{"id":256463,"date":"2025-11-02T00:20:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T00:20:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/256463\/"},"modified":"2025-11-02T00:20:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T00:20:11","slug":"womens-basketball-set-to-open-2025-26-season-at-ulm-in-mac-sbc-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/256463\/","title":{"rendered":"Women’s Basketball Set to Open 2025-26 Season at ULM in MAC-SBC Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nYPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team is set to begin the 2025-26 campaign as it will travel to Monroe, La., to face the University of Louisiana Monroe WarHawks in the first leg of the 2025-26 Mid-American Conference – Sun Belt Conference Challenge Monday, Nov. 3, at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
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\nTip off is set for 6:30 p.m. CT (7:30 p.m. ET) and fans can stream the game live on ESPN+ and keep up with live stats on emueagles.statbroadcast.com. A post-game recap will be posted to EMUEagles.com<\/a> and fans can stay posted to EMU women’s basketball social medias @EMUWBB<\/a> on X, @emuwbb<\/a> on Instagram, and EMU Women’s Basketball on Facebook.
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\nQUICK NOTES
\n\u00bb Eastern is entering the second year of the Head Coach Sahar Nusseibeh<\/a> era. EMU posted a 2-27 (1-17 MAC) record in 2024-25.
\n\u00bb Senior Sisi Eleko<\/a> was named Preseason All-MAC First Team after earning second-team honors following the 2024-25 regular season that saw her lead the MAC in double-doubles (14) and rebounds per game (10.1) while ranking second with 17.9 points per game.
\n\u00bb Eastern and ULM are meeting for the first time as EMU holds a 10-9 all-time record against the Sun Belt Conference and a 1-3 clip in the MAC-SBC Challenge, including an 0-2 mark in road contests.
\n\u00bb EMU aims to win its first road contest against a current SBC member since it beat Marshall, 66-57, in Huntington, W.Va., for its first win of the century, Jan. 2, 2000.\u00a0
\n\u00bb Eastern returns just Sisi Eleko<\/a> and Brooklyn Thrash<\/a> from the 2024-25 squad as it totals 13 newcomers, six of which came via the transfer portal.
\n\u00bb Eastern has nine international players on the roster, tying for the fourth-most in the nation and most in the MAC. Wagner has the most with 13.
\n\u00bb The second MAC\/SBC Challenge contest for each team will take place on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, with the match ups based on real-time NET rankings and announced in January and the MAC playing its games at home.
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\nALL-TIME VS. ULM\/SBC
\nEastern and ULM are meeting for the first time as EMU holds a 10-9 all-time record against the Sun Belt Conference and a 1-3 clip in the MAC-SBC Challenge, including an 0-2 mark in road MAC-SBC Challenge contests. EMU aims to win its first road contest against a current SBC member since it beat Marshall, 66-57, in Huntington, W.Va., for its first win of the century, Jan. 2, 2000. However, Marshall was in the MAC at the time. Overall EMU is 4-2 against the current members of the SBC with all four wins coming at Marshall, who was in the MAC for all four occurrences.
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\nLAST TIME VS. THE SBC
\nEastern most recently faced Georgia State in the second leg of the 2024-25 MAC-SBC Challenge, Feb. 8, 2025, in Atlanta, Ga., a 55-43 loss to the Panthers that saw Sisi Eleko<\/a> lead Eastern with a 14-point, eight-rebound performance.\u00a0
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\nLAST YEAR’S MAC-SBC CHALLENGE
\nEastern began the MAC-SBC Challenge with a nail-biting 75-71 loss to Texas State at home to open the Head Coach Sahar Nusseibeh<\/a> era and the 2024-25 campaign, Nov. 4. Eastern later dropped a 55-43 game to Georgia State, Feb. 4, where Sisi Eleko<\/a> led Eastern with a 14-point, eight-rebound performance.
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\nRECORD IN SEASON OPENERS
\nEastern holds a 32-17 all-time record in its first game of the season following the 75-71 loss to Texas State, Nov. 6. Despite recording back-to-back losses in openers the past two seasons, the Eagles are 17-7\u00a0 in season openers since the 1999-00 season, including winning streaks of 10 and seven games during that time.
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\nRECORD IN ROAD SEASON OPENERS
\nEastern is opening the season with a true road game for the 17th time in program history. Overall, EMU is 7-9 when doing so and last opened with a true road contest in 2020-21, a 65-61 win at Southern Illinois, Nov 25, 2020. Additionally, EMU is starting the season with a true road game for just the fifth time in the previous 20 seasons.
