Tennessee put on an offensive show Tuesday night and, in the process, added another eye-catching chapter to its exhibition history.
The Lady Vols rolled past Florida A&M 132-63 at Food City Center, pushing their all-time exhibition record to 55-5. The scoring burst also landed among the program’s biggest preseason outputs ever, with Tennessee’s 132 points ranking as the fifth-highest total in exhibition play.
It was another reminder of how quickly Kim Caldwell’s team can overwhelm an opponent with pace, pressure and volume. Tennessee has now hit at least 100 points in all three exhibition games under Caldwell, and Tuesday’s performance marked the first time the program has faced an NCAA Division I opponent in an exhibition.
The opening half set the tone. Tennessee scored 37 points in the first quarter and followed with 40 in the second, taking a 77-27 lead into halftime. From there, the Lady Vols kept the pressure on and never let Florida A&M settle in.
Eight Tennessee players finished in double figures. Kaylene Smikle led the way with 19 points, Naomi White added 16, and Riley Makalusky and Harissoum Coulibaly each chipped in 14.
The numbers across the board told the same story. Tennessee put up 101 field-goal attempts, forced 37 turnovers, collected 22 steals and controlled the glass 58-25.
The win also fit into a long-running exhibition standard that has followed the Lady Vols for decades. Tennessee is now 55-5 in preseason games overall, including a 15-1 mark since the end of the Pat Summitt era.
Those five exhibition losses have come against heavyweight competition: the Soviet National Team in 1979, Athletes in Action in 1992 and the United States National Team in 1995, 2007 and 2023.
The result won’t count in the regular-season standings, but it did offer a clear look at what Tennessee can bring: scoring depth, defensive pressure and a roster that can pile up points in a hurry.
The Lady Vols will open the 2026-27 season Monday, November 2, against Duquesne at Food City Center. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.
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