Valparaiso (0-13, 0-2 MVC)
Game #14 - January 1, 2026 - 1 p.m. CT
at Indiana State (4-8, 0-2 MVC)
Hulman Center (9,000) - Terre Haute, Ind.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: Having spent just one night on the road over the last month, the Valpo women's basketball team hits the pavement for the first time in MVC play this week with visits to its fellow Indiana institutions, beginning on New Year's Day at Indiana State.

Previously: The Beacons closed out the 2025 calendar year Monday afternoon at the ARC, returning to the heart of Missouri Valley Conference play with an 86-52 loss to visiting UNI. Kayla Preston and Kayla Sullivan both matched season highs in the scoring department in the loss.

Following Valpo Basketball: Video: ESPN+
Links for live coverage: Available via ValpoAthletics.com

Head Coach Courtney Boyd (0-13 at Valpo, 1st season; 190-81 [.701] overall, 9th season): Courtney Boyd was named the ninth head coach of the Valparaiso University women's basketball program on April 4, 2025. A national championship-winning head coach and player, an NAIA National Coach of the Year, and a two-time conference Coach of the Year, Boyd has won 20 or more games in seven of her first eight seasons as a head coach. She spent the last two seasons at the helm of the Quincy University program after six seasons as head coach at Clarke University, leading the latter program to the NAIA national title in 2022-23.

Series Notes: Indiana State leads the all-time series with Valpo by a 12-9 count, but there has been a distinct lack of home court advantage in the series, as Valpo owns a 5-4 advantage in Terre Haute and the Sycamores are 7-2 at the ARC. Last season, it was the Beacons with the series sweep, as Valpo won 73-54 in Terre Haute and 73-68 at the ARC.

@ValpoWBB...
...versus UNI
- It was a quick start for the Beacons, as Allia von Schlegell hit a 3-pointer and Fiona Connolly drove for a layup on Valpo's first two possessions to give it an early 5-0 lead.
- UNI responded with a 14-2 run over the next three-plus minutes to pull in front.
- Mikayla Huffine stemmed the tide with a triple, and when Kennedy Sproule knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:43 remaining in the quarter, the Beacons were within 21-17.
- The Panthers hit two triples of their own late in the period to lead 27-17 after 10 minutes.
- A 3-pointer from Mor Shabtai was part of a four-point spurt to start the second quarter for Valpo, bringing it within 27-21.
- The margin was still single digits after a free throw by Kayla Sullivan made it 31-22 with 7:37 to play in the first half, before a 13-3 run over the next four-plus minutes from the Panthers pushed their lead to 19.
- UNI was up 47-30 at intermission.
- Connolly scored on the opening possession of the second half to make it a 15-point game, but that proved to be as close as Valpo got in the second half. The Panthers held a 70-46 advantage at the end of the third quarter and scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to pull away.
- After missing Valpo's nonconference finale due to injury, Connolly returned to action and paced the Beacons with 10 points — her ninth double-digit scoring output this season.
- Two other Beacons came off the bench to match their season best in the scoring department. Kayla Preston hit 3-of-5 from the floor for seven points, while Sullivan scored six points and also set a season high with six rebounds.
- Kamryn Winch approached a double-double off the bench as well, posting eight points and a team-high nine rebounds.
- Valpo shot 32.2% from the floor and was 5-of-21 from 3-point range while committing 21 turnovers. The Panthers hit 15-of-31 from deep — the most 3-pointers by a Valpo opponent since Oakland hit 16 Dec. 31, 2016.
- The Beacons did limit the Panthers to 38.5% shooting (15-of-39) inside the 3-point line.

