Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball Hits 18-0: A Historic Start, With Eyes on Much More
This one didn’t come easy.
Vanderbilt had to fight for every possession against Mississippi State in a game that saw 11 lead changes and momentum swinging like a pendulum. But when the final buzzer sounded, the Commodores walked away with an 89-85 win - and a piece of program history. With the victory, Vanderbilt moved to 18-0, the best start in school history.
It’s a milestone moment under head coach Shea Ralph, but don’t expect any champagne just yet. The message from the top is clear: this is just one step on a much bigger climb.
“Our goals are bigger than a long winning streak,” Ralph said after the game. “Our goals are championships.”
That mindset has been the backbone of Vanderbilt’s rise. Ralph isn’t just building a team; she’s shaping a culture - one rooted in standards, not streaks.
And that culture showed up in a big way against the Bulldogs. The Commodores didn’t play their cleanest game, but they found a way to win anyway.
That, Ralph said, is the kind of growth she wants to see.
“I liked what tonight offered us,” she said. “An opportunity to not play our best and still find a way to win.”
This season marks Ralph’s fifth at the helm, and what she’s built in that time is nothing short of impressive. The last time Vanderbilt got off to a start this strong was back in the 1992-93 season - the year the Commodores made it all the way to the Final Four. Now, with 18 straight wins in the books, the echoes of that historic run are starting to grow louder.
But Ralph isn’t getting caught up in comparisons or hype. She’s focused on the process - the daily grind, the incremental progress, the vision that’s been guiding this program since she took over.
“We have a plan for our program, and we have met and exceeded the steps in our plan year by year,” she said. “To see a vision that’s so lofty, that’s so big, start to become reality...
I wake up every day like, ‘I get to do this.’ I’m living my dream.”
That sense of purpose has kept Vanderbilt grounded through the highs of an undefeated start. Ralph has made it a point to keep the focus internal - not on rankings or records, but on how the team is living out its values on the court.
“We talk about it every day,” Ralph said. “I don’t want one moment to feel bigger than another.
They’re all big moments. My thing to them is always, ‘Are we playing to our standard or above our standard?
Are we living our values on the basketball court? Are we communicating?
Are we together? Are we fighting and competing relentlessly?’”
It’s a perspective shaped by experience. Ralph has been on both sides of the win column - from the highs of long streaks to the lows of rebuilding seasons. That duality has given her a steady hand and a clear message: results matter, but they can’t become the focus.
“If a team beats us and we do all those things, then we just have to get better,” she said. “But if we get caught up in win streaks and talking about things we didn’t come here to do, then we lose sight of the vision of our program.”
That vision is about more than just wins. It’s about building something sustainable - a program that can compete at the highest level while staying true to its identity.
And now comes another test.
Vanderbilt’s next game is a top-10 showdown against Michigan in Newark, New Jersey - a nationally significant matchup that promises to be one of the biggest stages the Commodores have seen this season. It’s the kind of game that can reveal a lot about where a team really stands.
But Ralph isn’t looking for validation. She’s looking for progress.
“We haven’t played our best basketball yet,” she said. “So my expectation is that over the next few days, we get better. I’d like to see us play our best game of the year on Monday.”
There’s a balance Ralph is striking - between enjoying the ride and pushing for more. It’s not always easy, but it’s become a hallmark of this team’s identity.
“We’re going to enjoy it and have fun,” she said. “But I like winning, and I want to keep winning. So we’re going to keep working.”
At 18-0, Vanderbilt has already made history. But the way this team is wired, it’s clear they’re not done yet.
The streak is nice. The record books are flattering.
But the real goal? That’s still out there - waiting to be earned.