Lady Vols vs. Western Kentucky Postgame Quotes

Tennessee Head Coach Kellie Harper

Opening Statement:
"It feels so good to get to play today. I'm really proud of our team. I think they have held it together really well this preseason, with the uncertainties that we have this year. I was really happy for them to get to come out and compete at home in front of our fans. I thought we played hard. It took us a little while to settle in offensively. I still think we missed some shots we can make. We can clean up some execution offensively, hopefully before our next game. Defensively, we had some kids that just made plays. Overall, our 1-on-1 defense can be better. We'll work on that. You don't come out in game one and play perfectly. I'm proud of our team. I'm proud of our effort. I thought we had some really bright spots and a lot of encouraging moments out there that are really going to help us."

On the differences she saw during the game as a result of COVID-19 protocol:
"The layout, obviously, is different. I'll be honest, not having a pep band there was different. Not having our cheer team or media on the court was different. There's so much that makes it look different. It definitely feels different being on the opposite side of the scorer's table. There are times that I forget and say, 'They're going to throw the ball in over here, because we're opposite of the scorer's table.' There are a few things that will still take some adjusting. One of the things we know we have to be - as well as everybody else in the country in any job - is flexible. You've got to be flexible. You've got to be adaptable and you've got to be ready for change. The thing that did not change, though, is that we got to play. The rules didn't change, so we were on the court playing, and that was fun."

On what led her to start three newcomers (Jordan Walker, Keyen Green and Marta Suárez) in Saturday's season-opening win:
"I thought they played well in their first game. Decisions about starting for us has been about the consistency in the preseason. Who's been there every day and played hard? We've got several players that will be right in that mix. The players that started the game, I'm really proud of them. Those newcomers came in with great maturity and great confidence. They didn't look like rookies out there. I thought they went out and played well."

On how Rae Burrell helps lead the team in her third season with the Lady Vols:
"One of the things that I've said about our team this year is that all of our returners are better (than last season). She's better. I thought she ended on a high note last year. She played well going down the stretch. She's not only carried that over, but let it propel her. She had been so consistent in practice. Every day, you know what you're going to get with her. She's played well. Everybody knows that Rae Burrell has a high motor and she plays hard. You're always going to get that. Now, we see a Rae that's more confident, very poised and (she) made great decisions. I'm really, really proud of her. She let the game come to her. Honestly, that's not surprising. Her game today is exactly how she's practiced. We're really proud of her and excited for her this season."

On how important Jordan Walker's ability to avoid turnovers is for the team:
"I think it's imperative that you have players that aren't turning the ball over and you've got players that are distributing, finding the open man, making good decisions and managing the team. I think that's important. She's done a good job of that. I thought Destiny Salary did a good job of that when she was in there. For two newcomers coming into those tough roles, I thought they did a pretty good job with that. Overall, our 13 turnovers, I think we're going to walk out of this one and feel OK about that and find a way to get better once we look at them. I think there were a lot of those that we could erase. We've worked hard on that in our preseason practices. I thought our offensive spacing helped us in those areas. We'll go back, get in the film room, watch some of those and try to correct them even before our next practice."

On Marta Suárez's Tennessee debut:
"Marta is a player that gives us some steadiness. She's poised. She's competitive. She makes plays. She had several offensive boards. She's going to be in the mix. She's going to be in the middle of it. She sticks her nose in it. We need that. I think, for us right now, just having her skillset is important. We started her at the small forward position, but we're able to move her around a little bit. She played some wing and brought the ball up the court a couple of times. I think just trying to take advantage of her broad skillset is important for our team. She really helps us when she's out there."

Tennessee Redshirt-Junior Guard Jordan Walker On win and debut as a Lady Vol:
"Being on the home court today before my debut felt amazing. I really could not sleep last night. And this morning I was up, and I was like go back to sleep, go back to sleep, but I was just so excited to get out here and play. I just like that we came out and we did well today, and I just think that this team is going do great things this season."

On atmosphere in Thompson-Bowling Arena in new age of college basketball:
"You know, I think that as teammates today we really were just trying to stay together. There's lot going on in our world right now, and I just feel like being able to play basketball and do something that we all love is truly special, so I feel like just staying together and keeping that in mind is something that's going help get us through this."

