Lady Vols basketball will be without three players, including its leading scorer, against No. 9 Virginia Tech Sunday.
Rickea Jackson and Jillian Hollingshead were not dressed to play when Tennessee began warming up Sunday and Jasmine Franklin wasn’t even present in the arena. Neither Jackson nor Hollingshead were wearing visible braces and both played in the Lady Vols’ 105-71 win against Eastern Kentucky a week ago. All three players transferred to Tennessee this season and have made instant impacts.
Virginia Tech has an All-American center in Elizabeth Kitley, who averages 20.3 points, 11.6 rebounds, will be the main focus to contain. Tennessee has very little post depth without Hollingshead and Franklin to back up starting center Tamari Key.
SCOUTING REPORT:Tennessee Lady Vols basketball vs. No. 9 Virginia Tech: Score prediction, scouting report
Jackson, a senior starter, leads the Lady Vols in scoring (17.6 points) and rebounding (6.6 rebounds). Her and senior Jordan Horston have been the engine of Tennessee’s offense this season.
Hollingshead, a sophomore forward, has settled in to be a spark off the bench in the Lady Vols’ last two wins. The Georgia transfer had 10 points per game on 75% shooting and six rebounds in an average of 13 minutes in the last two games.
Franklin, a graduate forward from Missouri State, has averaged 4.5 points and 3.1 rebounds in 13.3 minutes off the bench this season.
The Hokies were already going to be a handful for Tennessee at full strength, but without Jackson, Hollingshead and Franklin that challenge is even greater.