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\nOPENING VS THE SBC\/ON THE ROAD
\nEMU is opening the season against an SBC foe for the third time in program history. It is 1-1 when opening against the SBC and is opening the year on the road against the SBC for the first time in program history. Eastern previously opened the season against an SBC opponent last year at home against Texas State (L, 75-71), Nov. 4, after battling Georgia State to start the 2016-17 season in Morehead, Ky., Nov. 12.
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\nNUSSEIBEH IN SEASON OPENERS\/ON THE ROAD
\nSahar Nusseibeh<\/a> holds a 1-3 record in season openers, including an 0-2 record when opening the season on the road. Nusseibeh’s Canisius squad previously topped Buffalo to open the 2022-23 season, 57-55, Nov. 7, and most recently dropped a 75-71 tilt to Texas State in last season’s opener, Nov. 4. Nusseibeh’s most recent road season opener came in 2023-24, a 69-60 loss at Buffalo, where Sisi Eleko<\/a> dropped 15 points and 19 rebounds, while Brooklyn Thrash<\/a> added 12 points, Nov. 6. Nusseibeh aims to win the first road season opener of her career against the WarHawks Monday.
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\nELEKO PRESEASON ALL-MAC FIRST TEAM
\nSenior Sisi Eleko<\/a> was named Preseason All-MAC First Team, Oct. 21. The 2024-25 All-MAC Second Team selection led the MAC with 14 double-doubles last season and was the only player to average one in the conference. She also paced the conference with 10.1 rebounds per game, becoming the only MAC player to average double-digit boards, and slotted second with 17.9 points per game.
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\nELEKO PROGRAM DOUBLE-DOUBLES
\nSisi Eleko<\/a>‘s 14 double-doubles are tied for ninth on the program’s all-time list (since 1997) with Stephanie Smiley (1998-02). Should Eleko add another double-double against ULM, she would total 15 and sit in a tie for sixth with three players, including Natachia Watkins (2010-14), Patrice McKinney (2004-06), and Cassie Schrock (2007-11).
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\nELEKO’S 2024-25 NATIONAL RANKINGS
\nOn the national level, Sisi Eleko<\/a> finished the 2024-25 regular season ranked 21st in the NCAA in defensive rebounds per game (7.3), 23rd in rebounds per game (10.1), 26th in double-doubles (14), 36th in points per game by value (17.9), and 45th in total rebounds (283).
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\nELEKO ON THE PROGRAM LEADERBOARDS
\nSisi Eleko<\/a> finished her first season in Ypsilanti with 500 points and 283 rebounds, both of which held historical significance. Her 500 points made her just the 13th player in program history to score 500+ points in a season while making her the fifth to do so in her junior campaign. Additionally, the 283 rebounds ranked third on the program’s single-season list with only Felicia Hines (1984-85) and Suzanne Huff (1980-81) posting more with 292 and 286, respectively. Her season averages of 17.9 points and 10.1 rebounds made her just the third player to average a double-double in a season for the Eagles. The first was Hines, who averaged 12.0 points and 11.7 rebounds per game in the 1984-85 season, with the most recent addition to the ledger coming in 2020-21 when Ce’Nara Skanes averaged 16.0 points and 10.9 rebounds.
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\nSHORT HISTORY ON NUSSEIBEH
\nHead Coach Sahar Nusseibeh<\/a> is entering her second year at the helm of the program. Nusseibeh came to Ypsilanti following three years as the head coach at Canisius. A rising coaching star while in the MAAC, Nusseibeh is no stranger to the MAC as she previously served as an assistant coach at Miami (2019-21) and Bowling Green (2013-16). A 2009 graduate of American, Nusseibeh got her start as a graduate assistant at Cincinnati (2009-11) before coaching stints at Holy Cross (2011-13), and Manhattan (2016-19), where she was tabbed as the associate head coach.
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\nWith a record of 32-60 with the Golden Griffins, Nusseibeh built a team that went from six wins her first year to 17 in her third and did so by bringing in strong talent. Both Athina Lexa<\/a> (2021-22) and Sisi Eleko<\/a> (2022-23) were unanimous selections to the All-MAAC Rookie Teams before Lexa was named the 2023-24 MAAC Sixth Player of the Year and Eleko was the lone unanimous All-MAAC First Team selection.
