Loyola enters their fifth season in the A10 with a new coaching staff and six roster additions.
Loyola enters their fifth season in the A10 with a new coaching staff and six roster additions.
Loyola women’s basketball is heading into their fifth season in the Atlantic 10 (A10) conference and their first under a new coaching staff with six new additions. Hailing from the University of Kansas as former Associate Head Coach, Morgan Paige will be leading the Ramblers, taking over the position Allison Guth previously held with a four-year tenure.
In the 2025-2026 season, the Ramblers finished ninth in the league after a preseason poll projected them to finish 13th out of 14 teams.
Finishing with an overall record of 16-18 and 9-9 in conference play, Loyola earned a spot in the A10 championship with a No. 8 spot. Following a first-round bye week, Loyola faced No. 9 St. Bonaventure, leaving triumphantly with a 61-59 second-round win.
With a quarterfinal matchup against top-seeded Rhode Island University, the Ramblers were defeated 71-64 despite a fourth-quarter push to shave a 16-point deficit.
Loyola was then given an at-large bid to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) where they made their first ever appearance. The Ramblers made it to the WNIT Super 16 where they fell to George Washington 71-62.
Now, Loyola is looking for a deep championship run after losing five players to the transfer portal, gaining a new head coach and bringing in six new additions.
The new additions
The Ramblers added six new transfers to the roster including four second-years, a third-year and a graduate student.
The first three transfers announced were second-year forward Angela Le Faou, third-year forward Gabby Wilke and second-year guard Mireia Jurado.
A native of Bordeaux, France, Le Faou debuted her college career at the University of Pittsburgh where she earned one start and played in 28 games. She held a field goal percentage of 45%, shooting 9 for 20 and hitting a career-high five points while proving her strength as a rebounder by grabbing 40.
Prior to Le Faou’s first year with an Atlantic Coast Conference team, she attended Tony Parker Adéquat Academy in France and gained experience playing for the Spanish U16 National Team.
Wilkes arrived at Loyola after spending time at the University of South Dakota and Butler University. As a former Coyote, Wilke saw playing time in all 31 games with starts in 16, hitting a record performance of 21 points against Kansas City. She finished out her first year averaging 5.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
The Wisconsinite transferred to Butler University, where she appeared in 26 games while shooting 41.9% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc.
Her time with the Bulldogs was an improvement from the 34.3% she shot from the field and 30.7% from the three-point range with the Coyotes.
In her third year, Wilkes is bringing experience from the Big East conference with scoring ability and versatility in her skill.
Hailing from Barcelona, Spain, Jurado ended up in the Southwest where she had her first-year start with the University of Arizona. With 30 game appearances and 18 starts, she held a shooting percentage of 48.5% from the field with an average of 3.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.
The former Wildcat brings the most experience to the Ramblers’ roster with appearances in FIBA World Cups, where she assisted Spain’s 2023 U16 team to win silver and the 2024 U17 team to win bronze.
Jurado’s championship history includes playing time with Segle XXI Club, a prestigious basketball development in Spain known for producing NCAA talent.
The second round of announcements included a pair of second-year guards, MD Ntambue and Vasiliki Cholopoulou, as well as graduate guard Hailey Johnson.
Expanding the international versatility for Loyola, Ntambue is a Montreal, Quebec native who began her collegiate career with Villanova University, where she saw an average of 10.8 minutes per game across 25 contests. She assisted the team in reaching the NCAA tournament and boasts high school accolades such as First Team All-Star honors and Second-Team All Star WNPA.
Cholopoulou, who’s from Kozani, Greece, spent her first year at Columbia University, where she only saw a total 20 minutes of playing time. Nonetheless, she holds championship pedigree with previous roster spots on the Greece U16 and U18 national teams as well as the 2024 Women’s EuroBasket Qualifiers where she was awarded U23 Player of the Year honors.
The final transfer addition is from Coto de Caza, Calif. Johnson spent three years at Pepperdine University and one year with Duke University before joining the Ramblers.
