Towards the end of last week, the Tennessee Lady Vols had their 2021 Media Day on campus. As the Lady Vols continue their preparation for the season’s arrival, the team and the coaches met with the media to discuss some of the biggest topics in the building.
One of the first things that head coach Kellie Harper spoke about was an injury to former SEC All-Freshman Marta Suarez. The guard/forward combo sophomore will miss the entire season after having foot surgery recently.
“It’s kind of related to my injury I had last year that kept me out of the NCAA [tournament],” Suarez said on Thursday. “It just didn’t heal properly so I need to have surgery again, but I’d rather get it over with now and do it soon. It’s given me an opportunity to get a different role with the team.”
The new role for Suarez is mainly focused around her helping her teammates, and as she says, holding them “accountable”. That goes for both the returning and new players.
In the videos below, nine Lady Vol players spoke about the preseason. Some of the returning players spoke about how the team has improved in certain areas in comparison to last season. Meanwhile, some of the new players, like freshman Sara Puckett, spoke about the differences between high school and college ball.
Additionally, each of the players spoke highly of their teammate’s work ethic and motivation with the season around the corner.
The Tennessee Lady Vols will take on Georgia College on Wednesday, Nov. 3, in Thompson Boling Arena. However, as Harper mentioned during her press conference on Thursday, the opposing head coach may have some familiar qualities.
“On a personal note, when Georgia College comes in, the opposing coach and I might resemble because that’s my brother,” Harper said. “Really special opportunity for us to get to compete against each other that may not ever happen again. That’s a pretty unique opportunity.”
