WHO: ODU (0-0) vs UMass (0-0)
WHEN: Monday, Nov. 3 - 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Norfolk, Va. - Chartway Arena
ALL-TIME: First Meeting
Live Stats: Click Here!
WATCH: ESPN+
LISTEN - ESPN Radio 94.1
SOCIAL MEDIA - X, Facebook, Instagram
NORFOLK, Va. - Old Dominion women’s basketball tips off the 2025-26 season against UMass on Monday, Nov. 3 at 6:30 p.m. at Chartway Arena in the first round of the MAC-SBC Challenge.
The game promotion of the night is a White Out. Fans will be able to watch both games on ESPN+ with Chip Tarkenton providing play-by-play and Kim Aston adding color commentary. Matthew Hatfield and Shonda Deberry can be heard on Fox Sports Radio 1310 AM and live stats will also be available.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES
This will be the first meeting between the two programs.
ABOUT ODU:
The Monarchs were picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt in the SBC Preseason Coaches’ Poll. ODU returned key players from last season in En’Dya Buford and Simone Cunningham. The Silver and Blue welcomed seven new players to the program over the summer who will make their ODU debut on Monday.
Buford is coming off All-Sun Belt Second Team honors last season and earned All-Sun Belt Preseason First Team on Oct. 20. Cunningham was selected to the All-Sun Belt Third Team. The forward from Pleasant Grove, Ala. averaged 9.1 points per game and 8.0 rebounds per game, she swatted away 25 blocks and snagged 28 steals. Buford averaged a team high 13.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. She finished last season with 82 steals, ranking 30th in the nation and was 39th in the nation with 2.41 steals per game.
Incoming players Nevaeh Scott, Jaylen Ponder, Laila Walker, and Riley Stack bring added depth to the Monarchs. Scott is coming off a campaign with Northwest Florida State College that earned her NJCAA Tournament MVP while collecting First Team All-Conference honors. She was also named an NJCAA First Team All-American. Ponder started 11 games and scored a season-high 15 points against ULM for Coastal Carolina. The forward averaged 6.6 points per game in 14.8 minutes played, making 21 threes in 32 games while shooting 32% from behind the arc.
Walker is a 6-4 transfer from ULM. Last season for the Warhawks, Walker averaged 17.4 minutes, 4.4 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game, and swatted 30 blocks while swiping 12 steals on the defensive end. Stack’s sophomore season saw her average 4.2 points per game and 3.1 rebounds per game in 14 minutes on the court. She led the Chanticleers and ranked sixth in the Sun Belt with 38 total blocks (1.2 per game). Her 104 total blocks through two seasons in Conway ranked fourth-most in a career in program history.
ABOUT UMASS:
The Minutewomen are entering their first season in the MAC, they finished last season with a 17-15 overall record and a 11-7 record in the A-10. UMass is led by head coach Mike Leflar in his third season at the helm and eighth with the program. The Minutewomen were picked to finish third in the MAC in the MAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
Senior forward Megan Olbrys started every game for the Minutewomen last season, she averaged 14 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Yahmani Mckayle was right behind her with 13.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Mckayle swiped 58 steals and provided 110 assists. Graduate student guard Allie Palmieri was the team's third leading scorer, netting an average of 12.2 points per game.
UMass averaged 64.3 points per game and conceded an average of 58.7 points per game. As a team, the Minutewomen shot 41% from the field and 33% from behind the arc. They grabbed an average of 37.9 rebounds per game and have a +7.3 margin against their opponents.
UP NEXT:
The Monarchs will welcome Elizabeth City State to Chartway Arena for a matchup on Friday, Nov. 9 at 6:30 p.m.