Vanderbilt women’s basketball cancels matchup with Tennessee Tech due to COVID-19 quarantines, injuries

Vanderbilt women’s basketball canceled its first game of the 2020-21 season due to lack of available players. The team cited positive COVID-19 tests, contact tracing and injuries as cause for cancellation.

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Claire Barnett

The Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball team plays Iowa State on Saturday, December 2, 2017. (Photo by Claire Barnett)

Simon Gibbs, Sports Editor

Vanderbilt women’s basketball on Tuesday announced that it has canceled its season opener against Tennessee Tech due to a lack of available student-athletes. The home game was scheduled for Nov. 25.

The press release notes that the roster is thin due to isolating individuals with positive COVID-19 tests, quarantining others marked as close contacts, as well as injuries. It remains unclear which players were deemed unavailable.

“As we have seen here at Vanderbilt and across the country, disruption is likely while competing in a pandemic,” athletics director Candice Storey Lee said. “We must continue to be as flexible as possible, and the health and safety of our student-athletes and our community remains a top priority.”

The contest against Tennessee Tech was one of nine nonconference games scheduled for head coach Stephanie White and the Vanderbilt women’s basketball team. Their next matchup is currently scheduled for Nov. 29, when they will travel to Middle Tennessee State University.