After 14 consecutive games away from home to open the season, the hottest team in the country finally got the chance to play on its home stage.
Tennessee entered Sherri Parker Lee Stadium unbeaten, ranked No. 1, and eager to show that the dominance displayed on the road would translate in front of its own crowd.
In the home opener against Appalachian State, the Lady Vols played with an urgency that gradually tightened their approach. Swings came a little too quickly, hittable pitches were missed, and for the first time this season Tennessee found itself trailing.
“I think the first game we were pretty amped up about being home,” coach Karen Weekly said. “You want to do well for them. And I think they were just a little bit overexcited.”
When a challenged review halted play in the middle innings, Weekly used the extra time strategically. Instead of a fiery speech to inspire her team, she chose humor to cut through the pressure and remind her team of its training.
“Well,” Weekly said with a chuckle, “we talked about how it’s impossible to keep a certain body part clenched when you’re breathing, taking good deep breaths out of your diaphragm. I challenged them. I said, ‘Do it. Clench that … hole right now and breathe.’ And they realized you can’t do both.”
The humor eased the moment and reinforced something this 2026 team has emphasized since the fall.
Since the preseason, Tennessee has prioritized diaphragmatic breathing as a daily discipline. Before practices, players sit together and train themselves to slow their heart rates, stay present, and focus on breathing. Exercise that prepared them for moments exactly like the ones they faced Friday.
“Last year it was about being in the moment,” Lady Vols’ second baseman Ella Dodge said. “But this year we’ve really emphasized it and practiced it so that when we get in these moments we can be prepared for it.”
Dodge said the message in the huddle felt familiar, even if Weekly’s phrasing caught them off guard.
“She’s always got something,” Dodge said with a smile when asked about Weekly’s delivery. “But it was just about breathing, being present, trusting your training and trusting each other.”
The reset showed in the fifth inning.
In the bottom of the fifth against App State, Tennessee sent 10 batters to the plate and scored six runs, capitalizing on defensive miscues and disciplined at-bats to turn a tense game into a 9-1 win.
In the second game of Lady Vols’ doubleheader in the Tennessee Invitational against Penn State, the composure and the reminder to breathe surfaced again. Sophia Knight opened the fifth with a bunt single, Gabby Leach reached, and Emma Morrison singled to load the bases. On a 2-0 pitch, Dodge drove a grand slam over the left-field wall to secure a 4-1 victory and extend Tennessee’s start to 16-0.
“It’s just going to take one swing, one person,” Dodge said. “We’re all selling out for our plan. If I’m not going to get it done, the person after me is going to.”
More than the swing itself, Dodge pointed to how the moment felt different from years past.
“Being able to be in the moment and allow your heart rate to calm down, trust your training,” she said. “It really helps us calm our heart rate down and just trust ourselves. When the game speeds up and pressure builds, you either freeze or you rush. This helps us slow it down.”
For a team that has already reached historic heights during its 16-0 start, Friday revealed another layer. Tennessee did not simply rely on talent when momentum stalled. It relied on maturity, preparation, and an intentional ability to reset in the middle of pressure.
In a season defined early by historic achievement, the Lady Vols showed in their home opener that their edge may lie as much in their composure as their power.
