This is a season for Loyola women’s basketball to figure out who they are, according to head coach Allison Guth — and The Phoenix has outlined how they plan to do just that.
This is a season for Loyola women’s basketball to figure out who they are, according to head coach Allison Guth — and The Phoenix has outlined how they plan to do just that.
The Loyola women’s basketball team enters its 2024-2025 season in what head coach Allison Guth described as a season to “learn about ourselves and figure out who we are.”
In the season prior, Guth and the Ramblers fell just below the .500 mark, going 15-16 and 8-10 in conference play, and made it to the second round of the Atlantic 10 conference tournament before losing to eventual conference champions University of Richmond March 8. They had been ranked dead last in the 2023-2024 A10 preseason’s coaches’ poll.
The team has shown significant growth since their first season in the A-10 conference, when they went 1-20 in conference games— but has lost significant members of the team’s roster.
Most notable are the absences of graduated leading scorers in guards Alyssa Fisher and Sam Galanopolous – with 418 and 417 season total points – along with the supporting frontcourt cast of Ali Berg and twins Emma and Sophia Nolan.
After picking up six first-years, four transfers and a new assistant coach, the Ramblers enter the 2024-2025 season with the opportunity to continue their road of conference improvement and set a sustainable pace for the program.
The New Additions
Yasmyn Palmer, a 6’2” forward from Southfield, MI comes to Loyola for her first-year after playing at Cranbrook Kingswood High School. During her time at Cranbrook, Palmer received All-Conference and All-Catholic awards, as well as a Detroit Free Press All-Area honorable mention for her performances.
6 ‘3” first-year Roisin Grandberry – from Arlington Heights, IL – was a four-star prospect, according to HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings. She was also ranked 16th as a forward and 74th overall by ESPNW. While at Rolling Hills High School, Grandberry earned several MSL All-Conference awards and an All-State shout, among other accolades.
Alexa Kinas makes her way south to Chicago from Kaukauna, WI. The 5’8” guard was a multi-sport athlete at Kaukauna High School, competing in baseball, golf, track and cross country, earning 20 combined all-conference awards. Kinas recorded 19.4 points and four assists per game before suffering an ACL injury her senior year.
5’8” guard Holly Dolny makes her way from the land down under to join the Ramblers as a first-year. The Werribee, Australia native worked with Australian travel team Recruiting Boost and played club in the Wyndham Basketball Association. At Wyndham, Dolny averaged 11.4 points per game on 50% two-point shooting in 2023.
Second-year Rosalie Mercille completed a transfer to Loyola from Monmouth University, where the 5’9” guard averaged 6.4 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. A resident of Montreal, Canada, Mercille has made several international appearances with Team Canada. She is a former captain of the U16 group and a member of Canada’s gold-winning squad at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Third-year Emma Theodorsson is a 6’1” guard and forward who comes to the Ramblers after averaging 10.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in two seasons with Bucknell University. In addition to several Patriot League rookie accolades, the Pittsburgh native ranked seventh and 12th for points and rebounds in the 2023-2024 league, and appeared in international competitions for Iceland.
Loyola is the third university for fourth-year 6’0” guard Jess Finney, who previously played at the University of San Diego and University of Washington. In the 2023-2024 season with San Diego, Finney averaged 5.9 points off of 32.1% three-point shooting. In high school in Phoenix she led Arizona in three-pointers made.
First-year Kendall Hendrix, a 5’10” guard, comes to Chicago after graduating West Bloomfield High School in West Bloomfield, MI. Hendrix is a two-time MHSAA DI State Champion and earned all-league with her high school team — averaging 8.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
Brooklyn Vaughn is a first-year from Maumee, OH, who joins the Ramblers after competing at Central Catholic High School and Legends U club basketball. At Central Catholic, Vaughn earned DII All-Ohio first and second team accolades. In her 2022-2023 season at Central Catholic, the 5’11” forward averaged 15.5 points and 14.0 rebounds per game with 19 double-doubles.
Graduate 5’5” guard Naelle Bernard played two seasons at A10 foe Duquesne University and one at Salt Lake City Community College prior to joining Loyola. The Paris, France native was a part of the Dukes’ A10 Championship runner-up team during the 2023-2024 season, averaging 9.3 points per game on 39.5% shooting. Her 37.5% clip from the three-point range was 13th best in the conference.
Mai-Loni Henson joins the assistant coaching ranks after a one-year stint with Colorado College. Her season with Colorado was the same in which the Tigers grabbed their first-ever 20-win season and a resulting championship run in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. A former player herself, Henson had three seasons of professional basketball experience in France.
Games to Look Out For
Loyola starts its 2024-2025 season Nov. 4 in a matchup vs Kentucky State University at Gentile Arena. A home exhibition match versus Elmhurst will be played a week earlier Oct. 27.
Crosstown games against DePaul University and Northwestern University will both be hosted in Gentile Nov. 12 and Nov. 28. The Ramblers fell to the Blue Demons and eeked out a win against the Wildcats last season.
