No. 2-seeded Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball head coach Shea Ralph and players Mikayla Blakes and Justine Pissott spoke to the media ahead of its NCAA Tournament Round of 32 matchup against No. 7-seed Illinois. The Commodores secured their first NCAA Tournament Round of 64 win yesterday afternoon when they took down No. 15-seed High Point 102-61.  

Blakes and Pissott took the stand first and were asked about the opportunity to take Vanderbilt to the Sweet 16. 

“It’s pretty special”, Pissott said. “That’s what I came to Vanderbilt for, is to get to a Sweet 16, and hopefully further than that. I’m also thankful I get to be in this position with Mikayla by my side for my last season.” 

The Commodores last reached the Sweet 16 in 2009, and this is the first time Blakes and Pissott have played in the Round of 32.  

“I feel like it’s a grateful experience,” Blakes said. “To be able to do it in Memorial, and be able to do it in front of our fans, we’re just super excited.”  

Blakes moved on to address what it is like having so many fans look up to her. On the sidelines against High Point, many young girls were holding signs with the sophomore’s name on them. She is incredibly inspired by the support, highlighting how meaningful it is to have kids admire her.

“I feel like it makes basketball fun to know that people are out there supporting me, and I’m a role model for other people,” Blakes said. “I also want to take the time to talk to those kids. They look up to me and they want to do things that I’m doing here at Vanderbilt, and I hope they do one day.” 

The players addressed their Round of 32 opponent, No. 7-seed Illinois, whom they watched live after Vanderbilt beat High Point. 

“I think Illinois is a great team from watching yesterday, and in film, they’re great competitors,” Pissott said. “And I’m excited for tomorrow. I think it’s going to be a good game. We have two competitive teams going at each other.”  

Both Pissott and Blakes spoke on the competitive nature of their team but emphasized their commitment to sticking to the game plan and not letting the big stage get the best of them.  

“We don’t take anybody lightly,” Blakes said. “Everybody here in the tournament is good. Everybody’s trying to win. We’re going to take it like we do every other team.”  

Ralph then took the stand. The conversation started around the rest schedule for March Madness, where players only get one day between games, but if they advance, they get several days of rest. Although her starters, particularly Blakes and Aubrey Galvan, play a large number of minutes, Ralph said the rehab process is much the same. 

“I think we did a pretty good job this season of scheduling some games exactly like this ,” Ralph said. “Also in the gauntlet of the SEC, the way that we play, the high minutes that we play, we have a great schedule in terms of their recovery.”  

She also spoke about the statistical and intuitive side of coaching that goes into the players’ rest schedule and its refinement through the years.  

“I’m more of an intuitive coach, but I also know that it’s 2026, and so we use data and analytics and load and all of those things to make sure that we have all of the science along with the art of being a basketball coach and knowing what your players need,” Ralph said. 

Next, the conversation moved to Vanderbilt’s matchup against Illinois tomorrow. First, Ralph addressed how Illinois is a very talented team with an impressive resume, having gone 22-11 in regular season play and 9-9 in the Big 10. 

“Illinois is a really, really good team. Obviously, they’re here for a reason,” Ralph said. “They’ve beaten a lot of great teams, top 10 teams, top 25 teams this year. They are very well balanced. They’re extremely well coached. They’re very physical. They have size, [and] they can shoot the ball; their big kids can shoot the ball.” 

However, Ralph emphasized how most of the preparation for Illinois has been really focusing on her own team and what they bring to the court.  

“We know that teams playing right now are great teams, and that’s what we want to be as well. So we really just try to focus on ourselves,” Ralph said. “I think we just really try to prepare ourselves from top to bottom. We don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow, but we know that we’ve probably already seen it before and that we have to be prepared to make adjustments when and if needed.” 

Much of that preparation has come from the fact that Vanderbilt has, over the last few years, instituted a practice squad for its women’s team. Ralph said this was a necessary step to take this team to the level it is at now. 

“We’ve worked really hard the last few years to get great practice players,” Ralph said. “I’ve been on my staff the last three years [saying] ‘we need better practice players,’ ‘we need a higher level of talent [and] a greater level of commitment,’ because it is going to make a difference. And I know that because I’ve seen it.” 

The group she has this year, Ralph said, is amazing. She also commended their dedication to the team because she knows that it is not an easy ask.  

“That’s a different level of commitment,” Ralph said. “They’re going to school at Vanderbilt, we’re not paying for them to go to school, we’re not paying for anything. They just show up because they love to play basketball, and they want to help our team. I think what we do give them is an opportunity to be part of our family. We treat them just the same way as we treat our players, and they’ve made a huge impact for us.” 

The Vanderbilt coach also touched on the quality minutes and points she got from her bench in the Round of 64 matchup, and how important those minutes are toward her team making a deep run in March. Against High Point, Vanderbilt had seven bench players log minutes that combined for 29 points and 15 rebounds. 

“If we don’t have those kinds of contributions from our team, whether it’s points or rebounds or screens or communication or defensive stops, then it’s going to be hard for us to win championships,” Ralph said. “Our team understands they all bring value. They know their role, and they know they’re going to do something really important every single game to help us win.” 

To conclude the media availability, Ralph fielded some questions about what it means to her for her players to be role models to the next generation of young women and players — something which Sacha Washington and Blakes spoke on the day before in the post-game press conference. 

“It’s a non-negotiable,” Ralph said. “We have standards [in this program], and we operate a certain way, we live a certain way, and my number one standard is you’re going to be a good person, [and] you’re going to pour into the people who pour into you.”  

The reason this is a non-negotiable for Ralph is that it shows the younger generation what is possible, while also making the game about more than just basketball.  

“Our players are representing what’s possible [and] if I didn’t have that when I was growing up, I would not be sitting here in front of you,” Ralph said. “One of the blessings that these young kids can give you is just a reminder that it’s always bigger than wins, losses, success, failure, and you’re showing them what it looks like to handle both of those.” 

Vanderbilt will face Illinois in the Round of 32 March 22 at 6 p.m. CDT