After three consecutive days at the Tennessee Diving Invitational, the Tennessee swimming and diving team has two days of rest before it travels to College Station, followed by a visit to Louisiana State University.
While in Texas, the Vols will face Missouri State as the Lady Vols square off against Texas A&M and Southern Methodist University on Jan. 8.
“Over the course of the break – since the Nike Cup – we’ve been working on the fundamentals, some of the technical elements of our race,” assistant coach Lance Asti said on the team’s preparation. “So we want to see them go out and execute great race plans and put together some of the pieces that we’ve been working on.”
After facing Auburn, winner of six national titles since 2003, Tennessee knows what to expect in SEC play, as the Lady Vols prepare to face an Aggie team that Asti described as “exceptionally deep” with multiple weapons.
“SEC competition is just so deep. Every team you go against has the potential to swim very fast and give you the highest level of competition,” Asti said.
Following additional meets with SMU and Missouri State, the team will travel by bus to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to face the LSU Tigers on Jan. 10.
The Volunteers may be looking for a revenge meet in Louisiana when they take the stage inside the LSU Natatorium on the Tigers’ senior night after the Tigers claimed the top three spots in the Tennessee Diving Invitational.
However, fatigue could become a factor, as Tennessee will have a quick turnaround, as the swim meet in Baton Rouge will be its second in three days.
But Asti insists that the three days of competition, followed by three road matches on three days of rest, concluded by a meet two days later is no scheduling accident.
“We kind of designed it intentionally that way,” Asti explained. “When you go to NCAAs and SECs it’s multi-day meets and we need to learn how to win on the road and how to go back-to-back days, and this gives us an opportunity to experience that, learn something and refine it.”
With one home meet left, the team is adapting to playing on the road and in hostile environments.
“Obviously there’s a great learning experience that happens when you’re on the road,” Asti said. “The NCAA championship and SEC championship are on the road, so it just gives us great experience against great competitors.”
Experience against high level opponents is the object of the road trip, and that’s what they find against the Aggies and Tigers.
“Both are balanced programs that have a lot of weapons, which can do some damage, so we’ll have to compete,” Asti said. “But they’ll give us a fight regardless.”
