Lady Vols MVP of the week: Jaime Nared
Led by the excellent play of Jaime Nared, the Lady Vols earned valuable wins over South Carolina and LSU this week.
KNOXVILLE, TN - FEBRUARY 02, 2017 - Jordan Reynolds #0 of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers and Jaime Nared #31 of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers during the game between the LSU Lady Tigers and the Tennessee Lady Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN. Photo By Amanda Izzi/Tennessee Athletics
Throughout this season, Jaime Nared has played a significant role for the Tennessee Lady Vols.
That didn’t change this week, as Nared’s performances against No. 4 South Carolina on Monday and LSU on Thursday helped extend Tennessee’s winning streak to four games.
Against the Gamecocks, Nared’s presence was vital.
In the final seconds with the game tied, Nared brought the ball down the floor, only to get tangled with South Carolina’s Tyesha Harris, who was called with a blocking foul, leaving the Gamecocks in fumes. Nared calmly drilled both free-throw attempts, giving the Lady Vols the 76-74 win, as well as the program’s first road win against a top-five team since Candance Parker helped Tennessee take down UConn in 2007.
Nared finished with a game-high 27 points on the night, but her week wasn’t done yet.
On Thursday, Nared led Tennessee again as the Lady Vols toppled former Tennessee standout Nikki Fargas’ LSU Tigers, 77-58, at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Nared put the Lady Vols on her back in the first quarter, scoring 11 points and collecting 16 overall at halftime. But the junior wasn’t done yet, as she added 10 more points in the second half. She also finished with 10 rebounds en route to a double-double.
Nared’s impact on the game wasn’t limited to the offensive end of the floor, as she does more than simply stuff the state sheet.
“To me, Jaime’s just playing a complete game,” head coach Holly Warlick said after the game.
Warlick later went on to say that Nared seems to be “taking advantage of hard work” and that “she’s mentally focused and got her mind right.”
Warlick’s postgame analysis was spot-on, as Nared provided Tennessee with a spark whenever it was needed. For that reason, and many others, she is easily this week’s Lady Vol MVP.
Edited by David Bradford
Featured image by Amanda Izzi, courtesy of Tennessee Athletics
Sports editor Jake Nichols has been part of the TNJN staff in two different capacities. His freshman and sophomore years, Jake worked as a staff writer before moving on to write for Rocky Top Insider, and he also worked with VFL Films and the SEC Network for a semester his junior year. When asked the summer before his senior year to return to TNJN as the sports editor, Jake jumped at the chance to end his time in Knoxville working with the organization he first began with as a freshman. Jake is excited to help lead younger writers, much like former editors Cody McClure and Jordan Dajani aided him. Jake also does freelance sports coverage and photography for The Mountain Press in Sevierville, Tenn., and in his spare time, he can be found with family, his girlfriend or driving his Jeep, most likely with his Canon in tow. Be sure and follow Jake on Twitter and Instagram at @jnichols_2121, and keep up with TNJN Sports on Twitter as well!
