MANKATO, Minn. – The Minnesota State women's basketball team begins the 2025-26 season at the D2CCA Tip-off Classic. The Mavericks will begin play on Friday, Nov. 7 against Edinboro with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at McComb Fieldhouse in Edinboro, Pa. The team will then travel to face California, Pa. at Highmark Events Center in Erie, Pa. on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 4 p.m. CT. The team will then close out the weekend facing Union (Tenn.) at McComb Fieldhouse on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 1:00 p.m. CT. All contests can be streamed for free via the PSAC Sports Digital Network.

About the Mavericks
Coming off another successful winning season, the Minnesota State women's basketball team enters the 2025–26 campaign with high expectations after being ranked first in the NSIC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll and No. 15 nationally in the WBCA Division II Preseason Poll. The Mavericks earned eight first place votes and totaled 215 points in the conference poll, marking the fourth consecutive year they have been selected as the league's preseason favorite.

MSU finished the 2024–25 season with an impressive 25–8 overall record, highlighted by a perfect 12–0 mark inside the Taylor Center. The Mavericks went 18–4 in conference play, opening league competition with a 13 game winning streak. Their postseason run included a trip to the NSIC Tournament Championship, where they fell to then-No. 11 Concordia St. Paul 92–73, before narrowly losing to then-No. 7 Pittsburg State 94–91 in the second round of the NCAA Central Region Tournament.

Statistically, Minnesota State proved to be one of the most dominant teams in the country. The Mavericks led the NSIC in scoring, averaging 87.6 points per game, and ranked second in both field goal percentage (.455) and total rebounds (41.4 per game). MSU also led the conference in offensive rebounds (16.2 per game), turnover margin (+10.06), and steals (17.48 per game), while finishing third in assists (16.24 per game) last season.

Looking towards this season, the Mavericks return a strong core of 13 players from last year's NCAA Tournament team, including seven seniors who bring a wealth of experience and leadership. The senior class includes Adeline Kent, Natalie Bremer, Delaynie Luneckas, Hannah Herzig, Ava Stier, Mackenzie Schweim, and Lilly Nuytten. The sophomore group features Hannah Leverson, Shantell Harden, Rhyan Holmgren, Lucy Leininger, Elisabeth Gadient, and Mallory Czinano. The team does not feature any juniors this season.

Minnesota State also welcomes five newcomers to the roster, all true freshmen who will make their collegiate debuts this season. Joining the Mavericks are Addison Hoof, Payton Morgan, Natalie Mueller, August Palmer, and Haylee Stokes, each looking to contribute to a roster already loaded with veteran talent.

Leading the charge is senior guard Bremer, the NSIC South Division Preseason Player of the Year and Minnesota State's Player to Watch. Bremer started all 32 games last season, ranking third in the NSIC in scoring with an average of 20.0 points per game and totaling 641 points. She also ranked fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (.484) and second in steals (2.7 per game). Bremer led the Mavericks in both points and steals while collecting 160 rebounds on the year. Entering her senior season, she has totaled 1,673 career points and is just 399 points shy of tying Lisa Walters' all time program scoring record set from 1984 to 1988.

Stier also returns after starting all 32 games a season ago, leading the Mavericks in rebounding with 192 boards and averaging 5.8 per game. Fellow senior Schweim, a Mankato native, started in 31 contests while shooting .322 from beyond the arc and .384 from the field. Herzig appeared in 32 games with 23 starts, shooting .466 from the field which was the third highest percentage on the team. Sophomore guard Gadient emerged as a key contributor, starting 13 games and ranking third in the NSIC in steals per game (2.5) while finishing as MSU's third leading scorer with 284 points. Gadient also tied for the team lead in blocks (13) and dished out 73 assists during her freshman campaign last season. 

