ANN ARBOR, MI – Mya Pauldo had knots in her stomach on Selection Sunday, trying to be patient as Lady Vols basketball awaited its seeding for the Women’s NCAA Tournament.
Deniya Prawl felt like she wasn’t actually there in the moment, sitting on the couch with her teammates. She saw the projections of Tennessee as a No. 8 seed, and then saw other teams slotted in on that seed line. Meanwhile, Mia Pauldo was a ball of nerves as the minutes dragged on.
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“If there was one word to explain it, just anxiety,” Mia Pauldo said March 19. “Oh my god, we got to make it, we got to make it. We got to redeem ourselves.”
No. 10 seed Tennessee wasn’t in danger of missing the program’s first NCAA Tournament ever, but the Lady Vols freshmen weren’t sure what to expect at their first Selection Sunday on March 15.
Jaida Civil said “it was crazy” and didn’t know how big of a deal it all was. But the freshman guard said it felt good to see their name called and continue the legacy of the program.
Any nerves quickly turned to excitement when they saw their matchup for the first round.
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The Lady Vols (16-13) have a rematch with No. 7 seed NC State (20-10) at the Crisler Center on March 20 (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). A win would match the Lady Vols with No. 2 seed and host Michigan (25-6) or No. 15 seed Holy Cross (23-9) in the second round on March 22.
Tennessee lost the season opener 80-77 to the Wolfpack on Nov. 4. Lady Vols coach Kim Caldwell said they have something to prove, to get that game back – and the players feel the same.
Civil called it a game they really want to play again, to get it right the second time around. She grinned when she acknowledged there was some extra motivation for 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 of the rematch. “I think the NCAA knew what they were doing with that one.”
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“I was super surprised and I’m not going to lie, I like it, because we get to get our get back,” Mya Pauldo added.
When Prawl, who said she was “a little bit shocked” by Tennessee’s seeding, saw the rematch pop up during the show, she remembered how she felt in her first college game. She’s looking forward to getting another chance at the end of her freshman season.
The 6-foot-2 guard believes the second time around will be a lot smoother. She’s stronger and improved overall as a player, and the Lady Vols understand how to play together better.
“I feel like they were really loud about their win early this season,” Prawl said. “So we got to be even more loud, even just from the start, even warmups. I feel like that’s where our energy starts, and then just continuing that through halftime and towards the end of the game, just being loud the whole time, make sure they hear us.”
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Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Lady Vols will be ‘even more loud’ in NC State rematch to open March Madness
