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Two Tennessee Lady Vols make First-Team All-SEC; Two make All-Freshman

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 17: Tennessee Volunteers fans get ready before a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Thompson-Boling Arena on December 17, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 17: Tennessee Volunteers fans get ready before a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Thompson-Boling Arena on December 17, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee Lady Vols seniors Jaime Nared and Mercedes Russell made first-team All-SEC. Two more players made All-Freshman for the year.

Finishing the regular season with a 23-6 record and 11-5 record in the SEC was only good enough for the Tennessee Lady Vols to finish No. 7 in the SEC standings. But it was good enough for them to get some recognition in the conference.

Five Lady Vols achieved postseason recognition, according to SEC Sports. The standout ones were seniors Mercedes Russell and Jaime Nared.

Russell and Nared made first-team All-SEC for the year. It’s their second time being All-SEC players, but their first time being named to the first team. That came as no surprise to anybody.

What comes clear in these postseason awards, however, is that Holly Warlick’s No. 1 recruiting class paid off. That’s because three freshmen achieved postseason awards.

The standouts were Rennia Davis and Evina Westbrook. Those two both made the All-Freshman SEC team.

However, Anastasia Hayes, another freshman, was chosen as the sixth woman of the year. Simply put, the future is clearly bright with these three players.

Tennessee still has a lot to play for going forward with the SEC Tournament set to begin. And with their collection of talent, they have a great chance to make a deep run.

This team is likely not going to beat the Mississippi State Bulldogs, but they could at least get to the conference championship game. Just look at the recognition the players on their team got. They are clearly capable of beating anybody else in the conference on a neutral court.

The Lady Vols will face the Auburn Tigers Thursday night at 7 p.m. Whomever wins that game will go on to face the South Carolina Gamecocks on Friday. The freshmen are experienced now. So with the postseason here, let’s see how they fare.