Tennessee guard Kaylene Smikle has been named the first Tennessee Sports Writers Association Women's Basketball Player of the Week for the 2026-27 season, Tennessee Athletics announced Tuesday.
The fifth-year guard made an immediate impact in her first two games as a Lady Vol, leading Tennessee to a 2-0 start by averaging 24.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in lopsided wins over Duquesne and Coppin State. She shot 72% from the field, going 18 of 25, and hit 7 of 11 from 3-point range as the Lady Vols averaged 103.5 points per game.
Smikle, a 6-foot transfer from Maryland and a native of Bay Shore, New York, missed all but seven games last season because of injury. Her Tennessee debut made up for lost time. She made 11 of 13 shots, including five of six 3-pointers, and scored 31 points against Duquesne. According to Tennessee, that was the second-highest scoring debut in program history and the most in such a game in 50 years. She scored 17 points in her first quarter as a Lady Vol and added eight rebounds, four assists and three steals in 21 minutes of a 109-62 win. It was her first game since Dec. 3, 2025.
At Coppin State, Smikle picked up early fouls and had only one point at halftime. She bounced back with a game-high 18 points, 10 of them in a third quarter in which Tennessee scored a season-high 33 points on the way to a 98-60 road win. She shot 7 of 12 and added three rebounds, two steals and a block in 16 minutes.
Smikle leads the team with seven 3-pointers.
The Lady Vols have two home games this week at Food City Center in Knoxville. They were scheduled to host New Haven on Tuesday night and will host Middle Tennessee on Thursday. Both games were set for 5:30 p.m. CT tipoffs on SEC Network Plus.
The in-state matchup with Middle Tennessee should be a good early test for a Tennessee team that has scored more than 95 points in both games so far.
Sources: Tennessee Athletics; Tennessee Sports Writers Association