No. 8/9 Tennessee (0-1) will play its home opener on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET, as East Tennessee State (0-1) comes to Food City Center for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
The contest will be available for streaming on SECN+ and also can be heard on Lady Vol Radio Network stations statewide as well as on UTSports.com.
Tennessee will be looking for its first win after coming up just short on Tuesday evening, 80-77, in a neutral-site, top-10 match-up vs. No. 9/8 NC State in Greensboro, N.C. This marks the second of three games this week for Kim Caldwell‘s squad, as it will hit the road Saturday for a 2 p.m. CT (3 p.m ET) Sunday clash at UT Martin in a match-up called the Pat Summitt Heritage Classic.
Like the Big Orange, ETSU will be seeking its initial victory of the 2025-26 campaign after falling at home to Elon, 65-56, on Tuesday night in Johnson City.
According to the Lady Vol record book, this will mark the 29th meeting between these schools, with UT holding a 25-2-1 record in the series. The Lady Vols won the last meeting, 112-58, on Dec. 20, 2021.
BROADCAST DETAILS
- Cruz Martin (play-by-play) and Kamera Harris (analyst) will describe the action for SECN+.
- All of the games included in the ESPN package (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) will be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 or Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.
- The contest also can be heard on Lady Vol Network stations and by audio stream, with Brian Rice providing play-by-play and Jay Lifford serving as studio host.
- A link to the live audio stream can be found on the WBB Preview page or the schedule on UTSports.com.
- For a list of Lady Vol Network affiliates, please click the Fans tab at the top of UTSports.com, select Vol Network and then click on the Vol Network Affiliates tab.
- Air-time generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
- Friday’s Lady Vol Network broadcast also will be available on SiriusXM Satellite Radio channels 106 or 190.
LAST TIME OUT
- No. 8/9 Tennessee overcame an eight-point third-quarter deficit and grabbed a one-point lead with 54 seconds remaining before falling, 80-77, on Tuesday evening to No. 9/8 NC State in the Ro Greensboro Invitational at First Horizon Coliseum.
- Freshman guard Mia Pauldo’s layup with just under a minute left lifted the Lady Vols (0-1) on top, 77-76, but the Wolfpack (1-0) answered with a fast-break bucket and a pair of free throws to close out the win in front of a crowd of 4,731.
- There were 11 lead changes during the top-10 match-up in Greensboro, N.C., in which the Lady Vols led by 10 points in the second quarter and by four at the half.
- Redshirt junior guard Talaysia Cooper paced UT with a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double and added game highs of seven assists and three steals on the day. Senior forward Janiah Barker, freshman guard Jaida Civil and Pauldo chipped in 15, 13 and 10 points, respectively.
- Khamil Pierre led NC State with 21 points and 14 rebounds.
HOME SWEET HOME
- This is the 39th season that the Tennessee women’s and men’s basketball teams have called Food City Center home. The Lady Vols own a remarkable 532-64 record (.893) in the venue through the 2024-25 season.
- The 500th win came on Jan. 1, 2023, via an 89-76 victory over Alabama.
- The Lady Vols have built a combined 685-88 (.886) home mark in contests played at Food City Center, Stokely Athletics Center and Alumni Gym entering 2025-26.
- Kim Caldwell officially is 13-4 in games played on The Summitt through 2024-25.
- UT finished 2024-25 at No. 5 in NCAA women’s basketball attendance with 10,647 fans per game through 17 contests at Food City Center.
- A crowd of 12,111 vs. Georgia was the eighth gathering of 10,000-plus last season, marking the first time the Lady Vols have drawn that many 10K+ crowds since recording nine in 2015-16.
- A crowd of 16,215 vs. UConn on Feb. 6, 2025, was the most at home by the Lady Vols since they drew 18,563 vs. Florida on Feb. 26, 2012, in Pat Summitt’s final home appearance on the sideline, and made them one of only three programs last season to draw 16,000 or more at a home game.
