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Lady Vols basketball's Marta Suárez enters transfer portal after leaving team for personal reasons

cora hall, knoxville news sentinel
·2 min read
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Lady Vols basketball redshirt sophomore Marta Suárez has entered the transfer portal, Tennessee athletics confirmed Monday.

The 6-foot-3 forward hasn’t played since Dec. 27 against Wofford, leaving the team before SEC play began for personal reasons. Suárez said in her statement she was temporarily stepping away from basketball and returning home to Oviedo, Spain.

Suárez never gave an indication she would return to the team. In her post she said she would support her team from afar this season and that she appreciated the support from the program and fans. She averaged 4.9 points, three rebounds and 12.4 minutes in 14 games this season.

In a tweet Monday evening, Suárez said she was grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Lady Vols legacy.

"These last three years have been full of ups and downs that wrote a beautiful story," she wrote. "To my teammates and coaches, it has been a great ride and I will always be thankful for the support. After weeks of reflection, I have decided I will join the transfer portal in search of a fresh start."

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Suárez missed last season because of injury after earning SEC All-Freshman Team honors in 2020-21. She started in 14 of her 22 appearances as a freshman, averaging 4.1 points and 3.6 rebounds, but couldn't finish the season due to injury. This season, during the Virginia Tech game broadcast Dec. 4, it was announced Suárez's mother is battling breast cancer.

"Things have been challenging for her," Harper said in January. "It's been a lot, and I personally can't imagine going halfway across the world and dealing with that. She's an unbelievable young woman. She's tough, she's competitive and intelligent and resilient, to be quite honest, resilient. I can't say that I would be able to do the same."

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Lady Vols basketball sophomore Marta Suárez enters transfer portal