UTM was definitely well represented at the tournament game on Saturday with an estimated 300 plus fans in attendance.
The crowd was very energetic from the beginning until the final buzzer. Several fans made the seven and a half hour trip to support the team, including the sister of Aubrey Reedy, a guard for UTM.
“ I think that we did a really great job considering they were so much bigger than we were. I thought the refereeing was terrible. For the girls to be so much taller than we were, they didn’t give us any calls,” said Gentry Reedy, sister of Aubrey Reedy.
Reedy was very disappointed with the student turnout at the game, since most in attendance were family, faculty, and alumni.
“This is a big deal. I think it’s sad that the students don’t have enough pride in their school to come. Most of the time, I don’t like watching women’s basketball, but I think that this was such a big deal that they should’ve cared a bit more,” said Reedy.
Matrekia Minter, a UTM student, was excited about the matchup between UTM and the Lady Volunteers.
“It was great for the school, because a lot of the girls on the team grew up in Tennessee. Growing up, you want to play for Pat Summit, so it was nice for them to get to play against the team,” said Minter.
“The refs were horrible. We got the shots we wanted, but they didn’t go down. They definitely played hard though. It was a great game,” said Minter.
Before the game, the Alumni Associations for both schools co-hosted an “All in the Family” Celebration at the Ram Restaurant and Brewery. Fans from the two schools celebrated the success of both teams.
The event started off with the two schools’ bands, cheerleaders, and mascots leading the fans in school chants and songs. Members of the crowd found themselves singing along to both of the schools’ performances.
With the turnout of the celebration and the game, this matchup allowed two major schools in the University of Tennessee System to really work together and celebrate all that the entire System has accomplished in Women’s Basketball.
