NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The more things change for Tennessee women's basketball, the more they stay the same.
The Lady Volunteers traveled here Thursday night to play in-state Southeastern Conference rival Vanderbilt for the first time without their legendary coach Pat Summitt patrolling the sideline in nearly four decades.
The conduit from past to present for the program has been rookie head coach Holly Warlick, the former Lady Vols standout player and longtime Summitt assistant. Summitt, the all-time winningest Division I coach in men's and women's basketball, attended the game and addressed the Vols before tip-off and during halftime.
With Thursday's 83-75 win over the Commodores in front of 10,154 at Memorial Gym, No. 9 Tennessee (16-3 overall, 7-0 in SEC) won its ninth game in a row heading into Monday's home showdown with No. 2 Notre Dame.
Coupled with fifth-ranked Kentucky's loss Thursday night at South Carolina, the Lady Vols sit alone atop the SEC as the only team without a league loss.
"It's great that we're undefeated (in SEC play)," Warlick said, "but it's still a long season in the SEC. Anything can happen. We have so many big road games and home games. ... We're on top of the SEC, but we're not satisfied, absolutely."
Summitt first coached the Lady Vols in Memorial Gym, located some 30 minutes or so from where she grew up in nearby Cheatham County, during the 1975-76 season, her second year at the helm. She resigned following last season after being diagnosed with early onset dementia, Alzheimer's type.
But what remains the same for the storied program that won eight national championships during Summit's 38 years at the helm is yet another season of being included in not only the conversation for the SEC championship, but possibly an ninth national title as well.
"I think (the players) are responding to the whole staff," Warlick said. "I know when I took this job, what were the expectations and what I had to get done.
"I love our kids. They play hard. And that's all I ask them to do, play hard and play with a passion."
Apparently, the transition has been seamless for a team that had lowered expectations heading into this season, mainly because of the coaching change.
"It really hasn't been that much of a transition," Lady Vols junior guard Meighan Simmons said of the coaching change. She scored 23 points against Vandy.
"For me, it's like me seeing Pat," Simmons said. "Holly has been with her 27 years. So, it has really been amazing. Holly has really taken everything she has learned from Pat and passed it down to us and continuing to building on that legacy."
In the midst of a variety of "We back Pat" celebrations by teams not only around the league but the country as well to benefit the Pat Summitt Foundation and the fight against Alzheimer's, the Lady Vols were enthralled to know Summitt was attending Thursday's game.
"We were so excited when we found out she was coming," said senior forward Taber Spani, who had a career-high 24 points and six rebounds. "I was really trying to look for her before the game, and I finally found her. She brings us inspiration every time we see her."
But Tennessee handing Vanderbilt (13-6, 3-3) its first home loss of the season in nine games didn't come easily. The Commodores erased a 12-point halftime deficit with a 12-0 run to open the second half, but the Lady Vols proved to be the better team in the second half, hitting 14 of 15 free throws in the final four minutes to preserve the victory.
In as much, the Lady Vols continue to rise through the rankings that had the team uncharacteristically near the bottom of the Top 25 in the preseason.
"We have been underestimated a lot this season," Simmons said. "With every game, we have proven a point that we are one of the best teams in the SEC. We just have to continue playing Tennessee basketball and never be satisfied.
"We have to remember that Tennessee is Tennessee. We have to represent our school and just go out and play hard."
At the game's outset, the Lady Vols raced to an early 16-6 lead behind a 12-2 run, getting back-to-back 3-pointers from Simmons, a traditional 3-point play from Bashaara Graves and another 3-pointer from Spani. Graves, a freshman from nearby Clarksville, Tenn., finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.
From there, the teams played evenly the remainder of the first half. After the Commodores closed to within 27-21 on a free throw by sophomore forward Tiffany Clarke with 8:15 remaining before intermission, the Lady Vols stretched the league back to 36-24 on a follow shot by senior guard Kamiko Williams.
The UT lead bulged to 41-26 moments later on back-to-back goals by Spani, including a 3-pointer by the southpaw from the baseline to close the run. The Lady Vols settled into a 41-29 lead by halftime.
The Commodores were led by junior guard Christina Foggie with 22 points, while Clarke added 19 points and 10 rebounds.
"We didn't play smart and take away the things we needed to take away," Vanderbilt coach Melanie Balcomb said. "They were always comfortable and confident on offense. And they knew they could score."
