The first day of 2026 saw the 23rd ranked Tennessee Lady Volunteers host a university rival in the Florida Gators in UT’s Southeastern Conference opener. The first half mainly belonged to the Lady Vols as they jumped out to as much as a 35-22 lead. That wouldn’t put the Gators away though Florida was able to start a rally at the end of the second quarter and carry it over in the third as they tied the game at 44 a piece. The Lady Vols wouldn’t fold to the pressure as they pulled back a head heading into the fourth and would stay out in front. Tennessee survived the Gators with a 76-65 score.
Talaysia Cooper led the Lady Volunteers in scoring putting up 17 points. Zee Spearman was just one point behind with 16 points being the second top scorer. Mia Pauldo was the third Lady Vol with double figures scoring with 10 points. Florida was led in way by Liv McGill who had almost half of Florida’s points scoring 32. The only other Gator to score in double-digits was Jade Weathersby knocking in 11 points.
#23 Tennessee improves to 9-3 on the season and starts Southeastern Conference play 1-0. It’s a short turnaround for the Lady Vols as they head south to take on the Auburn Tigers on Sunday. That is the start of a two road trip that takes them to Starkville against Mississippi State on January 8th. The next time the Lady Vols will play on Rocky Top will be on January 11th for the annual “We Back Pat” Game against Arkansas.