2025-2026 Women’s Basketball Preview: Will the Ramblers Sink or Swim in the A10?

Loyola women’s basketball sits at a crossroads heading into the 2025-26 season, entering their fourth season in the Atlantic 10 (A10).

Following an improvement from a 1-15 conference record and a 6-24 overall record in their first year in the A10. Loyola leapt up to a 15-16 record and went 8-10 in the A10 in 2023-24 season. They took a step back this past season with a 13-17 record while going 5-13, good for 13th in the conference. The Ramblers were bounced in the opening round of the A10 tournament to 12 seeded George Washington University.

Loyola is projected to finish 13th out of 14 teams, according to the A10 preseason poll and earned zero all-conference selections after receiving 43 points.

They’ll hope to outplay their projection after losing fourth-year guard Emma Theodorsson in the transfer portal to A10 foe George Washington. Theodorsson led last year’s squad with 4.4 rebounds and was second with 9.4 points per game. Leading scorer and shot blocker Naelle Bernard and Sitori Tanin both graduated after last season, marking more leaders for this team to replace.

Coach Guth enters her fourth and final year of her contract, The Phoenix previously reported. Since taking the job in Rogers Park, Loyola hasn’t had an above .500 record overall or in conference. The Ramblers’ last winning season was in 2021-22 — the year before Guth became coach — where they boasted an 18-12 record, the year before she took the job.

Heading into this season, Loyola will look to have their first winning season since joining the A10 and attempt to achieve success in the conference tournament with only one win in three seasons since joining.

The New Additions:

The Ramblers added five new players to the roster with three first-years, one graduate transfer, one redshirt third-year and a redshirt first-year. 

The most experienced of the group is graduate guard Alexus Mobley. Raised in Indianapolis, Ind., Mobley started her collegiate journey playing at Danville Area Community College her first two seasons. She led the team with 21.8 points per game with 3.1 steals while shooting 50.3% from the field during her second year. She led the Jaguars to a 12 seed in the DII National Championships before falling in the first round of the tournament to Harcum College. 

Mobley moved upwards the following season heading to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) at the University of Akron. While the Zips missed the MAC tournament both years she attended, Mobley shined, placing second on the team in points with 12.1 per game while shooting an efficient 41.7% from the field. Her best performance thus far came last season as well when she scored a career-high 30 points on 11-17 shooting against Miami University Hamilton University, helping her earn a MAC Player of the Week accolade.

Redshirt third-year forward Clara Djoko is another transfer who could play a crucial role for the Ramblers. The Entzheim, France native came to the United States in 2022 where she was redshirted at the University of California, Irvine. The last two seasons she has played a primarily bench role for the Anteaters.

Djoko’s career high in minutes came in 2023 in a 19 minute performance where she added only two points, one assist, one rebound and a block. Her career high in points is only four despite playing in 55 career games for the Anteaters. 

Her speciality comes on defense where she’s had two three-steal performances. Per 100 possessions last season, she averaged 4.2 steals, the highest on the team by 0.8. With her height being listed at 6-feet and her strong pickpocketing ability, Djoko should supply strong defense in the backcourt. 

The youngest of the transfers is redshirt first-year guard Brook Simpson. The 5-foot-11 Saugatuck, Mich. native comes to Loyola after a year at Bowling Green State University where she redshirted. 

Simpson saw action in only the first two games where she had a rebound and a steal in six-and-a-half minutes against Southern Mississippi in her debut and had one turnover in a loss to University of Detroit Mercy. Her best game came in an exhibition against Wittenberg University where she contributed 11 points in 20 minutes on 3-5 shooting, to go along with four assists, four rebounds and a steal.

The first-year Guth seems most excited about is six-foot-two guard and forward Alex-Anne Bessette. From Québec City, Bessette helped Team Canada capture the silver medal at the 2024 International Basketball Federation Under-18 Women’s America Championship in Bucaramanga, Colombia.

Bessette averaged 4.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 0.8 blocks in 11 minutes per game. Her best performance of the tournament came in the semi-final victory against Brazil where she scored seven points, two rebounds and a steal in 11 minutes. Guth raved about her at A10 media day, citing how gifted she is and her innate ability to play all positions.

First-year forward Nevaeh Dickman, hailing from Fishers, Ind. is the highest ranked member of the 2025 class as a three star and the 104th ranked prospect nationally, according to 247 sports. Dickman averaged 15.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while primarily playing as a power forward in high school. She looks to be a force on the boards for the Ramblers.

