The fourth-seeded Lady Vols pulled within one late in the second half after trailing by as many as 18 in the third quarter, but their comeback came up short as No. 1 seed Virginia Tech pulled off a 73-64 victory on Saturday in the Seattle 3 Regional Semifinal game at Climate Pledge Arena.
The Lady Vols finished the season with 25 wins, reaching that milestone for the 38th time in program history. They advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2015 and 2016.
Three players were in double figures for Tennessee (25-12), with senior Jordan Horston leading the way with 17 points. Senior Rickea Jackson was close behind with 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while graduate Jordan Walker added 12 points.
For Virginia Tech (30-4), Georgia Amoore turned in a game-high 29 points. Kayana Traylor and Elizabeth Kitley also had strong outings with 14 and 12, respectively.
Graduate guard Jordan Walker concluded her playing career at Tennessee, contributing 12 points, six rebounds, three steals, and an assist vs. Virginia Tech. She tallied 604 points, 398 rebounds, 393 assists, and 109 steals while starting 77 of 96 contests for the Big Orange. For her entire career, including two seasons at Western Michigan, Walker finished with 1,359 points, 714 rebounds, 433 assists, and 227 steals while starting 131 of 160 games.
