Tennessee's extra work in the offseason helped the Lady Volunteers get 10 more wins and go two rounds further in the NCAA tournament.
With all the extra work they put in to improve after last year's first-round exit from the NCAA tournament, coach Pat Summitt is disappointed they weren't able to do more.
``We'll continue to learn from it,'' Summitt said after Tennessee's 77-62 loss to Baylor in the Memphis Region semifinals. ``But I will tell you I love this team, and I hurt for this team.''
The loss spoiled the highly anticipated matchup between Tennessee (32-3) and Connecticut, which could have happened in this year's national semifinals.
It also meant they missed out on back-to-back Final Fours for the first time since 1993-94.
``I really feel for this team,'' Summitt said. ``They've invested, they've worked extremely hard, they played a great Baylor team. We just didn't defend.''
The team that lost to the Lady Bears is practically the same team that lost to Ball State in the first round of the tournament a season ago. And as Summitt's only team in history without a senior, it's the same Lady Vols who will take the court next season.
``We're still young,'' Summitt said. ``But I've always told them the game knows no age.''
The Tennessee players voluntarily spent their last offseason submitting to rigorous workouts in hopes of improving from the inconsistent play that plagued them. Strength and conditioning coach Heather Mason said it was the hardest any team had worked in the offseason in her seven years.
The Lady Vols still started off shakily in 2009-10 - barely surviving a few poor offensive outings and inconsistent effort by some of the players.
Tennessee found its biggest improvement and success in the paint thanks to 6-foot-6 redshirt sophomore Kelley Cain, and the Lady Vols went on to grab the Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament titles for the first time since 1999-2000.
Cain got a lot of help from Alyssia Brewer and Glory Johnson, and she should get even more help next season from 6-foot-4 Vicki Baugh, who sat out this season as she rehabilitated her left knee. Baugh tore a ligament in that knee for a second time against Oklahoma on Feb. 2, 2009.
Baugh's presence might have helped the Lady Vols defend Baylor's Brittney Griner in their final loss of the season.
The 6-foot-8 freshman scored 27 points and blocked 10 shots, despite being guarded by two, three or even four Tennessee players on the floor. She hit several shots while double-teamed or passed to an open Lady Bears teammate for an easy layup.
Tennessee was close to advancing. The teams went back and forth throughout the first half and early in the second, and the Lady Vols held a 55-50 with just under eight minutes left.
But Griner hit back-to-back layups and had a three-point play as part of a 21-1 run as Tennessee's defense unraveled.
``Sometimes the ball doesn't bounce your way,'' sophomore guard Alicia Manning said. ``I think our defense could have been a lot better. We had time to turn the game around, but stuff happens. It just didn't happen for us.''
