Tennessee Lady Vols basketball head coach Kim Caldwell, along with fifth-year guard Kaylene Smikle and senior guard Rylie Theuerkauf, will represent the team at the SEC Tip-Off event on Tuesday, October 13. The event will take place at the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Mountain Brook, Alabama, near Birmingham. Fans can watch the trio's appearance on SEC Network from 6:05 to 6:20 p.m. ET, where they will participate in interviews, a news conference, and other preseason activities.
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Caldwell is set to enter her third season as the head coach after a 2025-26 campaign in which the Lady Vols recorded a 16-14 overall record, with an 8-8 mark in SEC play. Tennessee secured a tie for sixth place in the conference and continued its streak of 44 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, although their run ended in the first round against NC State. Last season featured key victories over ranked teams, including Kentucky and Alabama. Talaysia Cooper was recognized with All-SEC Second Team honors, while Mia Pauldo received SEC All-Freshman accolades.
This season marks a significant change for the Lady Vols, as Caldwell will lead a completely new roster with no returning starters. The team features a transfer class of 13 players, ranked ninth nationally by USA TODAY. Building chemistry among these new players will be crucial for success this season.
Smikle has a strong background, having played at Rutgers and Maryland, where she averaged 17.2 points per game across her college career and earned All-Big Ten recognition. Last season at Maryland, she averaged 13.1 points before undergoing surgery for a knee injury. Theuerkauf joins Tennessee after a successful season at Georgia, where she started 31 of 32 games and averaged 11.9 points, hitting 40.6% of her three-point attempts, good for third in the SEC.
The Lady Vols are set to host Florida A&M in an exhibition game on October 27 before officially opening the regular season against Duquesne on November 2 at Food City Center, with both games starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.