Tennessee Professional Athletes

Rae Burrell Is Announcing Herself

The Los Angeles Sparks may be grinding through a difficult season, but Rae Burrell is making sure no one looks away. The Tennessee alumna dropped a career-high 28 points against the New York Liberty on August 14 — adding 3 assists, 3 rebounds, a steal, and a block in a narrow 81–85 loss — and followed it up with 20 more against the Mystics on August 15. She also put up 19 points and a season-best 6 assists in a loss to Phoenix on August 12. Over this three-game stretch, she averaged 22.3 points per game.

The breakout has been building. Burrell's uptick in production was notable enough heading into the Mercury game that analysts were flagging it in advance, and the results have validated the buzz. For a Sparks roster searching for identity, she has emerged as the clearest reason to watch — a former Lady Vol finally capitalizing on her potential at the professional level.

Mercedes Russell Joins the Fever

On the other side of the WNBA standings, Indiana Fever center Mercedes Russell is the latest Tennessee alumna to enter the picture. The two-time WNBA champion was signed by Indiana as an injury exception, joining a Fever squad building toward the postseason. Russell appeared in games against the Liberty on August 11 and the Wings on August 14 as the Fever won both contests (106–92 and 98–87, respectively), though her individual stat lines from those appearances were not available. Head coach Stephanie White's team is clearly padding its frontcourt depth for the stretch run, and a veteran with Russell's championship pedigree is a meaningful addition.

Jordan Horston Steady in Seattle

Jordan Horston continued to contribute for the Seattle Storm across two games this week. She posted 17 points, 3 rebounds, and a steal in an August 9 loss to Chicago, then bounced back with 12 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal in a tight 82–84 defeat to the Fire on August 15. The double-digit rebound game in particular showed the kind of versatility Seattle needs from its guards, and her plus-minus of +10 in the August 15 game stood out on an otherwise tough night.

Around the Rest of the Vol Alumni

Isabelle Harrison gave the Portland Tempo a double-double in impact on August 13 against the Wings — 4 points, but 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal in an 88–94 loss — a quiet stat line that nonetheless reflected her two-way value off the ball. She also put up 13 points for Portland earlier in the week.

Marta Suarez saw limited action for Phoenix in losses to Seattle and Los Angeles, with modest assist numbers and negative plus-minus totals in both outings.

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The week belonged to Burrell. For Tennessee fans, her emergence as a legitimate WNBA scorer is the story — and at 28 points and counting, she's just getting started making the case.

Rae Burrell Breaks Minnesota's Streak

Former Lady Vol Rae Burrell had the defining moment of Tennessee's WNBA week, pouring in a team-high 17 points to help the No. 9 LA Sparks stun the league-leading Minnesota Lynx 89-82 on Friday and snap their 10-game winning streak. Burrell's output headlined a fourth-quarter rally alongside Dearica Hamby that turned a deficit into one of the more stunning upsets of the WNBA season.

It wasn't a fluke, either. Burrell had been building toward it all week. She dropped 12 points and four assists in Sunday's win over the Chicago Fire on Aug. 2, then turned in a 13-point, five-assist showing against the Chicago Sky on Thursday — a game the Sparks ultimately lost 95-88 in a fourth-quarter collapse. Over the three-game stretch, Burrell averaged 14 points and 3.7 assists, firmly establishing herself as LA's offensive engine. The Lynx upset was the signature moment, but the week as a whole made a case that Burrell is one of the more quietly productive guards in the league right now.

Marta Suarez Gets Her Shot

There's a new Vol in the desert. The Phoenix Mercury signed rookie forward Marta Suarez to a contract for the remainder of the season, the team announced Aug. 3. Suarez appeared in three games during the week — against the Sky on Tuesday, the Dream on Wednesday, and the Sun on Friday — though stats from those outings were not available. Getting onto a roster mid-season is no small thing for a rookie, and Tennessee fans will want to keep tabs on how much run she gets as the Mercury push through the back half of their schedule.

Around the League

Isabelle Harrison saw action for the Tempo across three appearances this week. Her best outing came on Monday against the Valkyries (4 points, 2 rebounds), though the Tempo dropped all three contests — including a brutal -21 on her ledger in that same game. Harrison is averaging modest minutes, but she remains a veteran presence on a young squad.

Jordan Horston of the Seattle Storm had a quiet week, combining for just 1 point across two losses to the New York Liberty. She did post a +4 in Wednesday's matchup, one of the few bright marks in a difficult stretch for Seattle.

Rickea Jackson's season, unfortunately, is already over. The Chicago Sky forward suffered a torn ACL in the team's fourth game of the year and has been sidelined ever since — a brutal blow for the second-year player who was expected to be a key contributor on the rebuilding Sky.

The week belonged to Burrell. But with Suarez now on a full contract and Harrison and Horston staying active, Tennessee's WNBA footprint remains as wide as ever heading into the final stretch of the regular season.