KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Lady Volunteers released their 2007-08 schedule Monday.
The defending NCAA champions will start new rivalries and renew old ones when next season arrives.
In addition to the typical SEC powerhouses, the Lady Vols are also scheduled to play both of last season's Final Four opponents, North Carolina and Rutgers (ESPN2's Big Monday, Feb. 11), as well as Oklahoma, Texas, Duke, Stanford and UCLA this coming season. The Tar Heels (ESPN2, Dec. 2) will make their first trip to Knoxville in 20 years, Oklahoma and Tennessee have played on only two previous occasions and the Lady Vols will look to end a three-game skid against Duke.
Including exhibition games, Tennessee will play 17 home dates in its newly renovated arena.
"Our schedule for the coming season is extremely competitive, exciting and challenging," said Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt, who is beginning her 34th season at Tennessee and is the NCAA's all-time winningest coach (947-180). "As usual, we take on an aggressive schedule which allows us to prepare for postseason play. … Our fans will be treated to a tremendous home schedule."
LSU, last season's other Final Four participant in Cleveland, will also play in Knoxville (Feb. 14).
"It'll be a Cleveland reunion at various times this season at Thompson-Boling Arena," said Summitt, whose Lady Vols will play teams from nine different conferences, including four from the Big East.
The 2007-08 season will tip off with a pair of exhibition games, first against the United States senior national team on Nov. 4 and then Carson-Newman on Nov. 6. The Lady Vols officially open the season at home on Nov. 11 facing Chattanooga.
The November slate also includes a trip to the Tampa-St. Pete Times Forum, site of the 2008 Women's Final Four, for the ESPNU Invitational, where the Lady Vols will play Oklahoma (ESPNU, Nov. 15). The Lady Vols return home to meet Texas (ESPN2, Nov. 18) before traveling to Charleston, W.Va., for Alexis Hornbuckle's senior homecoming game versus West Virginia (Nov. 21). Long-time rival Louisiana Tech travels to Knoxville on Nov. 26.
In December, Tennessee also host Old Dominion, Middle Tennessee and Gonzaga, which will make its first trip to Knoxville. Then the Lady Vols will play UCLA at Pauley Pavilion for the first time since 1999. Tennessee will cap the West coast swing at Stanford on Dec. 22.
In January, the Lady Vols renew their rivalry with DePaul after a two-season hiatus, on Jan. 2 (ESPNU) in Chicago. Tennessee then travels to South Bend, Ind., to face Notre Dame on Jan. 5 (CBS). Back in Knoxville for the first time in almost a month, Tennessee opens SEC play facing Auburn at home on Jan. 10. Tennessee then travels to South Carolina (Jan. 13) and Kentucky (Jan. 17) before hosting Vanderbilt (Jan. 20) and Arkansas (Jan. 24) at the Arena. The Lady Vols step out of conference play for a "Big Monday" meeting at Duke (Jan. 28) and conclude the month at Mississippi (Jan. 31).
February finds the Lady Vols enjoying five home games: Kentucky (Feb. 3), a "Big Monday" meeting with Rutgers (ESPN2, Feb. 11), LSU (Feb. 14), Mississippi State (Feb. 24) and Florida (Feb. 28). February road trips include jaunts to Mississippi State (Feb. 7), Vanderbilt (Feb. 17) and to Alabama (Feb. 21). UT plays a rare March regular-season game, at Georgia on March 2.
Tennessee will play home-and-home SEC games with Kentucky and Mississippi State to go along with its annual home-and-home traditional rival contests versus Vanderbilt.
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