- Tennessee sold more than 8,000 season tickets last year for the first time since 2015-16 and has done so again this season.
- UT had crowds of 9,000+ at all 17 home games (including seven of 10,000+), marking the strongest season since 2013-14, when the final average was 11,038 (No. 1 nationally).
- The 11,152 on hand vs. Winthrop on Dec. 29, 2024, marked the first 10K pre-conference crowd since Dec. 18, 2021, vs. Stanford (10,017) and the first 10K non-power four pre-conference crowd since Dec. 30, 2015, vs. Stetson (10,705).
LADY VOLS VS. IN-STATE FOES
- The Tennessee women are 266-64-1 all-time vs. four-year college teams from the Volunteer State through the 2024-25 season.
- The Lady Vols were 3-2 last season after beating UT Martin (Nov. 7) and MTSU (Nov. 12) at home and Memphis on the road (Dec. 18), and losing at Vandy (Jan. 19) and vs. Vandy in the SEC Tournament (Mar. 6).
- UT has won 38 of the last 42 over schools from within the state border, with the lone setbacks during that run being a 76-69 loss to Vanderbilt in Knoxville on Feb. 28, 2019, a 73-62 loss to Middle Tennessee in Huntsville, Ala., on Dec. 6, 2023, a 71-70 loss to Vandy in Nashville on Jan. 19, 2025, and an 84-76 defeat by Vanderbilt on March 6, 2025, at the SEC Tournament.
TENNESSEE IN HOME OPENERS
- Tennessee possesses a 48-3 all-time record in its first home contest of the year through 2024-25 after beating Samford, 101-53, on Nov. 5, 2024.
- The Lady Vols have won 25 straight times in their first appearance of the season at Food City Center and have been victorious in that case in 42 of their past 43 campaigns.
- Kim Caldwell is 8-1 in the first home game of a season all-time, including 1-0 at Tennessee, 1-0 at Marshall and 6-1 while at Glenville State through 2024-25.
STARTING FIVE
- Tennessee opened the year with a starting lineup of Janiah Barker, Talaysia Cooper, Mia Pauldo, Nya Robertson and Zee Spearman against NC State.
- Mia Pauldo was the first freshman to start for Tennessee in an opener since 2021 and the 24th all time.
- It marked the first career start as a Lady Vol for Barker, Pauldo and Robertson as well as first collegiate for Pauldo.
- Cooper made her 28th start as a Lady Vol, while Spearman recorded her 24th.
- UT used 17 different starting lineup combos a year ago.
COOP OFF AND RUNNING
- Talaysia Cooper led Tennessee with her fourth career double-double, scoring a game-high 23 points and tying her career best with 11 rebounds.
- That scoring effort marked the 13th time the redshirt junior has hit 20 or more in her 35 games at UT.
- Cooper also tied her career high with seven assists and added three steals in 31 minutes vs. the Wolfpack.
- The UT standout is on Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy and USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year Preseason Watch Lists as well as the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award Preseason Watch List.
- An All-SEC Second Team (coaches & media) and SEC All-Defensive Team honoree a year ago, Cooper is a 2025-26 preseason All-SEC First Team pick by the coaches and a second-team choice by the media.
- She averaged 16.6 ppg., 5.6 rpg., 3.2 apg. and 3.1 spg. in 2024-25 in her first active season as a Lady Vol after sitting out the 2023-24 campaign following her transfer from South Carolina.
TRANSFER PORTAL IMPACT
- UT’s three players who joined as transfers during the offseason combined for 22 points, nine rebounds, two assists and a steal vs. NC State.
- In her first start as a Lady Vol, 6-foot-4 forward Janiah Barker hit six of 11 shots from the field, including three of five beyond the arc, to finish with 15 points. She added two rebounds and a steal in 24 minutes.
