University of Tennessee Athletics
LADY VOL SOCCER CLIMBS IN NATIONAL POLLS
October 23, 2001 | Soccer
Oct. 23, 2001
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.
Now 9-4 overall following Southeastern Conference victories over #8 Florida (2-1 in overtime) and South Carolina (3-1), the Lady Vol soccer team was rewarded with significant jumps in the national polls released on Tuesday morning. Tennessee advanced five spots to No. 16 in the Soccer Buzz Magazine Top 25 to match its highest position in the six-year existence of the program, initially reached on Sept. 10 of this season. The Orange also ascended six spots to 17th in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas ratings.
"We honestly don't focus on rankings here at Tennessee," said head coach Angela Kelly. "We just try to respect every opponent and go into every match like it's our last. With all of the difficult teams we play, the rankings will take care of themselves. There is still a long way to go in the season and we must be ready every time we step on the field."
The Lady Vols were boosted in each of the polls because of their upset win over the Gators last Friday night, a result that ended Florida's conference record winning streak of 50 matches. With the historic triumph, UT raised its '01 mark versus ranked opponents to 4-3. The Orange then came back from a 1-0 halftime deficit on Sunday afternoon with three second-half goals to turn back the Lady Gamecocks.
Within each publication's Central Region Top 10, Tennessee held down the fourth spot, behind the Big 12 trio of #9 Nebraska (12-2), #10 Texas (9-3) and #14 Texas A&M (8-3-1), respectively. The Lady Vols will host their final weekend at action at the UT Soccer Complex this weekend by meeting Arkansas on Friday night and LSU on Sunday afternoon.
