Tennessee softball went into the SEC Tournament with a chance to boost its NCAA Tournament seeding and its confidence.
Instead, the Lady Vols left Lexington, Kentucky, with a second straight loss going into NCAA regionals. They rode the wave of momentum from their series win over Alabama into two straight wins to clinch the Missouri series before dropping Game 3.
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It was a game Tennessee should have won, and instead of bouncing back in the SEC Tournament, the No. 5 seeded Lady Vols were upset 4-1 by No. 13 seed Ole Miss. The two wins likely would have sealed Tennessee’s case as a top-eight seed in the NCAA Tournament.
“We can’t control what happens with seeding,” Tennessee coach Karen Weekly said after the loss to Ole Miss on May 6. “You have to do things on the field to put yourself in the best position possible. But at this point, whatever happens, happens. There’s a lot of other things that we can control, and we need to control, regardless of where we’re seeded.”
The NCAA selection show takes place May 10 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
The pair of losses doesn’t necessarily mean the Lady Vols won’t be a top-eight seed, which would allow them to host a super regional. It could leave them vulnerable if a team right behind them makes a tournament run, but their overall body of work this season could also save them.
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UCLA has been projected on the bubble of the top eight seeds, but Tennessee beat the Bruins decisively in nonconference play. The Lady Vols won 11-0 in five innings in the 2025 Women’s College World Series rematch.
LSU also appears to be near that bubble as well, but Tennessee swept the Tigers to open SEC play. The only team that may pose a real threat is Duke, which beat the Lady Vols in a midweek matchup in April. If the Blue Devils win the ACC Tournament, it may be a compelling case for a top-eight seed.
If Duke wins the ACC Tournament, Tennessee would still have more wins against the top 25 in RPI. The Lady Vols are 15-9 against the RPI top 25, and if Duke won two more games to win the ACC Tournament, it would be 14-8. Tennessee also has six wins against the top 10 teams in the RPI, and Duke only has one – over Tennessee.
A top-eight seed is still very much in play for the Lady Vols, and their series win against Alabama should be enough. But they blew the opportunity to make it a no-brainer for the NCAA committee.
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Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Breaking down Tennessee softball’s case as top-eight seed in NCAA Tournament
