Fearless, composed, and ready-to-rumble, the Lady Volunteers of Tennessee played Sunday night with the heart of champions to win their second consecutive NCAA title. Pat Summit coached her team to its fifth national championship and became the second most winning NCAA championship coach, male or female (John Wooden of UCLA leads with 10). Summit had tied Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp for second with four prior to her March 30 win over Old Dominion. Champique Holdsclaw led the University of Tennessee’s 68 – 59 win with 24 votes and was voted the tournament’s most valuable player for her efforts. Old Dominion had beaten Tennessee earlier in the year and was on a thirty-three game winning streak heading into the championship game. Coach Summit played a videotape of her locker room speech after the season’s loss to Old Dominion left the Lady Volunteers 10-6 before the game; in it she told her players that they were good enough to win in March. After the game, Summitt commented, “This championship will always stand out. They played the toughest schedule and didn’t fold.”
Kentucky plays Arizona tonight for the men’s NCAA championship.
