University of Tennessee Athletics
@LadyVol_Hoops Report (2/6/15)
February 06, 2015 | Women's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Head coach Holly Warlick, redshirt sophomore guard Andraya Carter and senior center Isabelle Harrison visited with the media about #6/6 Tennessee's SEC road game at Florida on Sunday at 2 p.m. ESPNU will have the telecast, and the game will be carried on the radio by the Lady Vol Network.
UT and UF will meet for the 51st time in women's basketball. The Lady Vols head to Gainesville with a 16-game winning streak vs. SEC teams, and they'll be trying to extend their run of wins vs. Florida to 11-straight games. UT will also try to improve on its mark of 18-2 in games played on UF's home court.
GETTING READY FOR GAINESVILLE
The #6/6 Lady Vols (19-3, 9-0 SEC) are coming off a bye week and heading on the road to face the Florida Gators (11-11, 3-6 SEC) on Sunday.
The Lady Vols are looking to extend a four-game win streak, most recently defeating No. 18 Mississippi State, 79-67, on Feb. 1.
The Gators are heading into Sunday's matchup against the Lady Vols after posting a 3-6 record in the month of January. Senior center Isabelle Harrison says that the Gators' record doesn't reflect the type of team they are.
"They've had a tough past couple of games but they're always going to be at their best when they play Tennessee," Harrison said.
2013 was the last time the Lady Vols battled Florida in Gainesville. It took overtime, but Holly Warlick's squad was able to tame the Gators, winning 78-75.
Though Tennessee holds a 47-3 all-time record against the Gators, redshirt sophomore guard Andraya Carter says the atmosphere at opposing venues sometimes creates a challenge for the Lady Vols.
"I think we definitely struggle when the gym's kind of dead. We're so used to our fans and thriving off of that energy," said Carter. "When we're playing a team that might not get as much fan support or it's an off night and the gym's kind of empty, it's kind of hard to get going for us."
Both the Lady Vols and the Gators are coming off byes on Thursday. Coach Holly Warlick believes that the team will be ready for Florida after getting some much-needed rest.
"We've just been getting some bruises and bumps healed up," Warlick said. "This is our last week of really having a chance to take advantage of it until after the SEC tournament. We've got to go down and anticipate a hard game, and we've got to play our best."
Warlick also noted that there are a few key differences between how Tennessee and Florida play.
"They're very athletic," said Warlick. "They push the ball, press, kind of like how we play."
Another Lady Vol may soon be joining the 1,000-point club. Ariel Massengale is entering the game against Florida needing just nine points to become the 41st player overall and third Lady Vol this season to reach 1,000 points. If Massengale reaches this career milestone in Gainesville, she will join teammates Bashaara Graves and Isabelle Harrison.
BURDICK PLAYING HER GAME
Cierra Burdick was named SEC Player of the Week for the second time this season after her stellar play last week against top-20 opponents #10/10 Kentucky and #18/18 Mississippi State. She also was named the College Sports Madness SEC and National Player of the Week
Burdick averaged 20.0 points while shooting 57 percent from the field in last week's games, double her normal season scoring output.
Warlick said Friday that she was proud of Burdick's recent performance.
"I think that she's coming into her own," Warlick said. "I think Cierra right now is playing within her game. She is taking shots that are makeable for Cierra. She is not forcing things. She's working without the ball, getting open to get her good shots. She's using her intelligence that she has regarding basketball to help her become a really complete player."
Against Mississippi State, Burdick showed just how complete her game is, lining the box score with 24 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and three steals.
This honor marks the fourth time in Burdick's career that she has been named the SEC's Player of the Week.
CARTER SHOWING BALANCE WITH SUCCESS AT BOTH ENDS
Redshirt sophomore Andraya Carter is in the midst of her most balanced season, excelling on both the defensive and offensive end. During the offseason, Carter spent extra time in the gym and with her coaches working on her shot. She's seen the time spent pay off as now 22 games into the year, Carter is averaging 7.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game and is just two steals shy of a career season high. During SEC play, Carter is averaging 9.2 ppg.
Warlick has nothing but great things to say about Carter's effort and contribution to the Lady Vols from both ends of the floor.
"She's extremely athletic," Warlick said. "She's really aggressive on the defense end. When she's scoring, when she has that side of her game going, she plays a complete game. She's our best defensive stopper. She's one of our best rebounders. We need her energy. She gives us energy, her hustle plays. She's involved in a lot of things. If we need something done in a game, she's generally involved in it."
Growing up with a love for defense, Carter recognizes that the strongest skillset she brings to the Lady Vols is her defense.
"Even when I was younger, I was more running around and playing defense," Carter said. "A lot of my points came from steals and lay-ups. I couldn't shoot for anything when I was younger. I really started focusing on defense in high school. My high school coach always said defense and hustle are controllable factors.
"It's something I started to thrive from, my defense and hustle plays. Now working offense into the picture and being aggressive on that end of the floor is something that I'm working on."
Senior Isabelle Harrison sees growth in Carter's game as she begins to see offensive success from her.
"I always knew Draya was skilled defensively, and now she's starting to get that confidence offensively, so her game is really coming into its own," Harrison said.
With an offensive rhythm to work with, Carter's confidence is growing as her comfort level with scoring increases.
"The confidence has definitely started to come," Carter said. "Working in the offseason with Coach Law, Coach Elzy, and Holly and Dean on my shot, it's probably a lot better than it shows in the games a little bit, but it's just not natural for me to look to shoot to score. That's starting to come.
"My teammates are extremely encouraging. They see me put in the work or they see me in practice and they want me to be aggressive on that end of the floor. They know it helps me as well, and I know it helps them."
Non-stop repetition and extra time in the gym hasn't gone unnoticed by her teammates or the coaching staff. With seven regular season games left, Carter's confidence is definitely on the rise.
"Anytime someone puts the time into it, you're going to get more confidence," Warlick added.
"She's put a lot of time into her offensive game, and she's reaping the benefits and seeing rewards. She's making that effort to get in the gym and work on her form shooting, getting in shots. When you're getting shots and see them going in it just builds your confidence. I think that's what she's doing."
