Tennessee Lady Volunteers | |||
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University | University of Tennessee | ||
Conference | SEC | ||
Location | Knoxville, TN | ||
Head coach | Holly Warlick (5th year) | ||
Arena |
Thompson–Boling Arena (Capacity: 21,000) |
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Nickname | Lady Vols | ||
Colors | UT Orange and White |
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Uniforms | |||
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NCAA Tournament champions | |||
1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2008 | |||
NCAA Tournament runner-up | |||
1984, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2004 | |||
NCAA Tournament Final Four | |||
1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 | |||
NCAA Tournament Elite Eight | |||
1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 | |||
NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||
1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 | |||
NCAA Tournament second round | |||
1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 | |||
NCAA Tournament appearances | |||
1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 | |||
AIAW Tournament runner-up | |||
1980, 1981 | |||
AIAW Tournament Final Four | |||
1977, 1979, 1980, 1981 | |||
AIAW Tournament Elite Eight | |||
1977, 1979, 1980, 1981 | |||
AIAW Tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||
1977, 1979, 1980, 1981 | |||
AIAW Tournament appearances | |||
1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981 | |||
Conference tournament champions | |||
1980, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 | |||
Conference regular season champions | |||
1980, 1985, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015 |
The Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team represents the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee in NCAA women's basketball competition. Currently coached by Holly Warlick, the team has been a contender for national titles for over thirty years, having made every NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship tournament since the NCAA began sanctioning women's sports in the 1981–82 season.
The team is more frequently referred to as the Lady Vols; the formal "Volunteers" nickname is regularly shortened by many fans of both men's and women's teams to "Vols", and sports media in the U.S. more commonly refer to Tennessee women's teams by the shortened version. The university considers either "Lady Volunteers" or "Lady Vols" acceptable.
The Lady Vols have won at least a share of the SEC regular season championship 17 times (with the most recent occurrence being in 2015), won 17 SEC tournament championships (with the most recent occurrence being in 2014), made 18 Final Four appearances (with the most recent occurrence being in 2008), and won 8 national championships (with the most recent being in 2008).
The Lady Vols were coached by Pat Summitt for over three decades. Under Summitt, the Lady Vols won numerous SEC titles, appeared in 18 NCAA Final Fours and 4 AIAW Final Fours, and won 8 NCAA titles including an undefeated season. Additionally, Tennessee is the only team to have appeared in all 36 NCAA Tournaments, including 34 Sweet 16s (23 of which were consecutive). Summitt's teams are known for participating in a grueling regular season schedule, often toughest in the nation, in order to prepare the team for the NCAA tournament. This tough schedule has caused Tennessee to build up rivalries with many prominent teams, including Texas, Stanford, Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion, and, most notably, Connecticut. Like other Tennessee teams, the Lady Vols compete in the SEC, which has historically been the most dominant conference in the sport. Within the conference, Tennessee's main rivals are LSU, Vanderbilt, and Georgia. Summitt has led Tennessee to 1000 victories, with an 84.2% win rate. The numbers at home are even stronger, as Tennessee has won 91% of home games and 93.1% of in-conference home games.