It's Always Darkest Before The Dawn

Following one of the most difficult weeks ever in Vanderbilt athletic history, which included the desertion of our head football coach and the dismissal from the squad of the leading scorer on an already depleted VU men's basketball team, leave it to the Vandy women to provide a much-needed and appreciated lift for  Black & Gold fans.

The Lady Dores's nationally televised (ESPN) upset Sunday afternoon of the #8 Tennessee Lady Vols (74-63)  was the second conquest of the Orange in their last three meetings in Memorial Gym. Is this is perhaps an indication of how this long, one-sided rivalry might be turning in the games and years to come?

Regardless, for Vanderbilt fans nothing sucks like the Big Orange and no victory is sweeter than defeating UT especially in a sport they have dominanted for so many years (even if it's an area of competition that didn't even exist on the varsity level until a few years after we graduated).

Here are the game highlights, which included a crowd of nearly 10,000 fans which was loudly for Vanderbilt especially as the Dores rallied in the second half to prevail.....



 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoLXKDCuqb0&feature=youtu.be

Vanderbilt guards Kristina Foggie (seen above) and Jasmine Lister (photo below) sparked the victory over UT with 22 and 21 points respectively. The women's team also defeated Auburn on the road last Thursday making its 21 straight over the Lady Tigers. Lister had 23 points in that win with her work in both games garnering her the SEC's and ESPN's National Player of the Week....

The Vanderbilt women have also vaulted back into the national rankings this week, coming in at #24 in the Associated Press poll and #15 in the all-important RPI numbers (used to some degree for NCAA Tournament seedings). The ESPN poll is due out later in the week while the rest of a rugged SEC regular season still awaits for Vandy. Then comes the post-season with the SEC Tournament and the NCAA Big Dance looming, including the national Final Four being held in downtown Nashville this coming April, just a few short miles from the Vanderbilt campus. What a trip that would be.