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\nA WHOLE NEW SQUAD
\nEastern welcomes 13 newcomers to the 2025-26 class, including nine first-year NCAA student-athletes and four NCAA transfers. The newcomers include:
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\nGraduate Student
\nArtemis Kouki<\/a> (Western Michigan 2021-25)
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\nSenior
\nAinhoa Cea<\/a> (Lipscomb 2022-25)
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\nJuniors
\nFernanda Ovalle<\/a> (Xavier 2022-23)
\nEirini Chatzinikoli<\/a>
\nRuby Brannon<\/a>
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\nSophomores
\nSarah Rekowski<\/a> (Western Michigan 2024-25)
\nMarisa Cribari<\/a>
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\nFreshmen
\nAdrena Gordon<\/a>
\nPeyton Hill<\/a>
\nPaula Balada<\/a>
\nBelieve Tshibangu<\/a>
\nOliwia Pelka<\/a>
\nAlli Zajac<\/a>
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\nA MELTING POT OF EAGLES
\nEastern features nine international student-athletes on its 2024-25 roster, tying for the fourth-most in the nation. The international student-athletes include:
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\nRuby Brannon<\/a> (Woonona, NSW, Australia)
\nEirini Chatzinikoli<\/a> (Athens, Greece)
\nFernanda Ovalle<\/a> (Santiago, Chile)
\nAinhoa Cea<\/a> (Irun, Spain)
\nArtemis Kouki<\/a> (Athens, Greece)
\nOliwia Pelka<\/a> (Sosnowiec, Poland)
\nSisi Eleko<\/a> (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
\nBelieve Tshibangu<\/a> (Courtice, Ontario, Canada)
\nPaula Balada<\/a> (Barcelona, Spain)
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\nNOTABLE RETURNER: BROOKLYN THRASH
\nSenior Brooklyn Thrash<\/a> is one of two Eagles returning to the squad from the 2024-25 season. Thrash started 28-of-29 games for the Green and White while averaging 6.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, and shot 38.7% from the field, 32.4% from three, and 74.6% from the free-throw line. Thrash’s best performance last season came in an overtime loss to Miami, Feb. 26, as she tied a career best with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and set a career best with four three pointers made.\u00a0 The output marked her third career double-double and first as an Eagle.
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\nNOTABLE NEWCOMER: AINHOA CEA
\nOne of EMU’s 13 newcomers is former Lipscomb standout Ainhoa Cea<\/a>. Cea started all 92 games she played over three seasons with the Bisons, averaging 23.9 minutes, 4.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game while tallying 360 assists, the second-most in LU history, and ranking 11th in steals with 105. Cea led the ASUN in assists last season with 4.6, ranked second in assists-to-turnover ratio (1.6), and fourth in steals per game (1.6). She cemented herself in Lipscomb history, becoming the first Bisons player in their NCAA Division I era (since 2003-04) to post a triple-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a win at Morehead State, Nov. 17, becoming one of 28 NCAA student-athletes to record at least one triple double last season. She also scored a career-high 25 points against Eastern Kentucky (Jan. 4, 2025) on 9-of-18 shooting, including 5-of-6 from three. Cea also brings three years of postseason experience with her to Ypsilanti as her Bison made the ASUN tournament all three of her seasons and made a trip to the WNIT First Round against Western Illinois last season.
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\nNOTABLE NEWCOMER: FERNANDA OVALLE
\nJoining the Eagles this season is former BIG EAST All-Freshmen selection Fernanda Ovalle<\/a>. Ovalle spent the 2022-23 season as a Xavier Musketeer before taking a two-year hiatus away from NCAA ball. That season, she averaged 8.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while shooting 42.5% from the field and 34% from three-point range. The Santiago, Chile, native led all BIG EAST freshmen in rebounding (4.4) while ranking second in scoring (8.5). She also ranked second in total blocks (10), third in total assists (47), fourth in total steals (19), and fifth in field-goal percentage (.429).
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\nFIBA FERNANDA
\nEastern newcomer Fernanda Ovalle<\/a> plays a pivotal role on Chile’s U23 FIBA squads and has a plethora of international experience. Ovalle most recently competed in the FIBA U23 3×3 World Cup in Xionang, China, where she grabbed 10 points in 10 minutes to lead Chile to a win over the Philippines, Sept. 18. The junior also led Team Chile to a victory at the FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations League Americas 2 – Stop 6, July 27, 2025, also winning the first stop of the tournament, July 21. Overall, Ovalle saw action in 33 total FIBA 3×3 competitions from 2023-25, earning five first-place finishes and 12 top-three finishes.