...versus Central Michigan
- It was a struggle from the start for the Beacons, as their lone points of the opening quarter came on a coast-to-coast layup from Allia von Schlegell 3:30 into the game. CMU led 16-2 at the end of the first period.
The Chippewas extended their advantage throughout the second quarter, until a late 7-0 run for Valpo made it 44-19 game at halftime. von Schlegell knocked down a triple around layups from Kayla Sullivan and Kamryn Winch for the late spurt.
- CMU led 65-29 at the end of the third quarter.
- Valpo played without the services of Fiona Connolly due to injury, and then lost Autumn Dibb to injury early in the second half.
- von Schlegell paced the Beacons with 14 points, including three 3-pointers. It is her sixth double-figure scoring effort of the season.
- Winch was Valpo's second-leading scorer, hitting 3-of-5 off the bench for seven points while also grabbing six rebounds.
- Mor Shabtai matched her career best and led the Beacons with nine rebounds, while also tallying three assists against just one turnover.
- Bella Swedlund knocked down the first field goal of her collegiate career.
- Valpo shot 25% from the floor and was just 4-for-31 from 3-point range, while CMU hit at a 51.5% clip from the field and was 6-of-17 from deep.

...looking ahead
- The Beacons conclude the Indiana road swing Saturday afternoon at Evansville.
- Valpo returns home to the ARC next Thursday, Jan. 8 as it hosts Bradley.

...away from home
- Thursday's game is the first of 10 road games in MVC play for the Beacons, who played six true road games as well in the nonconference slate.
- Valpo is currently 0-6 in true road games.
- Last season's squad posted a 3-11 mark in true road games.

....and @ValleyHoops
- Valpo is in its ninth season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.
- Valpo was picked outside the top-four of the MVC preseason poll, as the Valley released only the top four selections.
- The Valley finished last season ranked seventh in the NET, matching the conference's highest NET/RPI ranking in Valpo's time as an MVC member (2020-21).

...looking back at last year
- Valpo finished last season with a 13-19 overall record and went 9-11 in MVC play to finish in eighth place.
- Among the Beacons' 13 victories were a thrilling rally from a 20-point deficit for a home win over Drake which entered the game ranked 69th in NET, the program's highest-ranked win since a win over #54 UNI in 2021-22.
- Leah Earnest was tabbed a First Team All-MVC honoree as she concluded a decorated career that saw her finish first in program history in career rebounds and third in career scoring.
- The 2024-25 Beacons hit 245 3-pointers, third-most in a single season in program history, and tallied 314 steals, seventh on the program's single-season chart and the most since 2001-02.

@IndStWBB
- Indiana State comes into Thursday's game with a 4-8 record on the season and sits at 0-2 in MVC play.
- The Sycamores lost their MVC opener at home to Drake, 97-77, and most recently fell at Illinois State, 105-64.
- Tierney Kelley leads an ISU offense which averages 72.1 points/game with 16.4 points/game, while six other players average at least 6.8 points/game.

Hoosier State Crown
- Valpo looks to defend the unofficial Hoosier State crown among the Valley's three Indiana-based schools this season.
- The Beacons posted a perfect 4-0 record against Indiana State and Evansville last year, sweeping the road trip and the homestand versus the Sycamores and the Purple Aces.
- Since Valpo joined the MVC, it has posted the best record against its in-state foes three times (2019-20, 4-0; 2021-22, 3-1; 2024-25, 4-0). Indiana State has done so three times (2017-18, 4-0; 2018-19, 3-1; 2023-24, 4-0) and Evansville once (2022-23, 3-1), while all three teams went .500 against the other two in 2020-21.
- The road has been mighty kind for Valpo against ISU and Evansville since joining the Valley, as it holds a 10-4 record at the Hulman Center and Meeks Family Fieldhouse.

New Year's Day
- Valpo takes to the hardwood on January 1 for just the third time in program history on Thursday afternoon.
- The Beacons' last New Year's Day game came on Jan. 1, 2023 at Murray State - a 67(haha, 6-7)-48 win for the Racers.
- Valpo's only other New Year's Day game was Jan. 1, 2016 at Wright State, an 80-63 win for the hosts.

