BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - According to Kellie Harper, accepting the expectations that come with playing for the Tennessee women's basketball team takes the pressure off.

The Lady Vols' head coach should know. She lived it as a player under Pat Summitt from 1995-99. Now she's preaching that message to her players as she enters her fourth season leading her alma mater.

Tennessee reached the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six seasons in 2021-22 and returns its top scorer and rebounder in center Tamari Key, as well as guard Jordan Horston from injury and four experienced players out of the transfer portal.

All of those factors accumulated in the Lady Vols’ No. 5 placement in Tuesday's Associated Press Preaseason Top 25 poll. After the type of season they had a year ago, the outside expectations that were routine during Summitt's 38-year tenure have returned.

“As a coaching staff, as the head coach and our players, we all come to the University of Tennessee to win," Harper said at SEC Women's Basketball Media Day on Tuesday. "You have to have winning championships as part of your goal or you can't come. The expectations are extremely high each and every year. You have to have confidence that you're going out and you're being the best you that you can be. We have to be competitive. You have to want the challenge. I don't think you can look at it as pressure.

“It's easy to if you look at it the wrong way, but when you're just wanting to be your best and you're wanting to go out every day and do all you can do that one day, it really takes that pressure off of you."

Tennessee's players have embraced Harper's approach.

Key, who averaged more than eight rebounds and 10.5 points per game as a junior, is aware of what playing for Tennessee entails.

Like her coach, she's welcomed it.

“We're just excited," Key said. "There's a lot of noise and a lot of pressure, but to be at Tennessee, it's just something that comes with it, which is a blessing. You just have to worry about it one game at a time. I think for us, that's what we're going to do this season."

Tennessee is set to tipoff its 2022-23 season with an exhibition against Carson-Newman on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 2 p.m. ET inside Thompson-Boling Arena.

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