[formerlurker]

Many of the chapters at UTK do regionalize their pledge classes. They want girls from every city and even from certain high schools in those cities. However, most of them also want some girls from small towns and some from out of state. Some of the chapters take a lot of out of state girls and others just a few. It may help you to stand out since you will be in a different category from the girls who are from the big Memphis or Knoxville high schools.
Also, Barnard 1897 is correct that some of the chapters use recs and resumes to make a preliminary list of who they want to recruit before rush even starts. (I assume this is probably done at most SEC schools.) Get a rec for every chapter- When chapters are only allowed to invite a certain number of girls to their parties, the first to be dropped are those with poor grades, poor resumes, and no recs.
Recruitment at UTK is competitive, but if you are open to ALL of the chapters, ignore the tent talk, and maximize your options you should have a good outcome. Good Luck and Go Vols!