Volunteer Country

Lady Vols Rocket Up Five Spots in Latest AP Poll

After a big win against Texas, the Lady Vols find themselves knocking on the door of the Top 10.

Jack Foster

The Tennessee Lady Vols have had their struggles this season, but Kellie Harper's squad is trending in the right direction after a thrilling 74-70 win over then-No. 12 Texas. With the win, the Lady Vols improve to 4-0, having won their last two against ranked opponents and the last three without star senior forward Rae Burrell. 

Tennessee has beaten Southern Illinois, UCF, USF and Texas. Ten or fewer points have decided all four games, and three have seen the Lady Vols make a comeback in the fourth quarter to win. 

The resiliency and grit of the Lady Vols have been noted multiple times by Kellie Harper, and Tennessee's ability to continue winning games has them knocking on the door of the top ten in the AP Poll Top 25.

Tennessee comes in at No. 11 on the list and No. 10 in the coaches' poll in the link above. The Lady Vols are ahead of fellow SEC schools Kentucky and Texas A&M, who come in at No. 20 and No. 23. No. 1 South Carolina is the only ranked SEC team ahead of Tennessee on the poll. 

The Lady Vols will travel to Las Vegas this weekend for a pair of post-Thanksgiving matchups against Big 12 schools in Kansas and Oklahoma State. Neither team is ranked, but Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper is well aware of the challenge they present for the Lady Vols.

On Friday, November 26, Tennessee and Kansas tip-off at 6:30 p.m. ET in South Point Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Below are the scoring leaders for the Lady Vols heading into their cross-country matchup.

Jordan Horston/Junior/Guard: 31.7 MPG (minutes per game), 22 PPG (points per game), 11.7 RPG (rebounds per game)

Alexus Dye/Senior/Forward: 28.8 MPG. 9 PPG, 8.5 RPG

Jordan Walker/Senior/Guard: 27.3 MPG, 7.5 PPG, 8 assists (second on team), Three three-pointers made (ties team-high)

Tamari Key/Junior/Center: 27.3 MPG, 7.3 PPG, 10 RPG, 19 Blocks  *Key recorded a triple-double against Texas.*

Sara Puckett/Freshman/Forward: 26.5 MPG, 5.3 PPG, three three-pointers made (ties team-high)

At the moment, the Lady Vols have six ranked opponents remaining on their schedule in South Carolina (No.1), UConn (No. 3), Stanford (No. 7), Kentucky (No. 20), Texas A&M (No. 23) and Virginia Tech (No. 24). 

Head coach Kellie Harper's entire Tuesday media availability ahead of Kansas and Oklahoma State is in the video above. 

For highlights of the Lady Vols' most recent win, click here.

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Jack Foster
JACK FOSTER

Jack is a sophomore at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville majoring in Journalism/Electronic Media. Jack grew up in Paris, Tennessee, but now spends the majority of his time in Knoxville doubling as a student and sports journalist for Volunteer Country. Jack has been a sports junkie since he was a young kid and always watched NFL football with his dad on Sundays. Jack still follows the NFL religiously, as he is an avid fantasy football player. Jack started with Volunteer Country in May of 2021 and has since helped provide full coverage of football, baseball and men's and women's basketball. Jack also works as a recurring member of WUTK's Rock Solid Sports show on Wednesdays and Fridays, and he also serves as head sports producer of The Volunteer Channel's Vol News, a student-run show at the University. When Jack is not watching or covering sports, find him on the golf course or back home spending time with his parents, younger sister and friends. Follow Jack on Twitter and Instagram by clicking "Twitter" and "Instagram" to see all of his work with Volunteer Country as well as student media.