By: Blake Ryan Hatfield
The Tennessee Lady Vols are hurting recently.
When I say they are hurting, I mean they are really hurting. Injuries have plagued the Lady Vols several times throughout this season.
The most recent Lady Vol to get bitten by the injury bug is guard Kamiko Williams who got hurt in Sunday’s game against Missouri. Several Lady Vols have been placed on the sidelines due to injuries thus far this season. Izzy Harrison, Cierra Burdick, and Andraya Carter have been out recently for various reasons.
Burdick returned to action last week in a game against Mississippi State. Harrison went down against Notre Dame with a knee injury that might sideline her for the rest of the season. Andraya Carter has been out for some time with a shoulder injury. She has been wearing a sling on her right arm recently.
Coach Warlick addressed questions on the recent injuries before practice on Tuesday. “I have never experienced anything like this in all my years here” stated Warlick who has been on staff at Tennessee for 28 seasons. “I know injuries are part of the game but we have three starters out with injury.” said Warlick.
Kamiko Williams who led the team in scoring against Missouri with 14 points in only 17 minutes hurt her ankle early in the second half against the Tigers. Warlick said that Williams is “day to day” right now. She stated that it would be very lucky for Williams to play Thursday night but she’s not expecting her to.
The Lady Vols only have eight healthy players on the roster right now. Depth could become a huge issue for the Lady Vols coming up. With a shallow bench and a young team this is going to be tough stretch for the first-year head coach.
The Lady Vols take on LSU Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. in Baton Rouge. Warlick will be going head to head against former Tennessee Assistant Coach and current LSU Head Coach Nikki Caldwell.
