Lady Vols Open 2012-13 Season At No. 20 In AP Preseason Poll
Saturday, October 27, 2012
The preseason women's basketball poll was released Saturday by The Associated Press, and Tennessee will begin the 2012-13 campaign ranked 20th.
The Lady Vols, who lost all five starters from last season's 27-9, Elite Eight squad, began the 2011-12 season ranked No. 3 and finished at No. 9 in the AP poll.
After 27 years as an assistant at UT, Holly Warlick has assumed the head coaching role held by Pat Summitt for 38 seasons. The NCAA's all-time leader in basketball coaching victories, Summitt transitioned to head coach emeritus in the offseason after announcing last August she had been diagnosed with early-onset dementia, Alzheimer's type.
Top returners for Tennessee include preseason All-SEC Second Team selection Meighan Simmons (11.1 ppg. a year ago), a junior guard, and sophomore point guard Ariel Massengale, who recorded a UT rookie record of 162 assists last season and led the SEC with a 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
The Lady Vols host exhibition games with Carson-Newman at 7 p.m. on Nov. 1 and Coker at 2 p.m. on Nov. 4 before opening the season on the road at Chattanooga at 7 p.m. on Nov. 9.