WBB Preview: #8/9 Lady Vols vs. #9/8 NC State

November 02, 2025 | Women's Basketball

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No. 8/9 Tennessee opens its 2025-26 campaign with a top-10, neutral-site match-up at the Ro Greensboro Invitational on Tuesday, as the Lady Vols meet No. 9/8 NC State at 4 p.m. ET at the First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. The contest will be shown on ESPN2 and carried on Lady Vol Network radio stations with audio streaming on UTSports.com.

The Lady Vols are coming off a 148-48 exhibition game victory over Columbus State, the No. 24 ranked team in NCAA Division II, on Wednesday night in Knoxville. NC State, meanwhile, played two exhibition games, defeating High Point, 77-69, on Oct. 18 and taking care of No. 10/10 Maryland, 83-75, on Oct. 26.

Last season, NC State posted a 28-7 overall record, claimed a share of the ACC title at 16-2 and fell in the NCAA Sweet 16 in Spokane, Wash., to LSU, 80-73. UT finished 24-10 overall and 8-8 in the SEC, also falling in the NCAA Sweet 16 in Birmingham by a score of 67-59, to Texas. The Wolfpack finished No. 9/10 in last year's final rankings, while the Lady Vols were No. 15/16.

UT holds a 12-4 series advantage over NCSU, but the Pack claimed a 79-72 homecourt victory the last time these programs met during the 2024 NCAA Second Round at Reynolds Coliseum.

MORE INFO

GAMEDAY TIMES & BROADCAST INFO

Opponent: NC State
Date: Tuesday, November 4
Tip-off: 4 p.m. ET
Venue: First Horizon Coliseum
Watch: ESPN2
Radio: Lady Vol Network
Online: Live Audio , Live Stats

TENNESSEE

Roster Schedule Game Notes

NC STATE

Roster Schedule Game Notes

THE LATEST FROM THE LADY VOLS

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BROADCAST DETAILS

Pam Ward (play-by-play) and Debbie Antonelli (analyst) will describe the action for ESPN2.
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.

LAST TIME OUT

No. 8/9 Tennessee had seven players scoring in double figures, forced 45 turnovers and racked up 30 steals in a 148-48 exhibition game victory over Columbus State in front of a crowd of 10,159 last Wednesday night at Food City Center.
The Lady Vols broke their exhibition game scoring record of 144 and had nine more than last season's 139-point regular season record vs. NC Central against NCAA Division II's No. 24-ranked team.
UT tallied 37 points in the first quarter, 28 in the second, 44 in the third and 39 in the fourth en route to the dominant victory.
Seniors Jersey Wolfenbarger and Nya Robertson and freshman Mia Pauldo all scored 18 points to lead the home team. Redshirt junior Talaysia Cooper added 17, senior Janiah Barker contributed a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double and freshman Jaida Civil chipped in 10.
Senior Zee Spearman paced the Lady Vols on the boards with 11 rebounds, while Mia Pauldo led the squad in assists with seven and Cooper recorded seven steals.

BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT

After opening 2024-25 outside the top 25, Tennessee finds itself in the top 10 of both major preseason polls in 2025-26.
The Lady Vols were voted eighth in the Associated Press preseason poll, which is UT's highest placement to open a campaign since starting at No. 5 in 2022-23.
This marks the 46th time in the 50-year history of the AP poll that the UT women have appeared in the preseason top 25.
The Lady Vols earned a No. 9 preseason rating in the USA TODAY Sports/WBCA Coaches poll and No. 7 in the ESPN poll.
Kim Caldwell's squad has been predicted to finish fourth in the Southeastern Conference standings by the league's media.
SEC coaches, meanwhile, have projected the Big Orange to finish fifth.
Those picks say a great deal about UT and the league, as the SEC features the No. 2 (South Carolina), No. 4 (Texas), No. 5 (LSU), No. 6 (Oklahoma) and No. 7 (Tennessee) teams in the AP Preseason Top 25.
Also ranked in the AP Top 25 preseason poll are No. 12 Ole Miss and No. 24 Vanderbilt.