Johnson redshirted her first season and debuted in 2023 against University of California, Irvine. She saw appearances in 33 games, starts in two and a shooting percentage of 21.1% from the field. In a matchup against California Institute of Technology, Johnson scored a career-high four points with a jumper and rebound assist.
Games to look out for
The women’s team starts out their season with an exhibition game against Lewis University Oct. 27 and officially begin regular season play at home against Wright State University Nov. 3.
The Raiders have historically fared better with a record of 13-6 against the Ramblers, but this game marks the first matchup since 2013.
Loyola will host DePaul University for the annual Red Line Rivalry contest Nov. 24. Despite the longtime rivalry, the Ramblers have only won twice in the 22 times they’ve competed.
When Loyola goes on the road Dec. 6, they’re going head to head with Iowa State University for a first-time contest. The Big 12 conference members finished 22-10 overall and 10-8 in conference play last year.
During winter break, the Ramblers will welcome the University of Illinois Chicago Dec. 13 and Northwestern University Dec. 16 for a pair of inner-city rivalries.
With a 23-game history, UIC currently has a three-game win streak against Loyola with an all-time record of 14-9. The Ramblers will be looking to defeat the Flames for the first time since 2018.
Loyola won their most recent contest against the Wildcats last season when a two-pointer put the Ramblers in the lead with 20 seconds on the clock. Despite the 69-68 win, Northwestern holds 10 wins to Loyola’s two.
A10 conference play begins right at the end of December in North Carolina where the Ramblers are set to go up against Davidson College Dec. 30. Loyola will be looking to notch their first win against the Wildcats during their fifth meetup.
The A10 conference tournament will be held in Henrico, Va. March 3-7 at the Henrico Sports & Events Center.
Atlantic 10 opponents
In the 2025-2026 season, Rhode Island University dominated the A10 conference with a 16-2 conference record and 28-5 overall, earning them the top spot of 14 teams.
After making it to the first round of the NCAA tournament in 30 years, the Rams saw a departure from former Head Coach Tammi Reiss, who made the journey to the University of Florida for a head coaching position.
Despite the Rhode Island success, they start this year with six new members to the coaching staff, including Head Coach Colleen Mullen, as well as six new transfers. The Rams have a chance to build up off a winning season if they can find their footing as a new team.
Falling into the second slot is the University of Richmond, who ended the year 15-3 in conference play and 26-8 overall. Earning a spot in the NCAA tournament, the Spiders fell in the first round against University of Nebraska–Lincoln with a 75-56 loss.
Richmond also saw a loss in former Head Coach Aaron Rousell who held a seven-year tenure. The Spiders are now being led by Alisa Kresge, who spent eight seasons with the University of Vermont, leading them to three NCAA tournament appearances.
Kresge has announced four new additions, including a pair of first-year forwards Alexandra Vandiver and Hannah Tjernberg, as well as first-year guard Emma Schoen and third-year center Harriet Ford.
Returning for the Spiders is fourth-year guard Ally Sweeney, who led the A10 in assists, tallying 149 total. The veteran shot 46% from the field and 39.9% in three-pointers and will help lead the team under a new coaching staff.
George Mason University landed third in the lineup, boasting a 16-2 in conference and an overall record of 23-10.
The Patriots welcome six new players to the roster, including former Loyola athlete third-year forward Roisin Grandberry who entered the transfer portal after the announcement of Guth’s departure. At Loyola, Grandberry averaged 1.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per game across 29 appearances.
Saint Joseph’s University and Davidson College round out the top five with the former holding 10-8 in conference and 20-11 overall and the latter recording 12-6 in conference and 21-12 overall.
The Hawks saw a No. 5 seed in the A10 tournament with a first-round win against Duquesne University, who fell 66-45. Faring similar to Loyola, Saint Joseph’s fell in the quarterfinals to Davidson 64-59.
The Wildcats advanced to the semifinals on the Hawks’ loss but were taken out by eventual leaders Rhode Island in a 55-46 battle.
Davidson has a strong roster but saw a departure in 1,000-point milestone hitter, fourth-year guard Charlise Dunn, who was picked up by the Toronto Tempo as the 36th pick in the WNBA draft.