The last member of the class is first-year guard Daniella Matus, hailing from Fairfield, N.J. Matus was a 1,000-point scorer over her career at Morris Catholic and St. John Vianney where she helped them win their fourth straight Shore Conference title her third-year while making all conference third team. She helped St. John Vianney make a run to the semifinals of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament before returning to Morris Catholic last season where she averaged 12.4 points per game.

Games to Look Out For:

The women’s team will prepare for their season with an exhibition game against North Central College Oct. 26 in Gentile Arena. 

After the scrimmage, they’ll start the season on the road at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Nov. 3. The last time the two teams faced off was Dec. 9, 2023, where the Ramblers captured a 60-47 win after outscoring the Panthers by 14 in the fourth quarter.

Loyola returns home three days later for their home opener against the University of Wisconsin Green Bay. In just their third game of the season, the Ramblers will have their toughest test of the season in a road trip to face defending champion University of Connecticut for their first matchup in program history, marking a chance for the biggest upset in team history.

The week leading up to Thanksgiving is when Loyola will face their in-city rivals, first in a game at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Loyola lost their most recent matchup Nov. 6, 2023 with a score of 67-51. Their next game will be the day before Thanksgiving, Nov. 26, where they face Red Live Rival DePaul University on the road, looking for only their second win against the Blue Demons in their 22nd ever contest.

Their last inner city game takes place at Northwestern University, where Loyola looks to get their first win against the Wildcats since 2023 after losing last year’s face-off.

Their first A10 matchup will break right before the new year as they face Davidson College Dec. 31 in Gentile Arena. Loyola lost their sole contest against the Wildcats on the road in a 68-51 loss. The Ramblers are currently 0-3 all-time against Davidson.

The A10 women’s basketball conference tournament will take place March 4-8 at the Henrico Sports & Events Center in Henrico, Va..

Atlantic 10 Opponents:

The Atlantic 10 released its preseason conference rankings and all conference teams on Sept. 30. 

The University of Richmond opened as pre-season conference favorites, ranked first in the pre-season polls for the third straight season with 188 points and nine of the 14 first-place votes. The Spiders are ranked 19th in ESPN’s preseason poll, coming off a season where they went 28-7, achieving Sweet 16 status despite losing in the A10 quarterfinals to Duquesne University. 

Richmond returns their top two scorers in fourth-year forward Maggie Doogan and fourth-year guard Rachel Ullstrom, who both made all-conference first team. They also made an in-conference addition, acquiring graduate forward Tierra Simon from Saint Louis University, who averaged 8.8 points and 8.9 rebounds and made all-conference third team.

Last year’s A10 champion, George Mason University, placed second in the poll with 185 points, earning four first-place votes. The Patriots have two returning members on the A10 first team in third-year guard Kennedy Harris and redshirt third-year forward Zahirah Walton. 

The Patriots added graduate Hawa Komara from the University of Rhode Island, who finished last season as the Rams’ third-leading rebounder, earning second team A10 this preseason. Komara and Walton also made first team all-defensive.

The last team earning a first-place vote was Davidson, tallied as the third-best team in the A10 with 167 points. The Wildcats were the third seed in last year’s A10 tournament before losing in the semi-finals to George Mason. 

Fourth-year guard Charlise Dunn represents Davidson on the A10 first team after leading the team in points, rebounds and steals last season, helping her earn first team all-defensive as well. Third-year guard Katie Donovan also made an appearance on the second team, and second-year forward Candice Lienafa on the third team.

University of Rhode Island sits in the fourth slot after finishing fifth in the A10 last season and losing in the quarterfinals to Saint Joseph’s University. Fourth-year guard Brooklyn Gray led the team, making the A10 second team after transferring from Saint Louis in the offseason. Fourth-year guard Ines Debroise was also selected to the all-defensive team after averaging 0.9 steals.

The University of Dayton flies into fifth with 123 points after ending 2024 as the four seed and losing in the A10 quarterfinals to Davidson. Graduate guard Nicole Stephens makes the third team after transferring from Columbia University. 

Saint Joseph’s University soars into sixth after losing in the A10 championship to George Mason last season as the four seed earning 120 points. Third-year guards Aleah Snead and Gabby Casey return for the Hawks, making the second and third teams. Snead was also selected for the all-defensive team.