LADY VOLS IN OPENERS

During the modern era (1974-present), the Lady Vols are 46-5 all-time in season openers over the past 51 years, including 30-3 at home, 8-2 on the road and 8-0 at neutral sites.
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.
The Big Orange women are 41-10 in their first road game of the season after defeating Memphis on Dec. 18, 2024, 90-75, at FedEx Forum.
The Lady Vols are 11-5 in road openers when facing a ranked team.
In the last opener featuring a ranked opponent, UT fell at No. 14/15 Ohio State on Nov. 8, 2022, 87-75.
Prior to that, the last time UT played a ranked team in an opener, a No. 8/9 Lady Vol squad picked up a home win vs. a No. 7/4 Baylor team, 74-65, on Nov. 15, 2009.

TALENTED DUO TOPS RETURNING CORE

UT returns its No. 1 and No. 3 scorers and top-two rebounders in redshirt junior Talaysia Cooper and senior Zee Spearman.
Leading the way is Cooper, a 6-foot All-SEC Second Team and SEC All-Defensive Team guard a year ago. Cooper put up 16.6 ppg., 5.6 rpg., 3.2 apg. and 3.1 spg. while hitting 36 three-pointers in her first season at UT after transferring from South Carolina.
Zee Spearman, a 6-4 forward, returns after producing 11.7 ppg. and 6.0 rpg. while sinking 24 treys in her impressive Lady Vol debut in 2024-25 after arriving from Miami.

THREE KEY RESERVES ARE BACK, TOO

Kaniya Boyd, a 5-9 redshirt sophomore (4.0 ppg., 1.3 spg., 1.3 apg.) and 6-2 junior forward Alyssa Latham (3.9 ppg., 3.7 rpg.) are back after playing key roles off the bench last season.
Boyd saw action in 33 games and started four as a redshirt freshman, while Latham appeared in 34 contests and earned five starts as a sophomore in her first season on Rocky Top.
Also back is 6-0 redshirt senior guard Kaiya Wynn (4.4 ppg., 2.6 rpg.), who was sidelined in 2024-25 due to an Achilles injury (right) suffered in preseason practice.
Wynn has played in 94 games as a Lady Vol and has a history as a good defender and ball handler and someone who can get to the rim.

TOP-RANKED PORTAL CLASS ARRIVES

Caldwell added three highly-regarded veteran players via the portal, earning the No. 1 spot by ESPN in its early 2025 transfer portal rankings.
Janiah Barker, a 6-4 senior forward and the 2025 Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year, made the move to Knoxville after averaging 7.4 ppg. and 6.0 rpg. last season while helping UCLA to the NCAA Final Four. She was rated No. 8 by ESPN in its 2025 transfer impact rankings.
Nya Robertson, a 5-7 senior guard, arrived from SMU after landing All-ACC Second Team kudos for an 18.5 ppg. average, 111 free throws and 62 treys in 2024-25.
Jersey Wolfenbarger, a 6-5 senior forward, carded 4.6 ppg. and 3.4 rpg. while shooting 63 percent from the field last season at LSU.
World Exposure Report listed Barker at No. 4, Robertson and No. 10 and Wolfenbarger at No. 46 in its transfer portal rankings

ELITE ROOKIE CLASS ON DECK

The Lady Vols welcomed a five-player high school class rated No. 1 by 247Sports and No. 2 by ESPN, including No. 9 Mia Pauldo (5-6 guard), No. 17 Deniya Prawl (6-2 guard), No. 20 Jaida Civil (6-0 guard), No. 45 Lauren Hurst (6-3 guard/forward) and No. 57 Mya Pauldo (5-6 guard).
The group represents Tennessee's first signing class since 2017 with two or more top-15 prospects and the first with three rated among the top 35 since the Lady Vols inked three top-12 high school standouts en route to the nation's No. 1 overall group in 2017. Additionally, this marks UT's first group with four top-50 rated signees since landing four in 2018.
Also, this is the first time the Lady Vols have been ranked top 10 in recruiting by any organization since 2019 (No. 9/ESPN), in the top five since 2018 (No. 4/ESPN) and in the top two since 2017 (No. 1/ESPN).

