KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A former Tennessee volleyball player has written a blog post backing up her teammates’ accusations that incoming Rutgers athletic director Julie Hermann abused them verbally and emotionally during her coaching tenure in the 1990s.

On her blog (www.erinzammettruddy.com), Erin Zammett Ruddy wrote Wednesday that the players held a meeting after the 1996 season to figure out why they were miserable, and “we quickly realized Julie was the common denominator.” Zammett Ruddy said the players detailed their grievances in a letter they brought to Joan Cronan, the Tennessee women’s athletic director at the time.

While Zammett Rudy’s statement supports allegations that were first reported by The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., on Saturday night, she also wrote of Hermann that, “our intention today is not to see her suffer or to take her down in any way. None of us wants that. It is simply to tell the truth because we were asked. And because it is relevant.”

Zammett Ruddy added that “just because she was a bad coach doesn’t mean she can’t be a good administrator.” Separately, another Tennessee player who graduated earlier in Hermann’s tenure praised her on Wednesday.