One more regular-season test remains for the Lady Vol basketball team.
And that test, a 3 p.m. matchup Sunday against No. 15 LSU, won’t be an easy one.
No. 2 Tennessee (23-2, 12-0 SEC) is down to eight players with a recent illness suffered by senior forward Courtney McDaniel. McDaniel’s status for Sunday’s contest will be a game-time decision.
McDaniel and her senior classmates, Tasha Butts, Latoya Davis and Ashley Robinson, will be honored before their final home game.
Lady Vol coach Pat Summitt recognizes the achievements that the four seniors have achieved.
“I think sometimes this class feels like they haven’t left a strong mark on this program, but they’ve certainly left a very strong history with their success,” Summitt said. “Obviously, they’ve done a great job with only one regular-season SEC loss in four years.”
Summitt cites this season’s performance in particular.
“This team has certainly done a great job,” Summitt said. “The leadership of Tasha (Butts) and Ashley (Robinson) this year has been tremendous.”
In order to finish out the regular season on a strong note, the Lady Vols will have to overcome a strong LSU team, led by sophomore phenom Seimone Augustus. Augustus, who was recruited by Tennessee, is averaging a team-high 18.5 points-per-contest.
Augustus is just one part of the challenge, though, according to Summitt.
“LSU is a team that has given us more than we could handle at times over the last several years,” Summitt said. “They bring in Seimone Augustus, one of the top scorers in the league.
“We have had difficulty matching up against LSU in the past. Certainly it will be a challenge for us to match up with them on Sunday.”
The Lady Tigers (21-5, 9-3) are trying to grab the two-seed position for next week’s SEC Tournament. A win against the Lady Vols would secure the spot.
Summitt and her team are simply trying and finish out the season on a strong note.
“Our goal at the beginning of the season was to win the SEC championship,” Summitt said. “We did that. Now we want to continue learning and preparing for the SEC Tournament. LSU will challenge us to do that.”