Fiona Leads the Way
- Senior Fiona Connolly returned from missing one game due to injury to lead the Beacons in scoring last time out versus UNI with 10 points.
- Connolly has been a consistent offensive presence for Valpo this season, scoring in double figures in nine of her 12 appearances and being held under eight points just once.
- Connolly is averaging a team-best 12.2 points/game this season, over triple her scoring average of 3.5 points/game last year.
- She has also nearly doubled her production on the boards, averaging 4.1 rebounds/game this season after posting 2.2 boards/game last year.

All For Allia
- While she was limited to seven points Monday against UNI, freshman Allia von Schlegell has enjoyed a strong start to her collegiate career.
- von Schlegell set and then matched her career high in back-to-back games with 18 points against SIUE and at Western Michigan, leading all players in scoring in both games.
- von Schlegell scored in double figures six times in nonconference action, among the best in program history in terms of double-digit scoring outputs by a freshman in nonconference games since Valpo joined the North Star Conference for the 1987-88 season:
Dani Franklin, 2014-15, 11
Meredith Hamlet, 2015-16, 8
Tabitha Gerardot, 2010-11, 8
Sarrah Stricklett, 1996-97, at least 7 (2 boxes unavailable)
Debbie Bolen, 1989-90, at least 7 (1 box unavailable)
Jeanette Gray, 1999-2000, 7
Allia von Schlegell, 2025-26, 6
Stephanie Greer, 1987-88, 6
Amy Cole, 1987-88, 6
Linda Batz, 1987-88, 6
Ali Saunders, 2022-23, 5
Jamie Gutowski, 2002-03, 5
- Notably, the six players ahead of von Schlegell on that list all went on to earn All-Freshman/Newcomer Team honors and closed their time at Valpo among the top-12 in program history in career scoring.

Shifting Starters
- With Fiona Connolly missing the CMU game due to injury, Valpo used its sixth different starting lineup of the season, as Kylie Waytashek was reinserted into the starting five.
- Connolly returned to the starting lineup against UNI, as the Beacons reverted to their small lineup - Mor Shabtai, Mikayla Huffine, Allia von Schlegell, Autumn Dibb and Connolly; Dibb being the tallest at 5-10.
- Eight different players have been a part of at least one starting five this year, with two of them - Shabtai and Huffine - starting every game.

All-Tournament Honoree
- Fiona Connolly represented Valpo on the All-Tournament Team at the CSU Invitational, as she averaged 14.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game over the Beacons' trio of games in Cleveland.
- Connolly opened with her career-high 21 points and also tied for game-high honors with eight rebounds against Radford.
- She tied for game-high honors with 14 points versus Cleveland State, and closed the tournament with nine points and seven boards against St. Bonaventure.

The Tall and the Short
- This year's Valpo roster features recent extremes on both ends of the height spectrum.
- Mor Shabtai and Mikayla Huffine both are listed at 5-4, making them the shortest Valpo players since 5-3 Rashida Ray (2007-11).
- On the flip side, Kamryn Winch and Milana Nenadic both check in at 6-3, making them the tallest Valpo players since 6-5 Nicole Johanson (2018-19).

International Flavor
- Valpo has a trio of international players on its 2025-26 roster: sophomore Mor Shabtai (Israel) and transfers Milana Nenadic (Ontario, Canada) and Kennedy Sproule (Manitoba, Canada).
- Prior to Shabtai's arrival last year, the Valpo program hadn't had an international player since Sharon Karungi (Uganda) roamed the paint from 2013-15.

Sister Act
- For the third straight season, the Beacons have a pair of sisters on their roster, as freshman Nuala Connolly joins senior sister Fiona on this year's squad.
- The last two years featured identical twins Nevaeh and Saniya Jackson.
- Before that, the last set of sisters to suit up together in the Brown and Gold were the trio of Hamlet sisters: Annemarie (2013-16) overlapped with both older sister Elizabeth (2013-14) and younger sister Meredith (2015-19).