Tennessee redshirt junior Talaysia Cooper and freshman Mia Pauldo were selected for honors based on voting from the Southeastern Conference coaches.
Cooper, a 6-foot guard from Turbeville, S.C., made the All-SEC Second Team for the second year in a row, while Pauldo, a 5-6 guard from Paterson, N.J., was the first UT player chosen for the SEC All-Freshman Team since Sara Puckett in 2022.
Appearing in 27 games this season, Cooper leads Tennessee at 16.1 points per contest and also averages 4.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.7 steals, ranking third, first and first for UT in those categories. She also tops the Lady Vols with 57 three-pointers, 100 assists and 73 steals this season.
Most notably, she has improved her total of threes from 36 to 57 and her percentage from long range from 26.7 to 34.1 from a year ago.
Cooper has scored in double figures in 24 games this season, including 17 games with 15 or more points and six with 20+, leading the Lady Vols in those categories. She also is tied for first in double-doubles with four and has paced UT in assists 18 times, in steals 17 times, in scoring 12 times, in three-pointers nine times and in rebounds seven times.
Her 10 steals vs. Stanford earlier this season tied Shelia Collins (2/8/1985 at Fla. St.) for second-most in program history behind Michelle Marciniak's 11 at Kentucky on Jan. 14, 1996.
In SEC play, Cooper ranks No. 7 in steals per game (2.27), No. 7 in three-pointers made per game (2.40), No. 9 in three-point field goal percentage (35.0) and No. 10 in points per game (17.93). Nationally, she ranks No. 36 in steals per game (2.70) and No. 45 in total steals (73).
Appearing in 25 contests this season and starting 25, Pauldo is Tennessee's third-leading scorer at 10.7 points per game and contributes 2.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals as well. She is third in three-pointers made with 44 on the year and leads the squad in free-throw percentage (85.5) while totaling the second-most assists (59) and steals (29). Her balance of 59 assists to 38 turnovers and 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio is very impressive for a first-year college player who has the ball in her hands so frequently.
Pauldo has led Tennessee in three-pointers 10 times, in assists eight times, in steals five times and in scoring twice. She has scored in double figures on 13 occasions, including six contests with 15 points or more and three with 20+.
Inside the final four minutes of games, Pauldo is 22 of 25 at the charity stripe, and she leads UT with four charges taken this season.In SEC play, Pauldo is one of the top scoring rookies in the league at 11.8 per game. She ranks No. 8 in the conference among all players in free-throw percentage (85.4) in SEC games as well.
Among her standout performances this season, Pauldo had a 14-point breakout game at Stanford, an 18-point, 10-assist double-double vs. Winthrop, a 26-point effort at Mississippi State and a 21-point showing at Georgia in which she hit nine of 10 free-throw attempts and helped the Lady Vols prevail in overtime.
Cooper, Pauldo and their teammates are headed to Greenville, S.C., where they will open play in the SEC Tournament at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday against the winner of Wednesday night's contest vs. No. 11 seed Alabama and No. 14 seed Missouri.