Valparaiso (0-20, 0-9 MVC)
Game #21 - January 29, 2026 - 11 a.m.
Indiana State (6-13, 2-7 MVC)
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) - Valparaiso, Ind.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: A special Kids Day game is on tap next for the Valpo women's basketball program, as the Beacons take on Indiana State Thursday morning at the ARC. Fifth graders from Valparaiso Community Schools will be welcomed to campus to witness the showdown between in-state rivals.

Previously: The Beacons continued Missouri Valley Conference play last Friday evening in Peoria, Ill., falling to host Bradley by a 79-39 final. Milana Nenadic paced Valpo with 10 points.

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

Head Coach Courtney Boyd (0-20 at Valpo, 1st season; 180-88 [.672] 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 13-9 count, but there has been a distinct lack of home court advantage in the series, as the series is even at 5-5 in Terre Haute, while the Sycamores are 7-2 at the ARC. Earlier this year, the Beacons had their highest-scoring game of the season, but it wasn't enough to down ISU, as the Sycamores earned an 88-78 win on New Year's Day in Terre Haute. Fiona Connolly tied her career high with a game-best 21 points, while Allia von Schlegell scored 17 and Kayla Sullivan 14.

@ValpoWBB...
...at Bradley
- While they never led, the Beacons stayed with the Braves for much of the first quarter, as a pair of free throws from Milana Nenadic with 3:37 to play in the period had Valpo within 15-14.
- Bradley ended the opening quarter on a 10-2 run to lead 25-16 10 minutes into the game.
- The Braves kept Valpo off the board for the first 7:25 of the second quarter, scoring the first 22 points of the period. Bradley's lead was 51-21 at halftime.
- The Beacons outscored Bradley by three points over the first half of the third quarter, but the Braves outscored Valpo by eight over the back half as they led 69-34 at the conclusion of the period.
- Nenadic scored in double figures for the third straight game and the fifth time this year, going a career-best 6-of-7 from the foul line as she paced the Beacons with 10 points.
- Kayla Sullivan led all players with seven rebounds, matching her season high in that department. Autumn Dibb grabbed six boards off the bench as well.
- The Beacons hit at a season-low 22.2% clip from the field and were 3-of-18 from 3-point range. They did go 12-of-15 at the foul line, their 80% clip there their third-best of the year.
- Valpo held Bradley to 39.7% shooting overall from the floor, the second time in MVC play it has kept its opponent under 40% shooting.
- The Braves did hit 15-of-38 from the 3-point line, matching a season high for made triples by Valpo's opponents.

...versus Drake
- Valpo jumped on top quickly, as Allia von Schlegell, Kayla Sullivan and Kayla Preston knocked down 3-pointers on three straight possessions to give the Beacons a 9-3 lead less than two minutes into the game. Valpo held the lead throughout the first quarter and led 18-14 at the end of the period.
- Drake went on a 17-3 run over the final six and a half minutes of the second quarter to take a 33-25 lead into halftime.
- Drake's lead reached its apex at 48-34 with 3:36 to play in the third quarter before a Preston 3-point play slowed the Bulldog momentum. The Beacons trailed 54-45 with 10 minutes to play.
- Valpo's defense kept Drake off the board for the first five possessions of the fourth quarter, and on the offensive end, a Preston layup and three points from Milana Nenadic had the Beacons within 54-50 with 6:51 remaining.
- After the scoreless stretch to open the quarter, the Bulldogs scored on three straight possessions to force a Valpo timeout with 5:14 to play and the score 60-50.
- Drake got its lead up to 12 points before a Nenadic triple and a Fiona Connolly layup had the deficit down to 62-55 with 2:08 to go.
- The Beacons got two more stops in a row on the defensive end to give themselves a chance to inch even closer, but a pair of great looks right at the rim on the offensive side didn't fall.
- Coming off her 34-point game Thursday night, Nenadic paced Valpo on Sunday with 18 points and tied for team-high honors with five rebounds.
- Sullivan and Preston both scored in double figures as well, finishing with 11 and 10 points, respectively. For each of them, it was their second-highest scoring output this season. Sullivan hit 2-of-3 from the 3-point line, while Preston was 4-for-5 from the field.
- For just the third time this year (at Iowa State, Bradley), Valpo's two leading scorers on the season —Connolly and von Schlegell — were limited to single digits, as both finished with seven points. Connolly did match Nenadic for team-high honors with five rebounds.
- Valpo shot just 32.1% from the floor Sunday, but the Beacons were 7-for-19 from 3-point range — they have now hit better than 35% from 3-point range in each of the last two games after doing so just once in the season's first 17 contests.
- Drake shot 41.1% from the field, but was just 5-for-19 from beyond the arc. Valpo has held its opponents below 30% shooting from deep in five of the last six games.

...looking ahead
- It's a short trip this weekend for the Beacons, as they head up to the Windy City on Saturday to face UIC.
- Valpo stays at home next week for games against Evansville and SIU.

...at the ARC
- Thursday's game is the eighth of 13 home games this season for the Beacons, as Valpo hosts three nonconference games and 10 MVC games.
- The Beacons are currently 0-7 at the ARC this year.
- Valpo posted a 9-6 record at the ARC last season, the program's first winning record at home since the 2019-20 season.

....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
- Indinaa State comes into Thursday's game with a 6-13 overall record and sits at 2-7 in MVC play.
- The Sycamores have dropped their last two contests, falling last week at Southern Illinois (86-74) and versus Illinois State (85-69).
- Tierney Kelsey paces ISU with 14.5 points/game, while four other Sycamores average between 8.9 and 9.6 points/game.

