Everything Kim Caldwell, Talaysia Cooper, Janiah Barker Said Following Lady Vols Loss to NC State

The Tennessee Lady Vols Basketball team lost to NC State 80-77.

Oct 15, 2025; Birmingham, Alabama, USA; Tennessee player Talaysia Cooper is interviewed at SEC Media Day in the Grand Bohemian Hotel. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Lady Vols fell just a bit short to NC State on Tuesday 80-77.

The loss is the result of the season opener,

Kim Caldwell is leading a youthful but talented team as the Lady Vols aim to make another deep run in the NCAA Tournament, but there will be plenty of obstacles awaiting to know the mission off of its course.

The team was competitive in the contest and had a few fair chances to change the outcome. As the season progresses and chemistry builds, look for the young group to make some noise.

Following the game, head coach Kim Caldwell, along with Talaysia Cooper and Janiah Barker would meet with reporters to recap the game.

Kim Caldwell's Opening Statement

Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell yells on the sidelines during a NCAA exhibition game between the Tennessee Lady Vols and Columbus State Cougars at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tennessee on Oct. 29, 2025. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"We scheduled this game to see where we were. We wanted to see where we were early, so we had time to fix it. I think that's exactly what we got out of it. We have a lot of things we can fix. We can get a lot better. Um, and we know where we're at. That's a very good basketball team. That team is going to be playing deep in March, and we want to be, too. If we buckle down and fix the things we need to, there are some really eye-opening things that we need to get under control, then we'll get 15-points better from this loss," Caldwell said.

Janiah Barker on Defensive Transition Struggles

Tennessee forward Janiah Barker (0) dribbles the ball during a NCAA exhibition game between the Tennessee Lady Vols and Columbus State Cougars at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tennessee on Oct. 29, 2025. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"I think we just need to do a better job of like, matching up, too. I think we talked about it a lot. Um, just getting prepared for this game was getting back on defense and I think we didn't do that well, especially like that last play. I didn't get back that last play, then she got that layup, you know, things like that. Those are things that, uh, really hurt if you continue to let it happen. So, I think, you know, making sure we match up and make sure we're getting back on defense, it's really important," Barker said.

Click HERE to watch and listen to everything Kim Caldwell, Talaysia Cooper, and Janiah Barker had to say after dropping the season opener 80-77 to NC State.

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