Women's Basketball Announces 2025–26 Non-Conference Schedule

RICHMOND, Va. – The University of Richmond women's basketball program unveiled its 2025–26 non-conference slate Friday, featuring five contests inside the Robins Center, four road games and two marquee multi-team tournaments, including the Cancun Challenge and the 4 Tha Culture Holiday Classic in Henrico, Va.

The schedule includes seven teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last season and three Power Four teams in Texas, William & Mary, Columbia, TCU, Green Bay, Fairfield and Liberty. The seven teams combined for nine tournament wins in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. In addition to Texas and TCU, the Spiders will also face Penn State, giving Richmond three games vs Power Four opponents during the non-conference season.

"The scheduling process is never easy, but I am very proud and excited about the upcoming slate that we were able to assemble," said head coach Aaron Roussell, entering his seventh season at the helm. "The difficulty of last year's schedule was essential in preparing us for Atlantic 10 Conference play and for the NCAA Tournament, and we're hopeful it bears similar fruits this season."

The Spiders open the campaign inside the Robins Center on Nov. 4 against Mount St. Mary's before a stretch of three consecutive games against 2025 NCAA Tournament teams beginning with a matchup at SEC foe Texas on Nov. 7, at defending CAA champion William & Mary on Nov. 12, and concluding at Columbia on Nov. 15 in New York City. Richmond then returns home to face Temple on Nov. 18 and Navy on Nov. 23.

Over Thanksgiving week, Richmond heads to Mexico for the Cancun Challenge, meeting Big 12 foe TCU on Nov. 27 and defending Horizon League champion Green Bay on Nov. 28.

December features a unique twist with the Spiders hosting an early Atlantic 10 Conference game on Dec. 3 in the Robins Center (opponent TBD), followed by defending Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion Fairfield on Dec. 7 and a road trip to Liberty, who captured the Conference USA title last season, on Dec. 13. Richmond will also welcome Bethune-Cookman to campus for its annual Education Day game Dec. 16 at 11 a.m.

The non-conference slate concludes Dec. 20–21 at the 4 Tha Culture Holiday Classic inside the Henrico Sports & Events Center, the same venue that will host the 2026 Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Tournament. Richmond will square off against Alabama A&M on Dec. 20 and Penn State on Dec. 21.

"Our in-season tournaments will allow us to play NCAA postseason-caliber teams, as well as give us the opportunity to play in Henrico at the same venue that will host the A-10 Tournament," Roussell said. "We are grateful for these opportunities and know they will be key to our fate at the end of the season."

Existing season ticket holders are able to renew their seats through September 15 by calling the Richmond Athletics Ticket Office at 1-877-SPIDER-1 or logging into their account and completing the Season Renewal Application. Fans interested in becoming new season ticket holders can place a deposit now and will be contacted in late September to complete the order. Single-game tickets will go on sale in October.

Familiar Matchups
Richmond faced several of this year's non-conference opponents during the 2024–25 season, including Texas, William & Mary, Columbia, Temple and Fairfield.

Against Texas, the Spiders held the Longhorns to one of their lowest scoring outputs of the season in a 65-54 setback inside the Robins Center. Rachel Ullstrom poured in 20 points while Maggie Doogan joined her in double figures (10).
Richmond dominated William & Mary 82-47 behind balanced scoring as five players reached double digits. Doogan led the way with 12 points.
In a neutral-site battle with Columbia, the Spiders showcased their offensive firepower in an 85-76 win in Henrico. Doogan scored 21 points, Ullstrom added 20 and all five starters finished in double figures as Richmond shot 65 percent from the floor.
Richmond opened last season at Temple with a close 79-72 victory, fueled by a career-high 32 points from Ullstrom, who became the first Spider to post 30 or more points since 2016.
Richmond locked down Fairfield 62-39, holding the Stags to their lowest scoring output in nearly two years on their home court. Ullstrom recorded her first career double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Doogan added 15 points.

Returning Firepower and New Faces
Richmond enters 2025–26 coming off a historic season that featured the program's first NCAA Tournament win. The Spiders return Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Maggie Doogan, who averaged 17.0 points and 7.1 rebounds last season, and All-Conference First Team selection Rachel Ullstrom, who surpassed 1,000 career points and shot 42.3 percent from deep.

Point guard Ally Sweeney and veterans Sam Dewey, Alicia Newell, Payton Richard, Annika Manthy and Jada Green also return, while the Spiders welcome two experienced transfers in Tierra Simon (Saint Louis) and Skylah Travis (Louisiana/Missouri). Four freshmen, Rayne Wright, Ava Persichetti, Aneisha Scott and Shaneka Campbell, round out the roster for this season.

"We have a lot of new players that will play essential roles this year but also return some high-end talent that got incredible experience last year," Roussell added. "This group has attacked the offseason with incredibly high standards, and I am excited to see how this team comes together as the season progresses."

2025–26 Richmond Women's Basketball Non-Conference Schedule

Nov. 4 – Mount St. Mary's – Robins Center – 6 p.m.
Nov. 7 – at Texas – Austin, Texas – 7 p.m.
Nov. 12 – at William & Mary – Williamsburg, Va. – 7 p.m.
Nov. 15 – at Columbia – New York, N.Y. – 7 p.m.
Nov. 18 – Temple – Robins Center – 6 p.m.
Nov. 23 – Navy – Robins Center – 2 p.m.
Nov. 27 – vs TCU – Cancun Challenge – 9 p.m.
Nov. 28 – vs Green Bay – Cancun Challenge – 9 p.m.
Dec. 3 – Atlantic 10 Game (TBA) – Robins Center – 6 p.m.
Dec. 7 – Fairfield – Robins Center – 2 p.m.
Dec. 13 – at Liberty – Lynchburg, Va. – 2 p.m.
Dec. 16 – Bethune-Cookman – Robins Center – 11 a.m. (Education Day)
Dec. 20 – vs Alabama A&M – 4 Tha Culture Holiday Classic – Henrico, Va. – 1 p.m.
Dec. 21 – vs Penn State – 4 Tha Culture Holiday Classic – Henrico, Va. – 2:30 p.m.

TV and broadcast information will be announced at a later date on RichmondSpiders.com.

Calendar

Upcoming Events