MOSCOW, Idaho - Idaho women's basketball hosts Walla Walla University on Nov. 6th in the ICCU Arena to open their 2023-2024 season. Later in the week, the Vandals will also host Cal Poly on Nov. 8th. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+ at 6:00 p.m. PT and available via radio broadcast on AM 840 KMAX or GoVandals.com.
ABOUT IDAHO: Vandals finished up last season at sixth in the Big Sky Conference. This season, the Vandals are led by new head coach Carrie Eighmey who was previously at University of Nebraska at Kearney. The new staff was announced earlier this year in addition to the eight newcomers to the Idaho Women's Basketball program. Eighmey has over 19 years of coaching experience including 11 years as head coach, eight of which have been with UNK. She made three-straight NCAA Division II Tournament appearances from 2021-23 and claimed the Lopers first MIAA conference title for the regular season in program history. Eighmey was awarded the MIAA Coach of the Year and WBCA Division II Coach of the Year.
Six of the eight new athletes are transfers Sarah Schmitt, Amalie Langer, Michala Bork, Hope Butera, Georgia Gray, and Kennedy Johnson. Schmitt previously played for the University of Nebraska Kearney where she was awarded MIAA Scholar Athlete and an honorable mention for All-MIAA. She started all 33 games for the Lopers. Langer played all four of her undergrad years for the University of San Francisco. In her redshirt junior year, she started all 31 games, averaged 23.3 minutes per game, and tallied 195 points. Bork appeared in 18 games for the Laramie County Golden Eagles including 15 starts. Bork totaled 39 steals, six blocks, 79 rebounds and 56 assists.
Butera played the previous two years with the Florida International University Panthers. Last season she led the Panthers with 181 rebounds and totaled 122 points. She also made 19 starts for the Panthers. Gray, a Junior transfer from Dodge City Community College, appeared in all 33 games. Gray tallied 154 rebounds and scored a total of 214 points. Johnson appeared in 30 games for UC Santa Barbara where she secured 67 rebounds, 15 steals, 14 assists, and went 94.4% (17-18) from the line.
Key returners for Idaho include Ashlyn Wallace, Sarah Brans, and Asha Phillips. Wallace was second on the team last season for steals in addition to placing top five in assists, offensive rebounds, and three-point percentage. Brans played in all 30 games last season and totaled 100 points, 53 rebounds, 14 assists, and 11 blocks. Phillips started 15 out of 28 games last season for the Vandals, averaging 18.2 minutes and acquiring 122 points, 86 rebounds, 20 assists and 17 steals.
ABOUT WALLA WALLA: The Wolves took 10th in the Cascade Collegiate Conference last season. Returners, Jaliyah Casem, and Chariah Daniels were recognized by the conference for their performance at WWU. Last season the Wolves made history for the university with five conference wins, two of which were back-to-back.
The Vandals will take on Walla Walla for the second time in program history. The first meeting took place during the 1974-75 season featuring a win for Idaho.
ABOUT CAL POLY: Last season Cal Poly finished seventh overall in the Big West Conference under first-year coach Shanele Stires. Key returners they have this season are Natalia Ackerman who was top 10 for rebounding in the BWC and Sydney Bourland who started in all 28 games last season and led the team with an average of 28.3 minutes per game. The Mustangs are also bringing in more talent through transfers Sidney Richards, Amanda Olinger, Ania McNicholas, and Diamond Richardson.
The series between the Mustangs and the Vandals sits at 10-6. The last time the teams met was during the 2008-09 season, resulting in a 60-77 loss for Idaho.
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