The Lady Vols opened the 2009-10 slate with a 124-34 win over
the Carson-Newman Lady Eagles on Nov. 5. Sophomore forward
Glory Johnson led six Lady Vols in double digit scoring with 22 points.
The Knoxville native also grabbed 10 boards for a double-double.
The 124 points marked the 17th time in exhibition play that UT has
topped the century mark and were the fifth most points scored by
Tennessee in an exhibition contest.
The Lady Statesmen return three starters from a 2008-09 squad
that posted a 30-7 record and made a run to the NCAA Division II
Final Four. Last season, Delta State claimed its fourth straight Gulf
South Conference championship and its third consecutive Final Four.
Leading the way for DSU will be Sarita "Bug" Cooper, who dished
out an NCAA-leading 289 assists in 2008-09. Also back for the Lady
Statesmen is GSC Freshman of the Year Veronica Walker.
LADY VOL COACHING STAFF
LADY STATESMEN COACHING STAFF
Pat Summitt, in her 36th year as head coach of the Lady Vols,
boasts an overall career record of 1,005 wins and 193 losses and
eight national championships. Summitt is joined on the sidelines by
associate head coach Holly Warlick and assistant coaches Dean
Lockwood and Daedra Charles-Furlow.
Head Coach Sandra Rushing is in her eighth season at Delta
State and her 20th season overall. She has led the Lady Statesmen
to a 177-43 record and boasts a career record of 326-240. She is
joined on the sidelines by assistant coach Mechan Vanderpool and
graduate assistants Taniesha Rogers and Denise Smith.
TENNESSEE LADY VOL TIDBITS
DELTA STATE LADY STATESMEN TIDBITS
This will be the first meeting between Tennessee and Delta State
since Feb. 6, 1979, when the sixth-ranked Lady Vols downed the 15thranked
Lady Statesmen 73-57 in Knoxville...The win that arguably put the
Tennessee Lady Vols on the women's collegiate basketball map came
over Delta State and legendary coach Margaret Wade on Jan. 5, 1978...A
young Pat Head led the third-ranked Lady Vols to a 94-74 win over the
second-ranked Lady Statesmen at Stokely Athletics Center...In each of
the previous six meetings between UT and DSU, each school has been
ranked...In four of the six meetings, both schools were ranked in the top
10...Two Lady Vols, Candace Parker (2007) and current assistant coach,
Daedra Charles-Furlow (1991) were recipients of the prestigious Wade
Trophy named after the famed Delta State coach...In UT's exhibition
opener, the Lady Vols posted a 124-34 win over Carson-Newman...The
124 points scored were the fifth most by a Tennessee side in exhibition
play and the 90-point margin of victory was the third most by a Lady Vol
team...Sophomore Glory Johnson came off the bench to lead UT with 22
points and 10 rebounds...Junior Angie Bjorklund, who scored nine of UT's
first 12 points, finished with 21 against the Lady Eagles...Sophomore
Alicia Manning tallied 18 points against C-N, to go with eight boards and
four steals...Manning converted 8-of-9 attempts from the charity stripe...
Freshman Taber Spani recorded 17 points and nine rebounds in her first
game in the Orange and White...Redshirt sophomore center Kelley Cain
pitched in 16 points, eight rebounds and six blocks, while sophomore
Shekinna Stricklen scored 12 points, in addition to seven assists and
three steals for Tennessee.
Tonight's game marks the first contest of the season for the
Delta State Lady Statesmen...Head Coach Sandra Rushing will
look to All-American Bug Cooper to lead DSU in 2009-10...Last
season, Cooper dished an NCAA-leading 289 assists...Rushing
also welcomes back Gulf South Conference Freshman of the
Year Veronica Walker, who posted 11.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg as a
rookie in 2008-09...The Lady Statesmen were picked to win
their fifth straight GSC crown in 2009-10 and are ranked No.
3 in the Division II Top 25...Delta State also added a pair of
Division I transfers in center Ashley Martin (1.5 ppg, 1.9 rpg
at Southern Miss) and power forward Trevonna Cannon (2.6
ppg, 2.9 rpg at SE Missouri State)...Last year, junior Moe Bell
connected on 99 three pointers, setting a new single season
school record...She is fifth in the DSU career annals with 135
treys...The Wade Trophy, which is awarded to the best player
in NCAA Division I women's basketball is named after former
Delta State coach Lily Margaret Wade...Wade led the Lady
Statesmen to AIAW National Championships in 1975, 1976 and
1977, and 51 consecutive wins...In 1977, Delta State downed
Tennessee, 62-58, in the AIAW national semifinals on its way to
an unprecedented third consecutive national title...In addition to
the three championships claimed under Wade, DSU also won
the NCAA Division II national championship in 1989, 1990 and
1992...The Lady Statesmen won the first two meetings, but trail
the all-time series, 4-2.
WBB Pat Summit Audio Selection Monday - 3/15
