June 16, 2010

2010-11 Lady Vol Golf Schedule

By Zach Stipe, Media Relations Graduate Assitant

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Buoyed by another challenging schedule, the Tennessee women's golf team will look to make a third straight appearance at the NCAA Championships in 2010-11. Lady Vol head golf coach Judi Pavon announced the upcoming season slate on Wednesday.

The Lady Vols added the prestigious Fall Preview, the Golfweek Conference Challenge, the SEC/Pac-10 Challenge, the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate Championship, the LSU Classic and the Rebel Intercollegiate to their upcoming schedule to go along with mainstay tournaments, the Mercedes-Benz Women's Collegiate Championships and the Bryan National Collegiate, as well as postseason tournaments, the SEC Championships, NCAA Regionals and NCAA Championship.

UT will host the annual Mercedes-Benz event, now in its 14th year, for the first time ever at Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, Tenn.

"Our schedule will be very challenging next season, so that will really help us prepare to be tougher next postseason than we were this year," Pavon said. "We will be striving to win our first SEC Championship and will be looking for a top-five performance at the NCAA Championships."

Last season, UT had an uneven postseason run, placing ninth at the SEC Championships before nabbing runner-up honors at the NCAA East Regional to qualify for its sixth national championship tournament in seven years at the Country Club of Landfall in Wilmington, N.C. There, Tennessee tied for 19th.

Improvement in its postseason run should be in the cards for the Big Orange behind All-American Nathalie Mansson, SEC individual runner-up Erica Popson, Sara Monberg and Lauren Spurlock, who all return after competing at the 2010 NCAAs.

"Nathalie and Erica are going to be a great No. 1 and No. 2 for us, and Sara Monberg gets better every day," Pavon said. "I expect our returners to continue to improve and set high standards for themselves and the new players coming in."

In 2010-11, the Lady Vols will get an early look at the 2011 NCAA Championship course as they kick off their season at the Fall Preview from Sept. 13-15 at the Traditions Club in College Station, Texas, against some of the top teams in the country.

UT will follow the Fall Preview by competing at the Golfweek Conference Challenge, from Sept. 26-28, at the Red Sky Golf Club in Vail, Colo. Tennessee will represent the SEC at the second-year event that pits one team from various conferences against each other.

The Lady Vols' only tournament in October will be the 14th annual Mercedes-Benz Women's Collegiate Championship from Oct. 8-10. The Big Orange will look to capture its second straight title at its home tournament at a new course after claiming the 2009 crown by 19 strokes.

Tennessee will close out the fall portion of its schedule at the inaugural SEC/Pac-10 Challenge from Nov. 5-7 at the Stanford Golf Course in Palo Alto, Calif.

After a nearly three-month break, the Lady Vols will return to action at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate Championships from Feb. 27-March 1 at the English Turn Golf and Country Club in New Orleans, La., before traveling to Baton Rouge, La., for the LSU Classic at the University Club from March 11-12.

An 11th straight appearance at the Bryan National Collegiate at the Bryan Park Championships Course from March 25-27 in Greensboro, N.C., and a trip to Oxford, Miss., for the Rebel Intercollegiate at the Ole Miss Golf Club from April 1-3 caps the regular season for the Lady Vols.

The 2010-11 championship season begins in Auburn, Ala., where the Tigers will host the SEC Championship at the Auburn University Club from April 15-17.

The nation's top 72 teams will be invited to participate at one of three NCAA Regional sites from May 5-7. UT could compete at tournaments hosted by either Stetson, Notre Dame or Washington.

A top-eight finish at a regional tournament will place the Lady Vols back where they started the season, at the Traditions Golf Club in College Station. The 2011 NCAA Championships, hosted by Texas A&M, will be held from May 25-28. Tennessee will be seeking its seventh appearance in eight years at the national championship event.