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\nAdditionally, Ovalle was a member of the Chilean U15 South American Women’s Championship Team in 2018 where she averaged a double-double with 17.6 points per game and 10.2 rebounds, earning MVP honors. She also led Team Chile to third place in the 2019 FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championship, where she again averaged a double-double, posting 17.8 points per game and 13 rebounds per game.
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\nTRAILBLAZER: FERNANDA OVALLE
\nFernanda Ovalle<\/a> became the first Chilean-born NCAA Division I player with her debut at Miami (OH), Nov. 7, 2022. Ovalle is one of two current Chilean born NCAA women’s basketball student-athletes; the other is Valentina Ojeda of Rhode Island. Ovalle and Ojeda played high school ball together at Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla., and have also competed in a multitude of international competitions together for Team Chile.
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\nRIVAL TRANSFERS: KOUKI AND REKOWSKI
\nTwo of Eastern’s transfers – Artemis Kouki<\/a> and Sarah Rekowski<\/a> – come by way of EMU rival, Western Michigan.
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\nKouki spent her first four seasons in Kalamazoo, earning captain status in the 2024-25 campaign. Last season, Kouki averaged 3.1 points, 1.3 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 0.6 steals per game for the Broncos. She scored a career-high 15 points at SMU (Nov. 12, 2024) with five made triples and opened the season with 11 points and a career-high five rebounds against Arkansas State (Nov. 4). Kouki also earned Academic All-MAC and CSC Academic All-District honors.
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\nRekowski spent her freshman season at WMU where she appeared in 18 games with one start. She scored two points in her debut against Arkansas State (Nov. 4), and scored a career-high eight points against Prairie View A&M (Dec. 17) on perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the floor before tying her mark at EMU (Jan. 1) with eight points on 4-of-5 shooting. She also grabbed a career-high nine rebounds against (Nov. 12) and finished the year with averages of 1.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, 0.3 assists, and 0.1 blocks.
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\nSTAR-STUDDED FRESHMAN: PEYTON HILL
\nHeadlining the EMU freshmen class is Peyton Hill<\/a>, a graduate of Incarnate Word Academy in Normandy, Mo. The program has won 15 state titles, including five consecutive, as Hill was a member of the past four Missouri Class 6 state titles (2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025). Hill was named the defensive player of the year as a senior as she added three player of the week honors during her senior season. Hill was twice named first-team all-tournament at the state competitions and twice at the district level. Hill also played for Napheesa Collier Elite under head coach Jordan Olufson and led it to the Run 4 Roses Gold Championship title three times as she was named to the all-tournament team. Hill lost just two games in her high school days, compiling a 119-2 mark.
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\nAN EMU LEGACY: ALLI ZAJAC
\nEastern freshman Alli Zajac<\/a> has deep ties to the EMU basketball program as her parents, Jon and Kristy Zajac, both played basketball at Eastern Michigan. Her mom, the former Kristy Maska, ranks No. 18 all-time in EMU scoring (1,228 points) and No. 2 in made three-pointers (215) and earned All-MAC Second Team honors in 1998-99.
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\nZajac graduated from Tecumseh High School and played under head coach Kristy Zajac, her mother. She finished her prep career as the school’s all-time leading scorer while also holding records for made field goals, made three-point field goals, made free throws, points in a single season, points per game average, and free throws made. A top five finisher in the Ms. Michigan voting, she earned first-team honors at the state, county, and league level in all four years and was the county’s player of the year three times. Zajac was also named to the Dream Team, BCAM’s Best of the Best, and the Michigan Division 2 Player of the Year. She helped the team to two regional titles, three district championships, and two league crowns on the hardwood before guiding the team to the 2025 state title.
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\nEMU CAPTAINS
\nEastern’s Sisi Eleko<\/a>, Brooklyn Thrash<\/a>, Ainhoa Cea<\/a>, and Artemis Kouki<\/a> were named captains ahead of the 2025-26 season.