The Ramblers open Atlantic 10 conference play with an early Dec. 3 matchup vs La Salle University in Gentile Arena. Loyola will complete three more of their non-conference battles before taking on another A-10 opponent just before the new year in St. Bonaventure University Dec. 29.
The rematch against Richmond is due for Jan. 23 on home ground. Another month of A10 action will follow before the Ramblers host Saint Louis University March 1 in the final game before the A10 conference tournament kicks off in Henrico, VA.
Atlantic 10 Opponents
The Atlantic 10 conference released their preseason rankings and accolades Oct. 7. The Ramblers are projected to finish ninth in the conference.
The University of Richmond ranked first in the preseason poll, with 10 first place votes and 216 overall. The Spiders took home the 2023-2024 A10 regular season and conference title, and had a conference record of 16-2. Richmond gained seven new players from the transfer portal and kept several key returning players.
Saint Joseph’s University took second place in the preseason poll, earning four first place votes. The Hawks finished second in the conference last season with a 15-3 conference record before being eliminated by the University of Rhode Island in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
Rounding out the top three is George Mason University, who finished last season 14-4 in conference play. The Patriots had four players named to preseason teams, including reigning A10 Rookie of the Year third-year forward Zahirah Walton.
Davidson College ranked fourth in the poll after withdrawing from the end of the 2023-2024 conference season due to multiple injuries plaguing the team. The Wildcats finished eighth during the season, finishing 18-11 overall and 8-10 in conference play.
12 out of 15 players will return to fifth place Virginia Commonwealth University this upcoming season. The Rams finished 15-3 last season and were eliminated by Saint Louis University in the quarterfinal round of the tournament after gaining the No. 2 seed.
The sixth place spot in the poll was awarded to Duquesne University. After finishing the season ranked fifth and going 13-5 in conference play, The Dukes were eliminated by Richmond in the semifinal round of the tournament.
Saint Louis University ranked seventh in the poll after winning the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, recording the first postseason win in A10 history. The Billikens finished the 2023-2024 season seventh in conference standings with an 8-9 conference record and were eliminated by Rhode Island in the semifinal round of the conference tournament.
After falling to Richmond in the conference championship last season, Rhode Island took the eighth spot in the preseason poll. The Rams gained six new players this offseason – four true first-years and two transfers.
Fordham University tied with the Ramblers in ninth on the poll with 96 points. The Rams were eliminated by Loyola in the second round of the conference tournament. Last season, Fordham finished 10th in conference standings with an 8-10 conference record.
The University of Dayton follows Fordham, receiving 84 points and good enough for 11th place. Fourth-year guard Ivy Wolf and fourth-year forward Arianna Smith return to the Flyers squad in addition to two graduate transfers.
George Washington University ranked 12th in the poll after finishing below Fordham last season. The Revolutionaries finished 6-12 in conference play and were eliminated by Saint Louis in the second round of the conference tournament.
The 13th place on the poll went to the University of Massachusetts. The Minutewomen were eliminated by Duquesne in the second round of the conference tournament and finished the season with a 2-16 conference record, the second-lowest in the conference.
After finishing in the bottom spot in the rankings last season, St. Bonaventure University takes the 14th place spot, receiving 38 points. The Bonnies only had one conference win last season and were eliminated in the first round of the conference tournament by Dayton.
La Salle rounds out the A10’s poll, a position the Ramblers found themselves in a year prior. Only two members of their 2023-2024 roster — second-year guard Aryss Macktoon and graduate guard Jolene Armendariz, team leaders in scoring and rebounds — return for the new season. The Explorers had a 5-13 record in conference play last year.
Guth’s Truths
Guth enters her third season in the driver’s seat, and looks to build up the Ramblers’ “strength up the middle — head, hearts, guts” culture.
Loyola’s game plan this season, according to Guth, is heavily inspired by University of Connecticut’s men’s head coach Dan Hurley’s five out motion offensive strategy, which led the Huskies to secure consecutive NCAA national titles in 2023 and 2024.
With the crop of offseason additions, Guth emphasized the fortitude each new player carries with them, regardless of familiarity to the collegiate basketball scene.
“There’s a toughness and grit to our transfers,” Guth said. “There’s a toughness and grit to our first-years that has just elevated the level of talent as a whole.”
When creating the Ramblers’ non-conference schedule, the main priority was scheduling matchups, not to prepare for a strong postseason run, but to build up the roster and define the conference starting rotation, according to Guth.
The loss to Richmond served as a focal point in the team’s redevelopment over the summer. In a think tank with her assistant staff immediately following the game, Guth began evaluations on the team’s success with three-point shooting, finishes at the rim and defense with integrity – areas she believes the transfers will provide an immediate impact with.
Guth remains upbeat and ready for the season with her new and familiar faces combining to get some “dubs.”
“We’re really excited for the season ahead,” Guth said. “What’s been fun for us is the last few months, getting to figure out our identity and play to our strengths. I think we’ve got a lot of talent — we’ve really addressed our competitiveness, our toughness and our grit — and we’re excited for going against them, against somebody else.”
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