KENNESAW, Ga. - Fifth-year head coach
Octavia Blue leads Kennesaw State women's basketball onto the court for the first time in the 2025-26 season Tuesday night against Shorter inside VyStar Arena.
Blue's Owls begin the season coming off their first year as members of Conference USA, having won seven league contests a year ago on top of a first-round conference tournament victory over UTEP. The team returns
Keyarah Berry,
Trynce Taylor,
Kailyn Fields,
Gabriela Bendeck-Giron and
Mame Kane adding to eight newcomers on the roster.
This year's KSU squad opens the season against a team the program has not faced since the COVID-19-shortened 2019-20 campaign where the Owls nabbed a 94-55 victory.
Kennesaw State boasts a 19-7 all-time record against Shorter and has not been dealt a defeat by the Hawks since KSU was a member of the NAIA in 1987. Tuesday night will be the first meeting in the series under Blue.
Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
GAME INFORMATION
Kennesaw State (0-0, 0-0 CUSA) vs. Shorter (0-0)
Kennesaw, Ga. | VyStar Arena
Tuesday, Nov. 4 | 7:00 p.m. ET
ESPN+
Game Notes
Live Stats
STORYLINES FROM THE 'SAW
- 2025-26 marks the Owls' second season as a member of Conference USA and the program's fifth season under the tutelage of head coach Octavia Blue.
- Kennesaw State returns over 1,400 minutes of action from the 2024-25 campaign, including 87 combined games played and 30 starts.
- Kennesaw State ventures into uncharted waters this season being without the production of regular starters Prencis Harden, Carly Hooks and Keiara Griffin.
- Graduate guard Keyarah Berry is back for her fifth and final season of college hoops after becoming the first Owl in program history to win a CUSA Player of the Week honor in addition to a career-best season in 2024-25.
- Berry was named to the 2025-26 All-Conference USA Preseason Team, the first Owl to receive a preseason conference honor since 2022 (Amani Johnson).
- Redshirt sophomore Trynce Taylor returns to the court for her second collegiate season. A preseason injury kept her out of the 2024-25 campaign following an Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team-worthy season in 2023-24.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
- 2 - 2025-26 marks Kennesaw State's second season as a member of Conference USA.
- 5 - The Owls have just five returners from the 2024-25 campaign.
- 8 - Eight newcomers join KSU women's basketball this season.
- 27 - Tuesday marks the 27th all-time meeting between KSU and Shorter.
- 412 - The 2025-26 KSU women's basketball roster has played a combined 412 games of Division I hoops.
PURCHASE TICKETS
Season and single-game tickets are available for the 2025-26 Kennesaw State women's basketball campaign. Click
here to secure your seat inside VyStar Arena and don't miss a second of the action!
