behind though, and a three-point streak capped by an ace from Laurendine flipped the advantage to 9-8 Razorbacks. There were three lead changes after that, but a solid 4-0 run from the Aggies gave them a comfortable 19-15 cushion. The Hogs continued to apply pressure, but the Aggies outlasted them and again won 25-20 and went up 2-0 in the match.

Set 3

The Razorbacks began to find their rhythm in the third set and maintained the tempo through the midway point. A kill by Thurman and ace by Parker Duncan put Arkansas up 11-8, and the Hogs staved off any big runs by the Aggies to keep control. A&M began to fight back with a kill, and an Arkansas attack error that gave the Aggies the lead at 17-15. The Razorbacks came within one again at 20-19 with a kill from Laurendine, but A&M locked in from there and closed out the third set with a 5-0 run for the 25-19 set victory and match sweep.

Up Next

The Hogs have a quick turnaround as they travel to Auburn to take on the Tigers on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. It’ll be Arkansas’ first nationally-televised match of the season, shown on SEC Network.

More Information

Visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com for the latest information on all things Arkansas Volleyball. You can also find the Hogs on social media by liking us on Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Volleyball) and following us on Twitter and Instagram (@RazorbackVB).