On starting the game today compared to time at Western Michigan:
"Today, I just really wanted to have a low turnover number and just go out and play hard. I know if I do that everything else will fall into place."

Tennessee Freshman Guard/Forward Marta Suárez

On what it meant to start in season debut with uncertainty from offseason:
"I mean, I'm not going lie, I loved when I heard that I was in the starting five. I love the fact that the coaches trusted me to be out there since the beginning. I mean, what matters is that we were able to play today. You cannot take that for granted and that we all did great. You've got to go out there and give your 100 percent, so I'm pretty proud of myself for the game and really proud of the team."

On how quickly she has adapted to her teammates:
"Of course there was some trouble (due to COVID-19), but we took advantage of this long preseason to get to know each other really good and to know what we like to do on the court and off the court - a lot of communication with the players and the coaches. That has helped a lot. I just went out there and did what we've been training for and we've been practicing during these three or four months, so it was just my teammates that made it really easy to play."

On impact of efficient second quarter:
"We knew that we could do better. Sometimes you just have be patient and let the points come. We were doing a good job. We were just we were missing some easy shots, and we had to be a little bit more aggressive on defense. We all talked about it on the bench. We decided to be more aggressive. We want to go out there and compete. Our mindset changed a little bit, and we were more about doing a better job offensively and defensively."

Western Kentucky Head Coach Greg Collins Opening Statement:

"First, I want to congratulate Tennessee. I appreciate Coach Harper for scheduling this game. We're glad to get to play. This has been a long time in the process, a lot of question marks, so we were thrilled to get the chance to play here. We were clearly outmatched, but this is a very good Tennessee team, and they are going to do well this season. I am proud of how hard my kids competed, but they have got a lot of growing, a lot of room for improvement. That is a lot of youth out there on the floor. Even if we had our team from last year, a lot of experience, that still would have been a tough challenge, as talented as this Tennessee team is. So, I think it is going be fun to watch Coach Harper and these young ladies throughout the rest of the season. I am looking forward to it. I think we are going to be a lot better team, even next weekend, after this week. But we appreciated opportunity to play. Wish we would have done a little better and given the Lady Vols a better ballgame, but I am proud of how hard we played."

On rough start to the game:
"We were probably ragged because we're really young, and we've not played in a college basketball game (yet). For most of our kids, this is the first college basketball game they have ever played in. Maybe the Lady Vols were a little bit ragged because they haven't had some games or some competition, but I think you're going to see that probably around the country. You're going to see a lot of teams that are just get better as the season goes on. This shutdown certainly favors teams that have experience. If you have your returning players that have been through two or three years, and they kind of know what it's about, they're probably less likely to be in this position. But yeah, I think that it showed up on our turnovers and just kind of being late to the box outs, so you know I think a lot of teams would be a little bit faster once they play some more games."

On who impressed him during the first game of season:
"I was really proud of Ally Collett's toughness as a freshman out on floor, and I know it is her first time being out there. She's playing against some really talented players, and so I think she did well. Also, Myriah Haywood had not played a whole lot of minutes last year, so she will settle down and do better. I think our post players almost all fouled out, so I think that they learned a little bit about how physical this game is and how you've got to be ready. And I think that they'll continue to improve, but I was really proud of how Myriah Haywood and Ally Collett played, and I think we've got some good young kids that are going to get better."

Western Kentucky Freshman Guard Ally Collett

On debut in college basketball:
"It was an honor to have an opening day here. There is a lot of tradition in that gym, and I also think there is a lot of Western Kentucky tradition, too. I feel like it was a good matchup. We could have done better on the boards, and I feel like that could've changed the game a lot. It was a good opportunity and a fun first game."

On challenge to prepare for a game with the conditions of 2020:
"I'm freshman, too. It is very different than high school. In high school, you watch film and prepare player personnel, and that's about it. In college, it is so different even with this pandemic and everything makes it 10 times harder. You have film every single day, and we have two practices in the gym before the game, which I really think that helped a lot with us getting comfortable in the gym. You know that is just so different; I have never done anything like this. We are watching film in the hotel, every chance we get to watch film and try to prepare. Then with the pandemic we wear masks everywhere, and it's just very different."