Women's College Basketball: Summit worries Vols are distracted

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Vols have been doing a little daydreaming about other spring break activities during practice and coach Pat Summitt says they better snap out of it.

With how quiet and distracted her Tennessee team has been while preparing for a shot at the Final Four in Saturday's regional semifinal meeting with Kansas, Summitt is concerned they may not get that opportunity.

"I think we've got to get them refocused," Summitt said. "It's obviously very important to all of us [to get to the Final Four], and we recognize it and our players recognize it, but obviously our coaches have to hold people accountable, and that's what we're going to do."

Forward Glory Johnson and her fellow seniors are trying to do their part to hold the rest of their teammates accountable as well. Fifth-year senior Vicki Baugh is the only remaining member of Tennessee's 2008 national championship team, and the other four seniors are looking to avoid becoming the first four-year class to leave the program without a trip to the Final Four.

Johnson said it's easy to dream of vacation when she and her Tennessee teammates are spending their spring break inside the practice gym. Then she thinks about a trip to the Final Four.

"It's spring break and we're still [on campus]," Johnson said. "But we're here, we're on a mission. We're playing hard and trying to get a championship. You've just got to put that in your mind; whenever you're like, 'Aw, I wish I was on the beach,' [think about] how many people get to play for a championship?"

The Lady Vols vowed at the beginning of the season to play for the championship this year, both in an effort to change their legacy from one that marks them as underachievers and to honor Summitt, who announced in August she'd been diagnosed with early onset dementia, Alzheimer's type.

'Nova exits WNIT. With a tough, 48-47 loss to Colorado in Boulder in the third round of the WNIT, the Villanova Wildcats finished their season at 19-15.

Freshman center Emily Leer led the Cats with 16 points.

Villanova falls to 0-3 all-time in the WNIT third round.