The Lindenwood Lions were picked to win the Ohio Valley Conference in the league’s preseason poll released on Tuesday. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
The Ohio Valley Conference league office released its preseason women’s basketball poll on Tuesday, and the Lindenwood Lions were picked to finish first in the league standings this season.
Lindenwood received six first-place votes and totaled 179 points to top the poll, finishing just ahead of Tennessee Tech, which had 12 first-place votes and 175 total points.
It’s not common for the team with the most first-place votes to not finish first in the final vote.
But it seemed the media and team representatives who participated in the voting thought Tennessee Tech would either finish first or somewhere near the middle of the pack, but at the same time they thought Lindenwood would either finish first or second. That’s why the Lions ended up with the most total points.
Western Illinois got four first-place votes and had 166 points to finish third, while Southern Indiana and Eastern Illinois came in fourth and fifth, respectively.
Lindenwood’s Gracy Wernli will be back to lead the Lions this season, after averaging 10.5 points and making 50 three-pointers last season. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
Lindenwood is coming off one of its best seasons in program history. The Lions went 23-11 last year and finished second in the OVC regular season standings.
That earned Lindenwood the No. 2 seed in last year’s OVC Championship Tournament and helped the Lions earn a bid into the Women’s NIT, where LU won two games before ending their season in the third round.
Junior guard Mya Skoff averaged 9.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game for Lindenwood last season. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
Lindenwood guards Gracy Wernli and Mya Skoff were also named on the OVC Preseason Players to Watch List.
Last year, Wernli made an instant impact after transferring from Abeline Christian prior to last season. The Bixby, Okla. native started all 33 games she appeared in, while averaging 10.5 points per game, which ranked third on the team.
The junior guard shot 42 percent from the field and almost 90 percent from the foul line, while making 50 three-pointers, second most on the team.
Skoff appeared in 34 games, making 25 starts. The Bellevue, Neb. native averaged 9.6 points per game, which ranked fourth on the team. Skoff had 16 double-digit scoring games, while averaging 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per contest.
Lindenwood will open its season on November 5, with a home game against Harris-Stowe. Tip off at Hyland Arena that day will be at 11 a.m.
Image courtesy: Ohio Valley Conference
2025-26 LINDENWOOD LIONS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 5, 2025 (Wednesday) | 11:00 a.m. | Home | Harris-Stowe | Hyland Arena |  |
| November 9, 2025 (Sunday) | 2:00 p.m. | Away | Baylor | Waco, Texas | |
| November 13, 2025 (Thursday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | Oral Roberts | Hyland Arena | |
| November 17, 2025 (Monday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | Kansas City | Hyland Arena | |
| November 22, 2025 (Saturday) | TBA | Away | Nebraska-Omaha | Omaha, Neb. | |
| November 28, 2025 (Friday) | 12:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. central) | Neutral | Santa Clara | Honolulu, Hawaii | |
| November 29, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. central) | Away | Hawaii | Honolulu, Hawaii | |
| November 30, 2025 (Sunday) | 12:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. central) | Neutral | Vermont | Honolulu, Hawaii | |
| December 3, 2025 (Wednesday) | 11:00 a.m. | Away | Drake | Des Moines, Iowa | |
| December 13, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:00 p.m. | Away | Iowa | Iowa City, Iowa | |
| December 18, 2025 (Thursday) | 5:00 p.m. | Home | Western Illinois | Hyland Arena | |
| December 21, 2025 (Sunday) | TBA | Away | Eastern Illinois | Charleston, Ill. | |
| December 29, 2025 (Monday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | Ottawa | Hyland Arena | |
| January 1, 2026 (Thursday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | Morehead State | Hyland Arena | |
| January 3, 2026 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | Southern Indiana | Hyland Arena | |
| January 6, 2026 (Tuesday) | 5:00 p.m. | Away | SIUE | Edwardsville, Ill. | |
| January 10, 2026 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | Little Rock | Hyland Arena | |
| January 15, 2026 (Thursday) | 5:15 p.m. | Away | SEMO | Cape Girardeau, Mo. | |
| January 17, 2026 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Away | Tennessee-Martin | Martin, Tenn. | |
| January 22, 2026 (Thursday) | 5:00 p.m. | Home | Tennessee Tech | Hyland Arena | |
| January 24, 2026 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | Tennessee State | Hyland Arena | |
| January 29, 2026 (Thursday) | 5:00 p.m. | Away | Southern Indiana | Evansville, Ind. | |
| January 31, 2026 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m.(12:00 p.m. central) | Away | Morehead State | Morehead, Ky. | |
| February 3, 2026 (Tuesday) | 5:00 p.m. | Home | SIUE | Hyland Arena | |
| February 5, 2026 (Thursday) | 5:00 p.m. | Away | Little Rock | Little Rock, Ark. | |
| February 12, 2026 (Thursday) | 5:00 p.m. | Home | Tennessee-Martin | Hyland Arena | |
| February 14, 2026 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | SEMO | Hyland Arena | |
| February 19, 2026 (Thursday) | 5:00 p.m. | Away | Tennessee State | Nashville, Tenn. | |
| February 21, 2026 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Away | Tennessee Tech | Cookeville, Tenn. | |
| February 26, 2026 (Thursday) | 5:00 p.m. | Home | Eastern Illinois | Hyland Arena | |
| February 28, 2026 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Away | Western Illinois | Macomb, Ill. | |
| March 4, 2026 (Wednesday) | TBA | Neutral | Ohio Valley Conference Championships | Evansville, Ind. | |