Lady Vols win close vote as SEC favorites

Tennessee was the SEC coaches' preseason pick as women's basketball conference champion, but it was a close call.

The Lady Vols edged LSU by one vote and earned the top spot with 112 points to LSU's 111. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team or their players for all-conference.

"They just want us to have the pressure,'' UT coach Pat Summitt said. "You know what? That's good.

"I am a little surprised, though."

Tennessee finished second behind LSU in the preseason media poll last week. At that time, Summitt was thinking "somewhere around fourth" for her youthful team, which finished tied for fourth last season. Georgia coach Andy Landers laughed that off last Thursday at SEC Media Day in Birmingham, Ala., as "borderline being dishonest."

Behind Tennessee and LSU, Mississippi State, Georgia, Vanderbilt and South Carolina filled out the top six spots. South Carolina finished 11th last season but has added top recruit Kelsey Bone, a 6-foot-5 center.

Lady Vols junior guard Angie Bjorklund and sophomore guard Shekinna Stricklen were selected to the eight-player All-SEC first team. Tennessee sophomore forward Glory Johnson was among nine players on the second team.

NCAA Host: Already chosen as a host for first- and second-round NCAA tournament games this season, Tennessee will also host those rounds in 2011.

The first- and second-round games UT hosts this spring will be the first NCAA games here since 2005.

Practice Report: The Lady Vols had to do extra running after Thursday's workout because Johnson and center Kelley Cain were late for a morning conditioning workout.

After having Wednesday off, the players struggled with fatigue toward the end of the practice.

"This was not one of our better days,'' Summitt said.

Freshman Faith Dupree missed most of the workout and could sit out a few more days because of back spasms.

Tribute Speaker: Summitt went to Indianapolis on Wednesday to speak at a tribute ceremony for former NCAA president Myles Brand, who died in September after battling cancer.

Summitt gave Brand a game ball from her 1,000 career victory last season.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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