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) butts into seventh, receiving 110 points. They hold the final first team selection, fourth-year guard Mary-Anna Asare, who led the Rams in scoring at 16 points per game last season. VCU lost in the opening round of the A10 tournament as the 11 seed to La Salle University.

Duquesne University slides into eighth after finishing ninth last season before losing in the quarterfinals to Richmond. The Dukes — who totaled 95 points — will look to replace guard Megan McConnell, who led the A10 in points and Duquesne in rebounds, assists and steals last season, with a large class of three transfers and five incoming first-years.

Saint Louis University finds itself in ninth after losing in the A10 quarterfinals as a 10 seed, earning 86 points. The Billikens have big holes to fill after losing their leading scorer, Brooklyn Gray, to Rhode Island and their leading rebounder and shot-blocker, Tierra Simon, to Richmond. Saint Louis added an impact transfer in graduate guard Alexia Nelson, who makes A10 third team, and last played for Towson University in 2023-24

George Washington University earned 75 points, good enough for a 10th place ranking, after finishing as the 12 seed last season and losing in the second round of the A10 tournament. Second-year guard Gabby Reynolds makes the second team after leading the Revolutionaries in assists and steals during her first season.

Fordham University falls to the 11th place slot with 63 points after finishing last season as the eighth seed and losing in the second round. While the Rams have zero all-conference players, they added five transfers who will look to make an impact this season.

La Salle University sits in 12th after finishing last season 14th in the A10 and losing in the second round. The Explorers — who received 56 points — have hope for this season in the form of second-year guard Joan Quinn, who was third on the team in points and steals while being second in assists.

Ranking last in the A10 is St. Bonaventure University. The Bonnies land in 14th with 22 points, one spot up from last year’s 15th-place finish after the University of Massachusetts left the conference. They’ll hope to overperform in the A10 after losing their top two scorers in redshirt fourth-year guard Dani Haskell to graduation and now second-year guard Zoe Shaw to University of California, Santa Barbara.

Guth’s Truths:

Following a step back in record last year, Guth continues to try and turn the ship around for Loyola as they aim for their first above .500 season of her tenure.

On A10 media day, Guth reiterated the same message — growth is a process and this team needs to continue to do it if they want to find their footing in a competitive A10 conference. Last season the A10 sent two teams to the NCAA tournament. 

Guth admitted last year’s team underachieved because they weren’t consistent enough. This team “wants to win more” which was echoed by fourth-year guard Kira Chivers who said “everyone has the same hunger” to be better than last year. 

A big emphasis was on improving the pace Loyola plays at. With eight players classified as second or first-years, the Ramblers have a lot of youth they can utilize to be faster on and off the ball. Guth believes the team can play better to their strengths if they play quicker and continue to attack their opponents.

Chivers and second-year guard Alexa Kinas were the two returning players Guth focused on the most, citing Kinas’ versatility entering this season and the voice and leadership Chivers has picked up. She credits her new trait to earning the trust of Guth and help from former Rambler guard Sam Galanopoulos who graduated in 2024, ending her career as a 1,000 point scorer and leading Loyola in assists three straight seasons. 

Varda’s Viewpoint:

Since Guth took the head coach job in 2022, she told The Next it was one of her missions to make Loyola a nationally recognized program. That statement resonated in this year’s A10 presser where Chivers relayed the message, saying she “wants to put Loyola Chicago on the map.” 

Entering year four of the Guth era, it’s starting to feel like it should be time for the Ramblers to begin establishing themselves both in the city of Chicago and the A10 Conference. So far in her career Guth is 1-6 against inner city rivals DePaul, Northwestern and UIC and they haven’t had a positive finish in the conference. For Guth to be the long-term answer at Loyola, those promises need to start following through. 

With the team adding six new faces, three being transfers, there is no reason to expect the Ramblers to be worse than last season. They have a serious backcourt duo with the playmaking of Chivers and scoring ability of Mobley, but the team lost their five most leading scorers last season. They need a lot of players to step into those roles.

If Loyola can show some serious growth on the offensive side of the ball and move at a faster pace on both sides of the floor like Guth outlined, this team should be able to improve upon last season and make a serious run in the A10 tournament. 

We’ll get the first look at Loyola’s squad to see what they’re made of on Oct. 26 in their exhibition against North Central College. This team has a lot of youth and a lot of talent. It’s time to see if they can pull it all together and have a complete season.