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\nINTERNATIONAL COMPETITION: FIBA
\nEastern’s Sisi Eleko<\/a>, Fernanda Ovalle<\/a>, and Oliwia Pelka all competed for their respective native countries in FIBA competitions recently. Eleko and Ovalle represented teams Canada and Chile, respectively, at the FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations League in Punta Arenas, Chile, as Ovalle led Team Chile to two victories on the first and final day of competition, before dropping 10 points in 10 minutes to lead Chile to a win over the Philippines at the FIBA U23 3×3 World Cup in Xionang, China in September. Pelka represented Poland at the FIBA U20 Eurobasket in Matosinhos, Portugal.
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\nON THE LIST
\nEastern is scheduled to face the AP top-25 (No. 23) Michigan State Spartans in the third game of the season in East Lansing, Nov. 9. Along with MSU, EMU will face another Big Ten foe in Indiana, Dec. 14, who is receiving votes in the USA Today\/WBCA Preseason poll. When it comes to mid-major rankings, EMU will take on the 10th and 11th ranked teams in MAC opponents Kent State and Ball State, respectively, while Toledo, Buffalo, Bowling Green, Purdue Fort Wayne, Miami, and Robert Morris are all receiving votes in the College Insider Mid-Major Preseason Top 25.
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\nUPCOMING MILESTONES
\nBrooklyn Thrash<\/a> is 13 points away from reaching 500 in her NCAA career, 250 rebounds from 500, and 43 three-pointers away from 100. Ainhoa Cea<\/a> is 48 points away from 500, 140 assists from the same total, and 127 rebounds away from 500. Fernanda Ovalle<\/a> needs 265 points to reach the 500 mark. Sisi Eleko<\/a> needs 225 rebounds to reach 1,000, is 257 points from 1,500, and needs 16 double-doubles to reach 50 in her NCAA tenure. Furthermore, Eleko needs 17 double-doubles to tie for the most in program history and 18 to be the sole record owner.
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\nA LOOK AHEAD
\nEastern is set for 29 regular-season games in 2025-26, 16 of which will take place on the road and 13 that will be played at the home of EMU women’s basketball – the George Gervin GameAbove Center. EMU will play 11 non-conference games and 18 MAC contests. EMU’s first five games will take place on the road before returning home for the home opener against Robert Morris, Nov. 26.
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\nEMU will face teams from six different NCAA Division I conference’s – the Sun Belt Conference, Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference, Summit League, Horizon League, Big Ten Conference, Atlantic 10 Conference, and one NAIA team (Defiance College).
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\nSHOOTING STREAK
\nThe Eagles have recorded at least one three-pointer in 132 consecutive games, the third-longest stretch since the start of the 1999-00 season, after scoring eight against Bowling Green last season, March 8. The longest streak in that period is 281 games, which started with seven makes at Northern Illinois, Jan. 31, 2002, and ended with no makes in the MAC Tournament, March 11, 2011, against Toledo. The second-longest lasted 157 games and started Dec. 9, 2014, until no makes halted the streak, Nov. 29, 2020, against visiting UIC.
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\nGRITTY WINS
\nEastern found a way to win in both wins in the 2024-25 season despite trailing by double figures as Eastern, who was down 10 at the end of the third quarter, came back to win, 76-72, at Northern Illinois (Feb. 22), after defeating visiting Xavier, 72-60, despite a 20-point halftime deficit, Dec. 1.
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\nMAC PRESEASON POLL
\nThe Mid-American Conference announced its Coaches Preseason Poll, Oct. 21. As a team, Eastern was predicted to finish 12th in the conference with 36 points. Kent State is predicted to win the regular season and conference tournament, placing first with 133 points and five first-place votes.
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\nELEKO SURPASSES 1,000 POINTS
\nWith 2:32 remaining in the game at Ball State, Jan. 8, 2025, Sisi Eleko<\/a> got free near the rim and scored on a layup to give her 11 points in the game to see her break the 1,000-career point barrier. Eleko finished the game with 14 points to become the first Eagle to reach the scoring milestone since Ce’Nara Skanes scored 1,031 points for the Eagles from 2020-23.
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\nON THE HORIZON
\nEastern travels to Western New York to face the Canisius Golden Griffins, Head Coach Sahar Nusseibeh<\/a>‘s previous institution Friday, Nov. 7, 6:30 p.m.
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\nFOLLOW US
\nStay connected with the Eagles all season long by following @EMUWBB<\/a> and @EMUAthletics<\/a> on X for all the latest EMU women’s basketball updates. Be sure to also follow the Eagles\u00a0on Instagram @emuwbb<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0@emuathletics<\/a>
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