Cullowhee, N.C. -- Women's basketball is back at Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center as Western Carolina opens the 2025-26 season by hosting Virginia University of Lynchburg on Thursday, Nov. 6. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
Thursday's season opener will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with tickets available for purchase through CatamountSports.com. Fans can also follow along with the live stats, which are available through CatamountSports.com as well.
Thursday's Season-Opening Matchup:
Western Carolina (0-0, SoCon 0-0) vs Virginia University of Lynchburg (0-1, South Region 0-0)
Nov. 6, 2025, | Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center | Cullowhee, N.C. | 6 p.m.
Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/3ks7bwy8
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/yc4n29ee
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/44b5cj4v
New Cats in Town:
Jonathan Tsipis and his staff have reloaded for their second season in Cullowhee, bringing in nine newcomers to join a roster consisting of returners senior post Grace Pack, redshirt junior guard Kehinde Obasuyi, and sophomores Taj Hunter and Kennedy Hilsenroth. Four of WCU's newcomers are transfer additions, with the remaining five being freshmen signees.
WCU's four transfers come to Cullowhee from Memphis, Cal State Bakersfield, Johnson C. Smith, and Sacramento City College. Redshirt sophomore transfer Ally Hollified joins the Catamounts after beginning her career at Memphis. Her cousin, Drew Hollifield, is a member of the WCU men's basketball team. Graduate transfer Ary Dizon is on her second stint as a Catamount as the Tampa, Fla., product began her collegiate career at Vermont. She comes to Cullowhee after competing at Cal State Bakersfield.
Junior transfer Betsey Burnett comes to Cullowhee after two strong seasons at Johnson C. Smith. She went for 14 points and five rebounds in her one game against DI competition (Gardner-Webb, 11/23/24). A later addition to the squad, junior forward Joyce Mulumba, began her career at Sacramento City College. She recorded 516 rebounds last season and was one of two college basketball players to surpass the 500 mark in the 2024-25 campaign.
Western Carolina's 2025 freshman class is expected to see significant run early in the season, as the Catamount coaching staff gets an idea of lineups for the year. Tina Bowers (Liberty, N.C.), Ellie Richardson (Scottsburg, Ind.), Ellie Fyans (Weddington, N.C.), Riley Price (Blacksburg, Va.), and Justice Zimmerman (Chapel Hill, N.C.) will all look to earn their stripes early with the Catamount nonconference schedule ramping up with a road trip to Campbell on Nov. 12 and a home game vs the currently #6/#7 Oklahoma Sooners on Nov. 16.
Full Court Press:
The Catamounts and Dragons are set to meet for the first time in program history, with the WCU men's team following suit against VUL on Dec. 2 in Cullowhee.
A member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), the Dragons went 4-14 last season. They ranked 31st in the league in scoring average (55.4 PPG) and 29th in defense, conceding 73.1 points per game to their opponents. The Dragons did rank within the top half of the NCCAA in blocks and steals per game, with 2.6 and 9.8, respectively.
In their season-opening 102-46 loss to NAIA Georgetown (Ky.), Lovely Tua-Link led the Dragons in scoring with 12 points on a 4-of-8 shooting performance from the floor. Maliyah Hodges was close behind with 11 points, while Princess Akojenu finished with nine points and 10 rebounds.
VUL plays a second NCAA Division I game at Campbell on Nov. 9, with the Catamounts also facing the Camels on Nov. 12 in Buies Creek, N.C.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
The WCU women's basketball team is back at home on Sunday, Nov. 9 as it hosts the Tusculum Pioneers for an updated 2 p.m. tip-off on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. The Catamounts then hit the road for the first time in 2025-26 as they battle Campbell in Buies Creek, N.C., on Nov. 12.
Catamount Nation should circle Sunday, Nov. 16, on the calendar as the Catamounts return home to host a NCAA Top 10 foe in the Oklahoma Sooners as part of a WCU hoops doubleheader. Tip vs the Sooners is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., after the men's team hosts Stetson at 1 p.m. The Catamounts hosting Oklahoma marks their first Power Four opponent since the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the 2007-08 season.
Season tickets for the home portion of the 2025-26 Catamount men's and women's basketball seasons are on sale now through the first-floor Ramsey Center Ticket Office, by phone at (828) 227-2401, and online at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets. Options include tickets for men's or women's and an "all-hoops" package for every home game in the Ramsey Center for both squads. Single-game tickets for both squads are also on sale.