KEY LOSSES FROM A YEAR AGO

UT lost three starters from 2024-25, including 5-10 guard Jewel Spear (12.5 ppg., 77 3FG), 6-0 guard Ruby Whitehorn (11.6 ppg., 4.0 rpg., 25 3FGs) and 5-7 guard Samara Spencer (10.6 ppg., 4.6 apg., 66 3FG). Whitehorn was dismissed from the team on Nov. 2, 2025, after failing to meet Lady Vol standards.
It also graduated three other veteran contributors in 6-1 guard/forward Tess Darby (6.4 ppg., 58 3FGs), 6-2 forward Sara Puckett (4.6 ppg., 3.1 rpg.) and 6-5 forward Jillian Hollingshead (3.4 ppg., 3.0 rpg.).
Darby (228) and Spear (146) finished their careers ranked No. 5 and No. 10 for career three-pointers made at UT, while Spear's total in 2024-25 tied for fifth-most in a season by a Lady Vol, and Darby ended up 10th.

UT/NCSU SERIES NOTES

Tennessee has a 12-4 record all-time vs. NC State, including 5-0 at home, 4-3 on the road and 3-1 at neutral sites.
The Lady Vols have won three of the past four meetings, but they dropped an NCAA Second Round decision in Raleigh, 79-72, the last time these teams met on March 25, 2024.
Tennessee is 139-49 all-time vs. teams who currently are members of the ACC.

A LOOK AT NC STATE

NCAA finished 28-7 overall and 16-2 in ACC play a year ago, earning a share of the conference title and advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16.
The Wolfpack returns two starters in All-ACC First Team choice and the ACC Most Improved Player Zoe Brooks and ACC All-Freshman Team choice Tilda Trygger, as well as seven returners.
Destiny "Ky'She" Lunan (No. 65 in ESPN recruiting rankings) and Adelaide Jernigan (No. 68) make up another top 25 recruiting class. Qadence Samuels (national champion at UConn) and Khamil Pierre (WBCA All-America Honorable Mention selection at Vanderbilt) are key transfers who will make an immediate impact.

ABOUT THE HEAD COACH

NC State is led by Wes Moore, who is 859-264 in his 37th year of coaching, including 301-95 in his 13th season in Raleigh.
Moore is a four-time ACC Coach of the Year and 2021 WBCA National Coach of the Year, leading NC State to nine NCAA Tournament appearances.
Moore has several connections to the Volunteer State, including coaching stints at Maryville College (1987-1993) and Chattanooga (1998-2013).
Moore also earned a B.S. in religion from Johnson University just outside of Knoxville in 1984 and has two degrees from the Univ. of Tennessee, including a B.S. and M.S. in physical education in 1986.

THE WOLFPACK'S LAST GAME

The No. 9 NC State women's basketball team defeated No. 10 Maryland in a preseason exhibition contest at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro on Oct. 26, 83-75.
The game featured 10 lead changes and three ties, including a 13-1 run by the Pack in the last four minutes of the game.
NC State had five players in double figures, led by Zoe Brooks' 20 points. Qadence Samuels was huge on the boards, especially in the fourth quarter, with seven of her 11 boards in that frame.
Pierre scored 16 points in just 22 minutes on the floor, while Tilda Trygger added 15 points, Devyn Quigley 11 and Zamareya Jones 10.

NEXT UP:

No. 8/9 Tennessee will return home and prepare to play two more games this week.
The Lady Vols will welcome East Tennessee State to Food City Center on Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET for the home opener. The contest will streamed on SECN+ and available via the Lady Vol Radio Network.
The Big Orange will have a quick turnaround, departing 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.