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Sept. 2, 2010

By Zach Stipe, Media Relations Assistant

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Seeking a third consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships, the Lady Vol golf team is predicted to be right in the thick of the national tournament hunt as it captured a preseason ranking of No. 12 in the National Golf Coaches Association-Golf World Coaches' Poll.

The Big Orange is one of eight Southeastern Conference teams that made the preseason top 25. Alabama (No. 4), Auburn (6), Vanderbilt (10), Georgia (13), LSU (16) Florida (19) and South Carolina (22) also were recognized.

Led by 11th year head coach Judi Pavon, the Lady Vols return four of their five competitors off the runner-up NCAA East Regional and 19th-place NCAA Championships squad from last season.

Among those returning are two-time All-American Nathalie Mansson, who set Lady Vol single-season records in stroke average (73.06) and rounds of par or better (16), and Erica Popson, who nearly captured medalist honors at the 2010 SEC Championships.

Mansson, a junior, won two tournaments in 2009-10 and ranked second in the nation in final round average (71.17). Popson, a sophomore, tied for first at the conference tournament before falling in a playoff. She capped off her debut season by joining Mansson on the All-East Region team and tying for 18th at the national tourney.

Also returning from the NCAA Championships squad are senior Lauren Spurlock and sophomore Sara Monberg. They'll be joined on the 2010-11 team by freshmen newcomers Kaitlyn Rohrback and Chessey Thomas, as well as senior Rebecca Watson and sophomore Leigh Henderson.

The Lady Vols open the 2010-11 slate from Sept. 13-15 at the hyper-competitive Fall Preview in College Station, Texas, on the course where the 2011 national championships will be played.