At the helm of the program is head coach Emilee Thiesse, who enters her 14th season guiding the Mavericks. Thiesse is the winningest coach in Minnesota State women's basketball history, holding a 253–124 (.671) career record. Under her leadership, the Mavericks have produced seven 20 win seasons, six NCAA Tournament appearances, and one NCAA Division II National Championship during the 2023–24 season. With a mix of veteran leadership, dynamic underclassmen, and promising new talent, Minnesota State looks poised for another thrilling season on the hardwood.

About the Fighting Scots
The Minnesota State women's basketball team will face Edinboro University for the first time in program history this season.

Edinboro is coming off an impressive 2024–25 campaign, finishing with a 25-7 overall record. The Fighting Scots earned the top seed in the NCAA Atlantic Region, hosting the regional tournament before falling to IUP, 67-52, in the semifinal round. Earlier in postseason play, Edinboro dropped a 78-64 decision to Kutztown in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship game.

Under the direction of head coach Callie Wheeler, now in her sixth season at the helm and 17th year overall in coaching, the Scots continue to be a consistent contender in the PSAC. Wheeler, a former standout player for Edinboro from 2002–06, ranks among the program's all-time greats. During her playing career, she became the first Fighting Scot to record multiple triple-doubles in a single season. As a coach, Wheeler holds a career record of 68-44 at Edinboro.

The 2025–26 roster features a mix of new and returning talent. The Scots add seven newcomers, including four freshmen, one graduate student, and two sophomores, while welcoming back eight returners from last season's squad. Leading the group is Ava Haddad, who averaged 24.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, totaling 139 boards on the year. Rachael Manfredo also made her presence felt, appearing in 27 of 32 games and averaging 14.5 points per contest.

About the Vulcans
Head coach Jess Strom leads the Vulcans in her fifteenth season at the helm and her twentieth overall as a member of the California, Pa. coaching staff. The winningest coach in program history, Strom guided her team to a 16 and 12 record last season.

California, Pa. went one and three last season in matchups against nationally ranked opponents. The Vulcans averaged 71.3 points per game as a team, while holding its opponents to just 64.4 points per contest. The team concluded its season in the first round of the PSAC Tournament, falling to IUP by a final score of 57 to 58. 

The Vulcans welcome seven new players to the roster this season, including five freshmen along with one junior and one senior. The team also returns nine players from last year's squad. Senior Alicia Young was one of the top performers for the Vulcans last season, shooting 38.4 percent from the field and averaging 12.7 points per game. She led the team in blocks with a total of 19. 

The last meeting between the two teams came in Nov. 2011, when Minnesota State earned a 57 to 45 victory. This will be the third all-time meeting between the programs, with Minnesota State holding a two to zero advantage over California, Pa.

About the Bulldogs
Union (Tenn.) enters the 2025-26 season following an impressive 33-4 campaign that included a 21-1 mark in Gulf South Conference (GSC) play. The Bulldogs reached the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Elite Eight National Semifinals, where they fell 68-50 to California State University Dominguez Hills, ending a 19-game winning streak. Union also captured its seventh GSC Tournament Championship, marking the program's 32nd overall conference title. Last season, Union outscored its opponents by an average margin of 82.9 to 65.1.

The Bulldogs return six players from last year's roster and welcome eight newcomers, including three freshmen, two sophomores, and three juniors. Key returners include Courtney Zensen, who started in 30 of 37 games last season, totaling 56 steals, 12 blocks, and 38 assists while averaging 4.9 points per game, and Olivia Lee, who led the team in scoring with 464 total points. Lee shot 45.1 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from beyond the arc, while also averaging a team-best 4.3 rebounds per game.

At the helm is Mark Campbell, entering his 27th and final season as Union's head coach. Since taking over in 1999, Campbell has compiled a remarkable 775-120 (.866) career record and stands as Union's all-time wins leader. He was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2025 and currently serves as Union's Director of Athletics, a position he has held since June 2023.

This matchup marks the first-ever meeting between Minnesota State and Union (Tenn.) in women's basketball history.