University of Tennessee Athletics
NCAA Selection Monday Quotes
November 08, 2021 | Soccer
Tennessee Head Coach Brian Pensky Â
On what the last 24 hours have been like for him...Â
"Phenomenal. It doesn't get old. You kind of just sit back, your mind wanders for a minute, and then you think about what happened yesterday – all of it. With three minutes left, I turned to our team and knew the championship was ours. Turning to them and just saying, 'Hey, enjoy this moment. Enjoy these last few minutes.' The feeling is so deep and rich. You don't want time to pass, because you don't want the richness of that feeling to go away. Certainly, it is not doing so yet."Â
On the team going 18-2…Â
"It is a big deal. That ties the most wins in program history. This program has been around for a while. And then to win a championship. It's a big deal to win an SEC East championship, and then to follow that up with an SEC Tournament championship is a big deal. They are a confident and resilient group. They know they can win games. To do it 18 times out of 20 is remarkable. Then the two that we dropped, Arkansas was a bit of a tough one, but we still played well in that game, and then Vanderbilt was a bit of a dagger. In many respects, we feel like we should be 19-1. Our kids were that confident, and our coaching staff was that confident. We just have to keep going. We face a good team in Lipscomb. It's a team that won 15 games and played Power 5 teams. They played against Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. They beat Mississippi State, and they took Pepperdine, who is a No. 4 seed, to overtime. They are a good team. We have played them a number of times during the regular season. We haven't played them in a couple of years, but we know they have a number of Power 5 transfers there. We have to be ready to go. Otherwise, they will cause us some fits."Â
Tennessee Senior Midfielder Abbey BurdetteÂ
On being named the SEC Tournament MVP...Â
"Honestly, if you watch the video, I was pretty surprised. It was an awesome feeling. Like Brian (Pensky) says, it is a team award, and I couldn't have done it without my team. All the credit goes out to them. It was definitely a surreal feeling, and I'm grateful to be awarded it."Â
On what the season has been like...Â
"I think the thing that is special about this team is that I have never been a part of a team that is so close. We have really important chemistry, and I think that is what sets us apart from other teams I've been a part of. Going into postseason, that really excites me because that is something that is going to carry us far."Â
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Tennessee 5th-Year Senior Defender Wrenne FrenchÂ
On if the team can take anything from SECs going into NCAAs...Â
"Yes, my biggest takeaway (from the SEC Tournament) is that the sky is the limit for us. If we just believe and work hard, this team can take it as far as they want to."Â
On getting to play at home to start NCAAs…Â
"It means everything. I couldn't have asked for a better way to close out the year. Not only do we get to continue playing, but we get to continue playing at home. Our fan base and Vol Nation has been so incredible. Their support has meant everything to us. We are glad to continue putting on a show for them." Â
On which teammate has grown the most this season…Â
"It's impossible to choose one person. I'll say the freshmen this year have been extremely tremendous and have been an extremely important part of our team this year. I am so proud of the way they all have stepped up, starting or not starting. They are all great assets to this team. Claire Rain, Taylor Huff and Jordan Fusco grabbed the starting spots and came in with no fear and played with no fear. It is paying off for them and the team. I am proud of the way they took this program and ran with it."Â
