Oliviyah Edwards decommits as Tennessee roster shrinks to 1 Tennessee guard Jaida Civil announced Monday that she is entering the transfer portal, and Oliviyah Edwards, the No. 2 recruit in the SC Next 100 class of 2026, has requested a release from her national letter of intent with the Lady Volunteers, leaving the program with just one player on the roster for next season. The announcements add to the significant uncertainty surrounding the storied program, which went 16-14 this past season under second-year coach Kim Caldwell. Every player with remaining eligibility has entered the transfer portal—including all of the highly touted, second-ranked freshmen class. Seniors Janiah Barker and Zee Spearman will be graduating, leaving the Lady Vols with just No. 62 wing Gabby Minus set to arrive for next season. A preseason top-10 team in the Associated Press poll, the Lady Vols ended this season on an eight-game losing streak, their longest in the modern era. They also lost by 30 points to UConn in February, the largest margin of victory for either team in the series and the second-worst loss in Tennessee's history. Overall, the team lost seven games by at least 15 points, the most in 40 years. The Lady Vols were a No. 10 seed in the NCAA tournament but lost to NC State 76-61 in the first round. It was just the third time since 1982 that they failed to win a first-round matchup. Civil, a freshman from Vero Beach, Florida, played seven minutes in that loss to the Wolfpack on March 20. For the season, she averaged 6.4 points and 4.0 rebounds. She made her announcement in an Instagram post. Edwards, a 6-foot-3 forward from Washington, originally signed with Caldwell's program in November over offers from USC, South Carolina, LSU, Florida, and Washington.#tennessee #university_of_tennessee #jaida_civil #kim_caldwell #oliviyah_edwards
Lady Vols Freshmen Aim to Make Noise in March Madness Rematch Against NC State The Lady Vols’ freshman class, still finding their footing in college basketball, faced a mix of nerves and excitement as they awaited their NCAA Tournament seeding on Selection Sunday. Mya Pauldo described the moment as a “ball of nerves,” while Deniya Prawl felt detached, watching projections of Tennessee as a No. 8 seed and other teams fill the seed line. Despite the uncertainty, the freshmen were determined to make their mark. Tennessee, seeded No. 10, wasn’t in danger of missing the tournament for the first time in program history, but the young players were unsure what to expect from their first Selection Sunday. Jaida Civil called the experience “crazy,” admitting she didn’t fully grasp the significance at first. However, seeing their names called and continuing the legacy of the program brought a sense of pride. The nerves quickly turned to excitement when the Lady Vols learned their first-round matchup: a rematch against No. 7 seed NC State at the Crisler Center on March 20. A win would set up a potential second-round clash with either No. 2 seed Michigan or No. 15 seed Holy Cross. The Lady Vols (16-13) have a history with the Wolfpack, having lost their season opener 80-77 on Nov. 4. Coach Kim Caldwell emphasized the need to prove themselves, and the players echoed that sentiment. Civil expressed a strong desire to revisit the game, hoping to correct their earlier performance. She grinned when acknowledging the extra motivation behind the rematch. “I feel like that’s going to be the one to bring us back to where we were with our winning streak,” Mia Pauldo said. “I think the NCAA knew what they were doing with that one.” Pauldo added, “I was super surprised and I’m not going to lie, I like it, because we get to get our get back.#nc_state #lady_vols #mya_pauldo #deniya_prawl #jaida_civil