Falling in the sixth spot was La Salle University, who held a 10-8 conference record and 19-14 overall.
The Explorers faced Loyola twice in conference play, losing the first game in a 64-60 clash but dominating the Ramblers in a 70-57 rematch. La Salle holds a 4-3 all-time record against Loyola.
The University of Dayton concluded their season with a breakeven 9-9 record in conference play and 17-14 overall, earning them the seventh spot.
The Flyers historically hold a better record against Loyola in conference play with a 7-3 win record in the 10 contests they’ve had.
Loyola beat Dayton in their first matchup last season with a tight margin of a 71-68 win. The Flyers landed on Rambler turf for their second meetup, taking the game 67-58.
Finishing in front of Loyola was St. Bonaventure in the eighth spot and George Washington ending ninth.
The Bonnies went 7-11 in conference to match the Revolutionaries, who held the same. St. Bonaventure stood 17-16 overall, distinguishing them from George Washington’s 18-18.
The Revolutionaries hosted Loyola in the WNIT Super 16, putting an end to the Rambler run with a 71-62 triumph. Their own journey ended at Illinois State University in a 61-53 road game.
After falling in round two of the WNIT against Middle Tennessee State University, the Bonnies welcomed four new players to the roster, including first-year guard Lola Gralton, graduate guard Kay Donahue, third-year forward Jordyn Williams and second-year forward Kyla Hayes.
Duquesne was given the 11th spot, trailing Loyola with a 4-14 conference record and 12-19 overall. The Dukes only went up against the Ramblers once, taking the home game opportunity to defeat Loyola 67-55.
The bottom three included Saint Louis University, Fordham University and Virginia Commonwealth University with VCU rounding out the standings with a last place position.
The Billikens recorded 5-13 in conference and 12-21 overall while seeing Loyola in two contests across January. The Ramblers dominated both games with similar outcomes, the first ending 71-64 and the second 74-59.
In a lone New York matchup, the Rams battled against the Ramblers but eventually fell in a 47-42 ending.
VCU traveled to Gentile Arena on National Girl and Women in Sports Day Feb. 7 where they conceded a 66-55 loss to the Ramblers, unable to shave the 10-point lead.
Alejandra’s analysis
Last season, Loyola had a solid run with a quarterfinal presence in the A10 championship and a first-time appearance in the WNIT, but they’re starting from the ground up this year.
With an entirely new coaching staff under Paige — aside from Assistant Coach Jordan McCann who enters his fifth year — the team will be led by Assistant Coaches Brittany Pinkey, Chloe Brooks and Heidi Messer, Video Coordinator Ryan Colby and Director of Basketball Operations Ashton Lozano.
Despite their extensive backgrounds and aspirations for Loyola, it goes without saying they’re adjusting to a new team — one who also faces a fresh roster after being cleared out by the transfer portal.
Losing six key players, including guard Alex-AnneBessette and guard Alexa Kinas, rocks the foundation of what would’ve been a steady and positive start into the 2026-2027 season.
Bessette was named A10 All-Conference Third Team and A10 All-Rookie Team while finishing second on the team in scoring with 11.3 points per game and 34 three-pointers made.
She was a powerhouse as a consistent starter with a field goal percentage of 42.8% and average of 3.4 rebounds per game.
Kinas was right behind Bessette, shooting 42.3% from the field but leading the team in steals — 2.4 per game.
Paige filled roster space with the new additions, but whether they’ll fill the gaps left by former core players will be a test we’ll see with time. There’s versatility on the team with rebound and shooting strength in new members Le Faou and Wilke and veteran players third-year forward Brooklyn Vaughn and fourth-year guard Rosalie Mercille.
Although this year appears to be a building year for the Ramblers, and I don’t foresee them making a deep playoff run, fans are sure to watch an interesting season as we see how the new team meshes on the court.
The Ramblers take on Lewis University Oct. 27 at 6:30 p.m. for an exhibition game in Gentile Arena.
Basketball season is upon us, and it’s time to see if Loyola can put the pieces together to set the foundation for a strong build-up year.
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