GAME 1
Duquesne (0-0) at Tennessee (0-0)
Monday, Nov. 2, 2026 | 6:30 p.m.
Knoxville, Tenn. | Food City Center (21,678)
STREAM: SECN+ • Cruz Martin (pxp), Genesis Bryant (analyst)

2026-27 Roster | 2026-27 Schedule | 2025-26 Statistics | Media Center | DUQ Game Notes

NOTHING BUT NYLON
- The Duquesne women's basketball team opens its 2026-27 season and 44th year of NCAA Division I competition Monday, Nov. 2, when it travels to Knoxville, Tenn., to face the Lady Volunteers at Food City Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

- The Dukes are led by Dan Burt, the all-time winningest coach in Duquesne women's basketball history, who enters his 14th season as head coach and 20th year on staff. Burt has guided Duquesne to 242 victories, including 120 Atlantic 10 wins.

- Duquesne returns six players from last season's roster, including two starters, as several new faces join the program. Redshirt junior guard Gabby Grantham-Medley and sophomore forward Raevin Washington headline the returning group, while redshirt sophomore guard Nadia Moore looks to return from injury. Grantham-Medley averaged 7.3 points and nearly four rebounds per game while making 23 starts last season. Washington ranked third in the Atlantic 10 with 1.6 blocks per game.

- The Dukes welcome seven newcomers, including two transfers and five freshmen. Senior Carla Viegas and junior De'Naya Rippey begin their first seasons in a Duquesne uniform, while freshmen Amaya Robinson, Ayala Oren, Dalma Grets, Bakhaw Seye and Dieymarie Diouf will be donning the red and blue this season.

- The 2026-27 campaign marks the 54th year of Duquesne women's basketball and the 44th season of NCAA Division I competition. Since beginning play in 1973-74, the Dukes have recorded 732 victories. Duquesne joined the Atlantic 10 in 1983-84 and has compiled 628 wins as a Division I program.

- Duquesne opens the season on the road for the 34th time since beginning play in 1973-74 and the 10th time in the last 15 years. The Dukes hosted their first two season openers before traveling to Princeton in 2023. Duquesne owns a 27-26 all-time record in season openers, including a 23-20 mark since joining Division I.

- Redshirt sophomore guard Nadia Moore looks to return to the lineup after missing last season due to injury. Before her injury, Moore averaged 12.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while shooting 44.3 percent from the field. She scored in double figures four times and led Duquesne in scoring on three occasions.

- Duquesne enters the 2026-27 season with the tallest roster in the Atlantic 10, featuring 6-foot-6 center Dieymarie Diouf, 6-foot-5 forward Raevin Washington, 6-foot-4 guard Bakhaw Seye and 6-foot-4 forward Maka Rohkohl.

The Series vs. Tennessee – Monday's matchup between Duquesne and Tennessee marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs. It will be the 12th time in program history the Dukes have faced a Southeastern Conference (SEC) opponent and their first such matchup since traveling to Florida on Dec. 21, 2011. Duquesne's last win over an SEC opponent came on Dec. 10, 2000, when the Dukes earned a 67-65 victory over South Carolina at the A.J. Palumbo Center.

Scouting The Lady Volunteers – A member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), Tennessee enters the 2026-27 season with a completely revamped roster, marking the first time in program history the Lady Vols have experienced a full turnover of personnel. Head coach Kim Caldwell welcomes 13 transfers and two freshmen. The newcomers bring significant experience and scoring ability, as nine transfers averaged double figures during at least one season at their previous schools and seven players have earned all-conference honors during their collegiate careers. Fifth-year guard Kaylene Smikle headlines the group after averaging 13.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game at Maryland, where she earned All-Big Ten recognition twice. Other notable additions include Northern Arizona transfer Naomi White, who averaged 20.8 points per game and earned Big Sky Freshman of the Year honors, and Texas A&M transfer Fatmata Janneh, who posted 11.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. The Lady Vols also welcome freshman Gabby Minus, the Metro Atlanta Player of the Year, and Irene Oboavwoduo, a member of the Great Britain Senior Women's National Team. Kim Caldwell enters her third season at Tennessee in 2026-27 after compiling a 40-24 record in her first two campaigns with the Lady Vols. In her debut season in 2024-25, Caldwell guided Tennessee to a 24-10 record and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance before the Lady Vols finished 16-14 in 2025-26, extending the program's NCAA Tournament appearance streak to 44 consecutive seasons.

The Bluff Goes Global - Duquesne enters the 2026-27 season with a roster that reflects the program's growing international reach, featuring 13 student-athletes representing eight different countries. In addition to players from across the United States, the Dukes' roster includes student-athletes from Canada, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Senegal, Serbia and Spain, bringing together a diverse mix of backgrounds and basketball experiences. Freshmen Ayala Oren (Israel) and Dalma Grets (Hungary) bring extensive international experience to the Bluff, having represented their respective countries in multiple international youth competitions. Oren, a native of Ness Ziona, Israel, competed at the U18, U19 and U20 levels for her country's national team. At the FIBA U19 Women's World Cup, she averaged 12.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game. Grets, a native of Dunaharaszti, Hungary, helped NKA Universitas PEAC Pécs capture the 2026 Hungarian League Championship. She also earned a bronze medal with Hungary's U16 national team in 2022. Freshmen Bakhaw Seye and Dieymarie Diouf, both from Senegal, add an international dimension to Duquesne's frontcourt. Seye brings championship experience from SEED Academy, while the 6-foot-6 Diouf adds size and rim protection to the Dukes' interior.

New Threads, Same Production - In the era of the NCAA Transfer Portal, teams often reload rather than rebuild, and Duquesne looks to do just that with a pair of talented transfers. Junior De'Naya Rippey joins the Dukes after two seasons at Saint Peter's, where she averaged 13.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game as a sophomore. Rippey recorded 30 games in double figures over her two seasons in New Jersey, including six 20-point performances. She also tallied nine double-doubles, seven of which came in her final season, while posting 13 games with double-digit rebounds. The New York native earned All-MAAC Third Team and All-MET Third Team honors. Senior Carla Viegas joins the Bluff after spending two seasons at Florida State, including last season at crosstown rival Pitt. Viegas has made more than 30 starts over the past three seasons, including 13 with the Panthers. A proven perimeter threat, she recorded 30 games with at least three three-pointers and 19 double-figure scoring performances. The Spain native shot 36.8 percent from beyond the arc last season, with 70 of her 86 made field goals coming from long range. Viegas has also been highly efficient at the charity stripe, shooting just under 89.0 percent last season and 84.2 percent for her career.

Disrupt, Defend, Deliver – Duquesne dominated the glass during the 2025-26 season, leading the Atlantic 10 and ranking 19th nationally with 41.5 rebounds per game. The Dukes also ranked second in the conference with 14.0 offensive rebounds per contest, recording at least 15 offensive boards in 12 games and 45 or more total rebounds in nine contests. Sophomore Raevin Washington leads the returning rebounders after averaging 4.3 boards per game and recording 12 games with at least five rebounds. Redshirt junior Gabby Grantham-Medley follows closely behind at 3.9 rebounds per contest, including seven games with five or more boards, while junior Maja Rohkohl averaged 3.4 rebounds per game. The Dukes also established themselves as a formidable defensive unit, holding opponents below 37.5 percent shooting from the field in 16 of 31 games (51.6 percent) during the 2025-26 campaign. That mark led the Atlantic 10 and ranked among the top 50 nationally, with 10 of those performances coming in conference play.

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