- Five-foot-7 guard Nya Robertson (7 pts., 6 rebs., 2 assts.) and 6-5 forward Jersey Wolfenbarger (1 reb.) played 16 and 10 minutes, respectively, in their Tennessee debuts.
- They came to Rocky Top from UCLA, SMU and LSU, respectively.
- Barker was the 2025 Big 10 Sixth Player of the Year, while Robertson was All-ACC Second Team last season.
FRESHMEN MAKE THEIR PRESENCE FELT
- Tennessee played four freshmen in the season opener, and they combined for 25 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and one steal.
- Jaida Civil (13 pts., 4 rebs., 13 min.) and Mia Pauldo (10 pts., 6 rebs., 1 asst., 28 min.) led the way for the rookies.
- Deniya Prawl contributed two points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal over 22 minutes.
- Mya Pauldo had an assist in two minutes of duty, while Lauren Hurst did not see action.
- Mia Pauldo, Prawl and Civil were the No. 9, 17 and 20 recruits in the country in the class of 2025, while Hurst and Mya Pauldo checked in at No. 45 and No. 57.
UT/ETSU SERIES NOTES
- Tennessee is 16-1 at home, 7-1-1 away and 2-0 at neutral sites vs. ETSU.
- The Lady Vols have won 23 straight in the series.
- UT tallied 100+ points for the fourth time vs. the Bucs when it carded a 112-58 win on Dec. 20, 2021.
A LOOK AT ETSU
- ETSU was picked to finish third overall in the Southern Conference this season after finishing third in 2024-25 at 17-13 overall (8-6 SoCon).
- Meghan Downing and Carmen Richardson were tabbed to the 2025-26 Preseason All-SoCon Team.
- Richardson enters Friday averaging 21.0 ppg.
ABOUT THE HEAD COACH
- Brenda Mock Brown is in her fourth season as head coach, guiding ETSU to a 60-36 record through the season opener vs. Elon.
- For the third year in a row in 2024-25, the Bucs had a top-20 scoring defense nationally, as Mock became the fastest coach in ETSU women’s basketball history to reach 50 wins.
- Brown was head coach at UNC Asheville for eight seasons before taking the job in Johnson City.
THE BUCS’ LAST GAME
- The Bucs are coming off a 65-56 home loss in overtime to Elon on Tuesday night.
- Carmen Richardson led East Tennessee State with a career-high 21 points against the Phoenix.
- Elon grabbed 17 offensive rebounds to forge a 19-2 advantage in second-chance points vs. ETSU.
LAST TIME WE MET ETSU
- The last time these teams met, No. 7/9 Tennessee took a commanding 112-58 victory over ETSU on Dec. 20, 2021, in Knoxville.
- Six Tennessee players were in double figures, led by freshman Sara Puckett, who turned in a career-high 19. Junior Tamari Key was close behind with 16 points, and Keyen Green finished with 13, while Karoline Striplin set a new career high with 10.
- Freshman Kaiya Wynn recorded her first double-double as a Lady Vol with 12 points and 10 boards, and graduate Alexus Dye notched 11 points and 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season.
- Jakhyia Davis was the high scorer for ETSU (1-11) with 17 points, and Aaliyah Vananda tallied 12.
NEXT UP
- The Big Orange will have a very quick turnaround after Friday night’s ETSU game, departing Saturday for Martin, Tenn., to take on the UT Martin Skyhawks on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT (3 p.m. ET) in the Pat Summitt Heritage Classic at the Elam Center.
- That contest will be streamed on ESPN+ and carried on the Lady Vol Radio Network.
- The Skyhawks will enter with an 0-1 record after dropping their season opener at North Alabama, 57-54, on Nov. 3.
- This will mark the second straight season these programs have met after Tennessee raced to a 90-50 victory in Knoxville on Nov. 7, 2024.
- The Lady Vols hold a 15-2 all-time record vs. UTM and carry a 15-game series winning streak into the contest after the Big Orange lost the first two meetings vs. the Skyhawks in 1971 and 1972.
