KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Just two days before the Lady Vols were set to open their season, coach Kim Caldwell announced Ruby Whitehorn's dismissal from the team.

Per the university's crime log, Whitehorn was arrested at 4:31 a.m. Thursday for simple possession, hours after Tennessee's exhibition win over Columbus State. The arrest is her second of the semester and forced Caldwell's decision.

"It's a difficult situation," Caldwell said. "I feel bad for this current team that we have, and time will tell if it's the right choice for this team. But I have no doubt that it's the right choice for the team four or five years from now."

Whitehorn scored 11.6 points per game for the Lady Vols last season, averaging 23.3 minutes of playing time in all 34 contests. She started Wednesday's exhibition win and scored 18 points on 8-for-9 shooting with seven rebounds.

Her loss comes at a time where it requires an immediate response from the No. 8 Lady Vols. The team was informed earlier, but news broke to the public about 48 hours before the season-opening tilt with No. 9 NC State in Greensboro, North Carolina.

"Everyone is going to have to give us more," Caldwell said. "We're going to have to get more out of our scorers. We're going to have to get more out of our role players. We're going to have to have more leadership. We're just going to have to have more from everyone, and it's going to be by committee."

Lady Vols start season with tough matchup

In Caldwell's first season, Tennessee had a relatively easy start to the year. Its first five games were all at home against mid-major opponents, giving the Lady Vols the opportunity to learn a new system. Tennessee was 13-0 before it faced a top-10 opponent for the first time in January.

This year, the Lady Vols start with an immediate challenge against the Wolfpack. While it does present a challenge to start the year with such a game, it has helped offseason preparation to use Tuesday as a target.

"They know that they have to be on their 'A' game," Caldwell said. "They can't take anything for granted. They know that if they don't fix the things we have been talking about, it's going to cost them Game 1."

A major challenge Tuesday is stopping Khamil Pierre, who moved to NC State over the summer. While at Vanderbilt she averaged 20.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. She was a major part of two wins over the Lady Vols last season, scoring 16 points and grabbing 15 boards in the SEC Tournament against Tennessee.

While Pierre is a familiar foe to the Lady Vols, there must be changes to how they defend the standout forward.

"We fouled her at the rim," Caldwell said. "We couldn't stop her at the elbow. We couldn't stop her on the 3-point line. We couldn't stop her in transition. So, we've watched those clips, and hopefully we can show improvement."

NC State loses guards Saniya Rivers and Aziaha James, both of whom were taken in the first round of the WNBA Draft. Key returners include junior guard Zoe Brooks who scored 21 points in NC State's Sweet 16 loss to LSU.

With Whitehorn out of the picture, the Lady Vols kept their focus forward. Caldwell immediately kept her team focused on the challenge at hand, knowing Tuesday is an important part of her second season.

"We have four practices to get ready to go to NC State," Caldwell said, "and that's all we're focused on."