An Early Start
- Valpo is hosting a Kids Day game with an 11 a.m. tip for the second straight year.
- Last season's inaugural Kids Day game saw the Beacons defeat Trinity Christian.
- This is actually the third straight season Valpo has tipped a game before noon, as the 2023-24 team had an 11 a.m. ET start at Stetson in its final game heading into Christmas.
- Since joining the MVC, Valpo is 2-3 in games which tipped off prior to noon.

Hoosier State Crown
- It'll take home wins over both Indiana State and Evansville for Valpo to have a shot at retaining a share of 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.
- Indiana State currently sits at 2-0, Evansville at 1-1 and Valpo at 0-2.

Newcomer of the Week
- Redshirt junior Milana Nenadic was tabbed the MVC Newcomer of the Week Jan. 19 after two strong performances the previous week, including her record-setting night at Illinois State.
- Nenadic started the week with 34 points on 16-of-25 shooting and six rebounds at Illinois State (see more notes about that performance below), and followed with a team-high 18 points and five rebounds versus Drake.
- Nenadic's 26 points/game average was the highest by any MVC player who played two games that week. She hit at a 54.8% clip from the field, including 5-of-11 from 3-point range after hitting just two 3-pointers over the season's first 17 games.
- Nenadic is Valpo's first weekly award honoree from the MVC in over four years, as the program's last winner was Olivia Brown, who earned Newcomer of the Week accolades Jan. 10, 2022.

Nenadic's Night
- It was truly a night to remember for Milana Nenadic at Illinois State last week, coming off the bench to deliver 34 points on 16-of-25 shooting.
- The 16 field goals made broke the program record for baskets in a single game, as the previous mark was shared at 15 by Deb Lahti (Feb. 19, 1983 vs. Carthage) and Lyn Swanson (Feb. 8, 1986 at Carthage).
- Nenadic is tied for ninth among NCAA D-I players this season for field goals in a game.
- Nenadic's 25 field goal attempts are tied for eighth-most in a single game in Valpo history.
- The junior now shares fifth on Valpo's single-game scoring chart with Dani Franklin, who dropped 34 at Stetson Nov. 12, 2016. Those two are the only Valpo players to score at least 34 in a game since 1992.
- To reiterate, Nenadic came off the bench — the 34 points are the most by a reserve in program history.
- The 34 points is tied with Murray State's Halli Poock for the highest-scoring game by an MVC player this season.
- She scored her 34 points while being matched up primarily against a likely All-MVC honoree in Illinois State's Doneelah Washington — notable, as Nenadic's previous career best was 20 points earlier this year while facing All-American Audi Crooks at Iowa State.
- Nenadic is just the fourth MVC player in the last nine seasons with at least 16 baskets in a game, and joins a few pretty solid players in that department — Drake's Katie Dinnebier, Belmont's Destinee Wells and Murray State's Katelyn Young. She is tied for 24th overall in MVC history for baskets in a game.
- Nenadic is the first D-I player to score at least 34 points in a game without a single free throw attempt since UConn's Azzi Fudd scored 34 with zero trips to the foul line last February against St. John's.

More on the Illinois State Trip
- Led by Nenadic and von Schlegell, Valpo shot a season best from the field, hitting 32-of-72 — its 32 made baskets the program's most in a single game since Dec. 28, 2019 against Chicago State.
- The Beacons gave themselves that many chances at the basket because they committed a season-low eight turnovers, their lowest mark since committing just eight miscues against Bradley Jan. 29, 2023. Contrast that with the team's 17 assists, their second-best mark of the season.
- Despite forcing just nine turnovers, Valpo won the turnover battle for the first time this season.

Skip the Second?
- Three times in MVC play, the second quarter has proven to be the Beacons' undoing.
- In its last home game, Drake outscored Valpo 19-7 in the second quarter, while the Beacons outscored the Bulldogs 49-47 in the other three periods.
- At Illinois State, a 31-12 second quarter for the Redbirds accounted for the entire final margin, as Valpo matched ISU 62-62 in the other three quarters.
- At Indiana State, the Sycamores' 24-13 advantage in the second quarter offset Valpo's 65-64 edge in the other three periods.

Fiona Leads the Way
- Senior Fiona Connolly has become Valpo's leading offensive threat this year.
- Connolly is averaging a team-best 11.3 points/game this season, over triple her scoring average of 3.5 points/game last year.
- Connolly currently ranks eighth among returning MVC players in points/game improvement this season.
- She has also nearly doubled her production on the boards, averaging 3.8 rebounds/game this season after posting 2.2 boards/game last year.

Allia Heats Up
- Freshman Allia von Schlegell has made a big impact in her rookie season.
- von Schlegell has scored in double figures 10 times this season, including in seven of Valpo's last 11 games.
- Included in this run is a 17-point effort at Indiana State; back-to-back 18-point games versus SIUE and at Western Michigan; and a game-high and season-best 19 points at Evansville.
- von Schlegell currently ranks third among MVC freshmen in scoring (9.6 points/game) and is tied for first in 3-pointers made (35).
- She ranks 94th nationally in freshman scoring and is one of 31 freshmen nationally with at least 35 made triples.

Nonconference Scoring
- 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
- Valpo used its eighth different starting lineup of the season at Southern Illinois, as Kayla Preston made her first collegiate start after coming off the bench in each of her previous 58 collegiate appearances.
- Ten different players have been a part of at least one starting five this year, with only one - Mikayla Huffine - starting every game.
- The current starting quartet (Huffine/von Schlegell/Connolly/Sullivan/Preston) has started the last four games, matching the longest run for a starting lineup this season.
- Mor Shabtai had started 34 consecutive games dating back to last season prior to missing the Indiana State/Evansville road trip due to injury.

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).