MURRAY, KY — After back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference championships, the Murray State women’s basketball team is looking for a third straight.

Head coach, Rechelle Turner, says that winning three titles in a row is not going to be easy and her team will have to put in the work this summer if they want to get back to the top of the conference.

“They won two straight championships so we can’t get complacent, we can’t be entitled, we have to continue to work. It’s gonna be an uphill battle, the target is even bigger on our backs.”

Also talking about this groups place in the history books of Murray State and what they have a chance to build on.

“I think this group has an opportunity to create a legacy that may or may not ever be touched again, to be able to have a three-peat in the Missouri Valley.”

Turner and staff have had a busy offseason thus far, adding a slew of freshman players and grabbing two players in the transfer portal. 

Claire Johnson, a transfer from Nebraska who is originally from Paducah, and then Sydney Huber, who transferred from Evansville, were both key additions for the Racers and will be key contributors to their goals of winning at the next level.

“I think they just take us to a whole other level, they allow us to put people on the floor that can do multiple things. We felt like we had to increase our depth. Bringing in that type of talent, we feel like we’ve created depth and we’ve created that ability to do some of the things we know we have to do to compete with the big dogs.”

While the transfers bring a new and fresh element to the team, this roster is mainly made up of returners from last season, who are looking to continue their run of success here at Murray State.

“We’re really excited that they all chose to come back, I think that it says a lot about our program and that all started with the leadership and direction of Katelyn Young, she could’ve left but she came back, and she set that tone for the loyalty and what our program is about, these kids have followed her lead.”

Katelyn Young, the Racers all time leading scorer,  played her final year in 2024-2025 and played with a lot of the current roster before ultimately joining the coaching staff in 2025.

Coach Turner also touched on what this squad needs to improve on for next season and how they can elevate their performance, despite being a great team from most statistic perspectives.

“We still have to continue to increase our offensive production, and I know that sounds crazy when we averaged 85 points a game last year, and fifth in the nation in offensive efficiency. But there’s still more out there to get, I feel like if we could average 90 points a game, I think we’ve only lost one or two games in two years when we score 90 or more.”

Outside of the offense, there are still a few areas with this team that Turner feels work is needed and will be addressed in summer trainings.

“You’re gonna see an increase in our defense, an increase in creating turnovers, creating more possessions through our defense. We’ve wanted to do that for a while, but we’ve basically been a half court scout defense. Hopefully you’ll see us be a more 94 feet on both sides of the ball.”

Turner also recently signed an extension with the program so continuing to build a solid culture and a consistent playstyle will set the stage for future teams to work with and add to.

With the spring and summer sessions getting into full swing, all that is left to do is practice and continue to improve.

WPSD will continue to cover the women’s team and do in-depth stories with the players and coaches as the offseason continues.