Tennessee softball passes first test of NCAA Tournament with flying colors

VolReport Log In Enjoying VolReport? Get a yearly subscription for $99.95/year or $9.95/month Advertisement in other news more news Published May 16, 2025 Share: Group of former Lady Vols basketball stars prepare for WNBA season circle avatar Ryan Sylvia • VolReport Assistant Managing Editor @RyanTSylvia Aug 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; LA Sparks forward Rickea Jackson (2) is introduced before the game against the New York Liberty at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Kirby Lee-Imagn Images) The 2025 WNBA season gets started on Friday as the league heads into its first year with 13 teams. The Lady Vols have a good number of players in the league who are set to compete for a title. Here’s the rundown of the former Tennessee standouts. TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM Advertisement Rickea Jackson – LA Sparks Rickea Jackson is coming off a strong first season in the league. The former first-round pick is now expected to be one of the stars of the Sparks in year two. She appeared in 40 games as a rookie while starting 35. In that time, she averaged 13.4 points per game on 45.6% shooting from the field and 34.7% on 3-pointers. She also tossed in 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per outing. In college, Jackson played two seasons with the Lady Vols. She was an All-America honorable mention while dominating in her final season. She posted 20.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Her first year in Knoxville, she averaged 19.2 points and 6.1 rebounds. Prior to her time with Tennessee, she played at Mississippi State. Rae Burrell – LA Sparks Also on the Sparks, Rae Burrell is putting together a strong WNBA career. Last season, Burrell averaged a career-high 5.9 points to go with 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Burrell played her second and first WNBA seasons with the Sparks, as well. She averaged 3.6 and 1.7 points per game during those seasons. In college, Burrell played all four of her years at Tennessee. With the Lady Vols, she averaged 10.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game over the course of her career. As a junior, she posted 16.8 points per game on 45.8% shooting from the field and 40.2% on 3-pointers. Mercedes Russell – LA Sparks Tennessee is represented by a third player on the Sparks. Mercedes Russell enters her first year with the franchise and eighth in the WNBA. Russell spent 2018-2024 with the Storm. In 2019, she had her finest year statistically, averaging 7.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. She also played for the Liberty as a rookie before being moved that year to Seattle. With the Lady Vols, Russell was an All-American honorable mention while dominating in the post. She put up 16.1 points in her penultimate season to go with 9.7 rebounds per game. Isabelle Harrison – NY Liberty Isabelle Harrison is preparing to enter her first year with the Liberty and eighth as a contributing member of a WNBA roster. Harrison recently played for the Sky where she produced 6.5 points per game with 39 rebounds. She’s now looking to help New York repeat as champions. With the Lady Vols, Harrison was an All-American honorable mention while posting 13.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in the 2014 season. Jordan Horston – Seattle Storm Jordan Horston remains with the Storm, the team that drafted her, but will miss the year as she recovers from an ACL tear she suffered in the WNBA’s offseason. Horston averaged 6.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in year two of her career. Seattle picked up her fourth year on her rookie contract to ensure she’ll be on roster for next season. She played four years at Tennessee where she became an All-American honorable mention. She averaged 16.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game as a junior. Diamond DeShields Diamond DeShields was waived by the Connecticut Sun just a day ahead of the league’s opener. She had signed a one-year contract in February.

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