How Karoline Striplin and Jillian Hollingshead grew into Tamari Key's role for Lady Vols

Lady Vols basketball suffered a blow this season not many teams could have recovered from.

Nine games into her senior season, Tamari Key missed the first game of her career at Tennessee. It was later announced that the 6-foot-6 center was out for the season due to blood clots found in her lungs. Key has been a staple of Tennessee's starting lineup every season under coach Kellie Harper.

Sophomores Karoline Striplin and Jillian Hollingshead – neither of which played significant minutes their freshman season – were tasked with filling in for Key.

Losing the best shot blocker in program history was part of why Tennessee wasn't able to beat ranked opponents like Stanford, UConn, LSU and South Carolina in the regular season. But the young posts grew into their roles and became consistent contributors – and their confidence will be crucial for No. 4 seed Tennessee (23-11) in the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Vols begin tournament play against No. 13 St. Louis (17-17) on Saturday (1 p.m. ET, ABC) at Thompson-Boling Arena.

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Why Karoline Striplin was ready to step into starting role

On Dec. 6, Striplin found out minutes before tipoff against Chattanooga she was making her first career start with the Lady Vols. The 6-3 forward has been in the starting lineup ever since after averaging seven minutes last season.

"We always say to our players, 'You never know when your name is going to get called. You never know when we're going to need you,' " Harper said after the game. "That's sometimes hard to do. But (Striplin) has been our hardest worker. She's been the player that gets in the gym more than anyone, and once her number got called, she was ready. And I'm really proud of her for that."

Striplin constantly communicates on defense and provides versatility with a jump shot that extends to the arc. She does the little things that don't always show on stat sheets, like taking charges, getting post-ups and sealing out for guards.

She went 3-for-6 from 3-point range against South Carolina in the regular season to spark Tennessee's brief comeback in the fourth quarter. Striplin has averaged 5.3 points, 3.1 rebounds in 15.4 minutes in the last 10 games.

"Just in the back of my mind, I knew that at some point, the team would need me to step up and just fill whatever role they needed me to," Striplin said. "I just really made sure I was putting in all the extra work I could, so I would be ready when my name was called."

How the Hollingshead became spark off the bench

There was never a question about the talent of Hollingshead. She just needed time to settle into her role – which changed drastically after nine games – and to get experience.

Senior point guard Jasmine Powell said Hollingshead's maturity was one of the 6-5 forward's biggest areas of growth.

"She has slowed down a lot," Powell said. "She’s playing within herself right now, she is moving where she wants to go, she’s dictating out there and she’s making great moves, she’s making great decisions, and that’s a big thing for her."

Hollingshead and Striplin have played against arguably the two best post players in the country twice – reigning National and Defensive Player of the Year Aliyah Boston of South Carolina and First Team All-SEC Angel Reese of LSU. Hollingshead said she embraced every part of those experiences, especially the physicality, which she called a "wrestling match the whole game" against LSU.

Hollingshead hit crucial shots down the stretch during Tennessee's comeback win against LSU and is a spark off the bench. In the last 10 games, she averaged 8.6 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 50.8% from the field and 81.3% on her 32 free throws.

"She's been physical and resilient," Harper said. "She's gone up against some of the best players in the country this weekend, and she battled. I think that's the biggest growth for her throughout the season ... her competitiveness and her toughness has really grown, and I love that for her right now and for her future."

How Tamari Key helped guide the young posts

Key has been on the bench for almost every single game since being sidelined. Hollingshead said now that Key's in somewhat of a coaching role, she sees everything – every rebound and every missed box out.

"She's always been in people's ear, just giving them a confidence boost," Hollingshead said. "I know she has for me, but now it's just (multiplied) times 20. It's really great and we really need her, she's still a big part of this team."

Key will take the court again with the two young posts next season, announcing after the SEC Tournament she would return for a fifth season. But for now, she'll continue to guide them from the sideline.

"I'm really proud of their growth, they've always been really hard workers since they came in, they bought in to the program and they're just really gritty," Key said. "They just put their head down and they work."

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Karoline Striplin, Jillian Hollingshead grew into key role for Lady Vols