University of Tennessee Athletics
@LadyVol_Hoops Report (2/18/15)
February 18, 2015 | Women's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Head coach Holly Warlick and seniors Ariel Massengale and Cierra Burdick visited with the media about #6/6 Tennessee's SEC home game against Alabama on Thursday at 7 p.m. Eastern. The game will be televised on FOX Sports South, and the game will be carried on the radio by the Lady Vol Network.
UT and Alabama will meet for the 50th time in women's basketball. The Lady Vols head into the game with a 19-game winning streak vs. SEC teams, and they'll be trying to extend their run of wins vs. the Crimson Tide to 41 straight. UT will also try to improve on its mark of 20-0 vs. Bama in games played in Knoxville.
Adjusting To Loss Of Izzy & Preparing For Bama After defeating No. 10 Kentucky for the second time this season, No. 6 Tennessee looks to continue an undefeated home season when Alabama travels to Knoxville for a Thursday night match-up.
The Lady Vols currently hold a seven-game win streak and maintain an undefeated mark in SEC play at 12-0. Alabama looks to improve to .500 with a current 13-14 record entering the game.
Regardless of what the records show, head coach Holly Warlick isn't overlooking the Crimson Tide.
"I think Alabama is a lot better than their record," Warlick said. "They're athletic. They've got kids who can shoot the three. They run transition extremely hard, score a lot in their transitions. They force turnovers. I think they`ve been in it with some teams early. Maybe their depth has been a problem. They've tried a bunch of different lineups. I think they're just trying to find themselves.
"They're very athletic and not a team we can just overlook. We struggled with Missouri, and they beat Missouri. We have a lot of respect for them."
While Alabama has been trying to find a working lineup, Tennessee is in a situation somewhat similar. With a season-ending injury to Isabelle Harrison vs. Kentucky on Sunday, Warlick and the Lady Vols will have to rearrange the lineup to make up for Harrison's loss. However, with the versatility of the team and more than a handful of guards, Warlick isn't in panic mode.
"We haven't really addressed it," Warlick said of the starting lineup. "We had practice yesterday. We've looked at different things. We don't know what we're going to use. It's a great possibility. Yeah, we could use four guards. They're very versatile and some could post. It may be some good, hard match-ups for people to figure out."
Senior Cierra Burdick sees the roles of players increasing and a potential for the team to succeed at every position.
"We'll really try to make defensive rebounding our presence now," Burdick said. "We'll really try to slash the gaps, get in there having our guards shoot the ball. Bashaara [Graves] and I just have to carry the load down low. Nia [Moore] is going to come in and she'll play big for us as well. Jaime [Nared] has done a great job coming in and playing critical minutes for us. We'll be fine."
"You've got so many combo guards. Our entire back court with Andraya [Carter], Ariel and Jordan [Reynolds], they can play the one through three. Bashaara was playing the power forward spot but now she's really going to be our center. Our versatility is definitely one of our biggest strengths. We're going to need it down the stretch."
Although the loss of Harrison is upsetting for the post position, Massengale sees depth along with versatility as keys to helping lead the Lady Vols through the rest of the season.
"We're still deep in the post," Massengale said. "Cierra can go down there. Jaime and Nia Moore also. Everyone is just going to have to step up and do a little more. It might be more of a team effort. Everyone is going to have to rebound and have solid defense."
Harrison's Injury Becomes Tennessee's Motivation
Although senior standout Isabelle Harrsion will not be able to have an impact on the court the remainder of the season, her presence on the sideline combined with her dedication to the Lady Vols' program will be the inspiration and motivation for Tennessee in its goal to make the NCAA Women's Final Four.
The 6-foot-3 center suffered a torn ACL with 19:01 remaining in the second half vs. Kentucky on Sunday. While the injury sidelines a prime talent in the Lady Vols' starting rotation, senior guard Ariel Massengale believes that the team can rebound and still has plenty of talent to make a run in March, a run that Harrison longs for as a Lady Vol.
"We can't take pity on ourselves," Massengale said. "We have to take it one day at a time and continue to improve. I think this team still has a lot of talent. Right now, we want to go out there and just do it for Izzy because we know if she was still playing with us, her goal is to get to a Final Four."
Both Massengale and senior forward Cierra Burdick have played with Harrison for four seasons. Burdick realizes that this campaign is their last chance to make a Final Four. The long journey as a Lady Vol would not be complete without a Final Four trip, and Harrison's injury further inspires Burdick to make a push to Tampa.
"Yeah, it is definitely some motivation," Burdick said. "Izzy-B has been here for us since day one. We started this journey together, and we're going to finish this journey together. I think we are definitely just trying to play our best for her and get to Tampa for her. That has been our goal since day one, and now we have even more motivation with her going out. That is what she wants us to do. She doesn't want us to fall off at all. I think we are going to come out here and just compete so hard for her."
Seeing a teammate and friend go down the way Harrison did always hurts. However, the Lady Vols are not going to let this injury define her. Teammates are making a point to give encouragement to Harrison.
"We've talked to her, but not really about basketball," Massengale said. "Right now, it's mostly about keeping her spirits high and letting her know that her career's not over, that she is going to be fine and that she'll get through this. We'll be there with her every step of the way."
Holly Warlick, like her mentor Pat Summitt, is big on fostering a family atmosphere. On and off the court, the women who have donned the orange and white understand that being a Lady Vol means entering a loving family. The concept of family is clearly evident even in a tough situation such as Harrison's.
"She knows I'm going to be here for her," Burdick said. "I have been since day one. I'm going to be by her side no matter what."
While Burdick will stand by Harrison's side regardless of the circumstances, standing by her side on the Final Four floor would allow the two to experience one more tradition of being a Lady Vol.
