The No. 4 Tennessee Lady Volunteers will once again look to push the tempo Friday night when they take on the Winthrop Lady Eagles from the Big South conference.
With a surplus of talent and athleticism at the guard position, UT will not want to lay off the gas pedal.
“We’ve had a lot of guard play, so we are focused on getting up and down the court just as Holly has been telling us in practice,” sophomore starting point guard Jordan Reynolds said. “She’s been telling us to get it and go even if another team scores on a made basket or rebound.”
Through the first two games, Reynolds has set the tone on both ends of the court, as she leads the team with 10 steals and has averaged six assists per game.
Despite not starting any last season, the 5-foot-11 guard has started each game and will hold onto that role as long as she keeps setting the pace and living up to the expectations her coach has of her.
“Jordan has had great games,” head coach Holly Warlick said. “She’s pushing the ball down the floor more than I’ve ever seen a guard in a long time. I have a lot of confidence in her, and I have a lot of confidence in Ariel (Massengale) and Andraya (Carter), but Jordan has been steady and she’s been our leader.”
In blowout wins against Penn and Oral Roberts, the Lady Vols have averaged 24.5 assists per game and 16 steals while only turning the ball over a total of 21 times.
For Reynolds, Massengale, Carter and freshman guard Alexa Middleton, they all understand what is expected of them when they check into the game.
“Push the tempo and run the team,” senior point guard Ariel Massengale said. “We can do that with the amount of guards we have. We don’t have to play a lot of minutes or worry about getting tired because you can easily get a sub since there’s so many of us. You can get a quick break and then come right back in.”
While Warlick believes the starting lineup will remain the same for game three — Reynolds, Middleton, Jaime Nared, Bashaara Graves, Nia Moore—there will be times during the game against Winthrop she will want to run all four guards out on the court with a post.
Tennessee (2-0) experimented with the four-guard lineup against Oral Roberts and ran a half-court press which forced numerous turnovers.
“I like it when we can match up with the other team,” Warlick said. “We got out and pushed the ball a little bit more last game and had a little bit more energy. The four guard rotation is kind of fun. It’s different for us really.”
Winthrop (1-1) will have to try and slow down Tennessee’s up-tempo attack which has averaged 94 points per game and ranks as one of the top in the country so far.
The Lady Vols will also get the benefit of having senior forward Cierra Burdick back after serving a two-game suspension for violating team rules.
Last season, Burdick had her best season yet, averaging 8.7 points and a career-high 7.3 rebounds per contest.
“Cierra is a vital part of this team and its success,” Warlick said. “She made a mistake and she’s dealt with it and is moving on.”
Despite her absence from the lineup, Burdick’s support of her team has not been missed as she hyped up the crowd and her teammates before each game in the starting lineup introductions.
“It doesn’t change her perspective of how she feels about her teammates, coaches and this program,” she said. “She is a vocal leader and leads by example. She is one of the hardest working kids we have and that has not wavered at all regardless if she has been playing or not. We are glad to get her back.”
Isabelle Harrison (knee) and Jasmine Jones (head) will remain out of the lineup Friday night with injuries.
Tipoff for Tennessee’s matchup against Winthrop inside Thompson-Boling Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST and can be streamed on SEC Network+.
