1988–89 Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team

The 1988–89 Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team represented the University of Tennessee as a member of the Southeastern Conference during the 1988–89 women's college basketball season. Coached by Pat Summitt, the Lady Volunteers finished 35–2, ranked No. 1 in both major polls, and won their second of three national championships in a 5-year span. The Lady Vols started the season ranked No. 1 and never fell below the No. 3 ranking.

1988–89 Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball
NCAA tournament National champions SEC Tournament champions
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 1
AP	No. 1
Record	35–2 (8–1 SEC)
Head coach	Pat Summitt (15th season)
Assistant coaches	Mickie DeMoss Holly Warlick
Home arena	Thompson-Boling Arena
Seasons ← 1987–88 1989–90 →

1988–89 SEC women's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 2 Auburn	9	–	0		1.000			32	–	2		.941
No. 1 Tennessee †	8	–	1		.889			35	–	2		.946
No. 10 Georgia	6	–	3		.667			23	–	7		.767
Vanderbilt	5	–	4		.556			21	–	8		.724
LSU	5	–	4		.556			19	–	11		.633
Ole Miss	4	–	5		.444			23	–	8		.742
Mississippi State	3	–	6		.333			12	–	16		.429
Kentucky	3	–	6		.333			12	–	16		.429
Florida	1	–	8		.111			15	–	14		.517
Alabama	1	–	8		.111			14	–	15		.483
† 1989 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Roster

1988–89 Tennessee Lady Volunteers women's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown G 11 Dena Head 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Fr Salem Canton, Michigan F/C 24 Carla McGhee 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Jr   Peoria, Illinois F 30 Bridgette Gordon 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Sr DeLand DeLand, Florida C 32 Daedra Charles 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) So Saint Martin de Porres Detroit, Michigan G 33 Tonya Edwards 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Jr Flint Northwestern Flint, Michigan	Head coach Pat Summitt Assistant coach(es) Mickie DeMoss Holly Warlick Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster

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Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site city, state
Regular season
Nov 27, 1988*	No. 1	vs. No. 6 Louisiana Tech Hawaii Wahine Classic	W 76–74 OT	3–0	(450) Honolulu, Hawaii
Jan 6, 1989	No. 1	at No. 3 Auburn	L 59–67[2]	11–1 (0–1)	Eaves Memorial Coliseum (7,150) Auburn, Alabama
Jan 31, 1989*	No. 2	at No. 11 Texas	L 67–69	18–2	Frank Erwin Center  Austin, Texas
SEC tournament
March 4, 1989*	(2) No. 2	vs. (10) Alabama Quarterfinals	W 89–61	28–2	Albany Civic Center  Albany, Georgia
March 5, 1989*	(2) No. 2	vs. (3) No. 11 Ole Miss Semifinals	W 82–60	29–2	Albany Civic Center  Albany, Georgia
March 6, 1989*	(2) No. 2	vs. (1) No. 1 Auburn Championship game	W 66–51	30–2	Albany Civic Center  Albany, Georgia
NCAA tournament
March 18, 1989*	(1 E) No. 1	vs. (9 E) La Salle Second round	W 91–61	31–2	Thompson–Boling Arena  Knoxville, Tennessee
March 23, 1989*	(1 E) No. 1	vs. (4 E) No. 15 Virginia Regional Semifinal – Sweet Sixteen	W 80–47	32–2	E. A. Diddle Arena  Bowling Green, Kentucky
March 25, 1989*	(1 E) No. 1	vs. (2 E) No. 7 Long Beach State Regional Final – Elite Eight	W 94–80	33–2	E. A. Diddle Arena  Bowling Green, Kentucky
March 31, 1989*	(1 E) No. 1	vs. (1 W) No. 5 Maryland National Semifinal – Final Four	W 77–65[3]	34–2	Tacoma Dome  Tacoma, Washington
April 2, 1989*	(1 E) No. 1	vs. (1 MW) No. 2 Auburn National Championship	W 76–60[4]	35–2	Tacoma Dome  Tacoma, Washington
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ME=Mideast.

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Rankings

Main article: 1988–89 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking

	Week
Poll	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Final
AP	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	3	3	2	2	2	1	Not released
Coaches	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	3	3	2	2	1	1	1

References

1. "1988-89 Tennessee Volunteers Women's Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
2. "Auburn Women Defeat No. 1 Tennessee". The Los Angeles Times. January 7, 1989. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
3. "Tennessee Too Much for Maryland". The Los Angeles Times. April 1, 1989. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
4. "Tennessee Coasts to the Title". The New York Times. April 3, 1989. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
5. "1988-89 Women's Basketball Schedule". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved March 30, 2024.