GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University women's basketball team travels to Columbus, Georgia to open its 2025-26 season with a pair of games this weekend at the Region Crossover.
The Pioneers will face 24th-ranked Columbus State on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Lees-McRae on Saturday at 3:30 p.m., before returning home to take on Young Harris in the home opener on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 5:30 p.m. at Pioneer Arena.
Tusculum finished 9-19 overall last season and 7-17 in the South Atlantic Conference, with five returning players joined by 10 newcomers on this season's roster, including five freshmen. Head coach Roger Hodge begins his third season on the Tusculum sidelines with 306 wins in 20 seasons as a college head coach.
The lone returning starter for the Pioneers is guard Abbi Douglas (Ashland City, Tenn.), who started all 28 games last season after a two-year layoff from college basketball and averaged 10.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Douglas led the Pioneers and was sixth in the SAC with 3.25 assists per game, and was fifth in the conference in steals with 2.14 per game. The 5-9 grad student reached double figures in scoring 15 times last season, and had three double-doubles.
Junior guard Artasia Cole (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) returns to play after missing last season due to a knee injury. The 5-8 Cole had a strong finish to her freshman season in 2023-24, reaching double figures in each of the last two games of the year. Cole played 23 games as a freshman, averaging 2.1 points and 1.6 rebounds.
Sophomore center Josie Horner (Mascot, Tenn.) has been solid in preseason play, scoring 11 points in an exhibition loss to Western Carolina. The 6-1 Horner averaged 2.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in 22 games last season, with a season high of 13 points against Carson-Newman on Feb. 12.
Sophomore guard Ema Nagyova (Ziar nad Hronom, Slovakia) will be a long-range threat for the Pioneers after averaging 2.1 points and 1.1 rebounds in 18 games last season. The 5-7 Nagyova, who hit nine threes in her 18 games as a freshman, represented Slovakia in the FIBA 3x3 Youth Nations League over the summer.
Sophomore guard Angela Gomez (Rincon de la Victoria, Spain) will be the Pioneers' primary ball handler after she played in all 28 games last season. The 5-6 Gomez averaged 2.0 points and 1.5 rebounds per game and had eight games with three assists or more.
Junior Dora Van Rijs (Budapest, Hungary) joins the Pioneers after two seasons at Middle Tennessee State University. The 6-0 forward played in six games for MTSU over two seasons, and led the Pioneers with six rebounds in the exhibition with Western Carolina.
Junior Jae'oni Davis (Bronx, N.Y.) played one season at Hostos Community College during the 2023-24 season, averaging 9.7 points, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game. The 5-5 Davis reached double figures eight times and was the CUNYAC Championship Most Valuable Player.
Junior Brooke Calvert (Kirtland, N.Mex.) played two seasons at SUNY Morrisville, appearing in 28 games and scoring a total of 19 points while pulling 1.3 rebounds per game. The 5-8 guard/forward also had a total of 19 assists in her two years at SUNY Morrisville.
Due to offseason surgery, junior guards Dyvine Harris (Lincoln, Neb.) and Marin Lind Agustsdottir (Saudarkrokur, Iceland) will be unable to take the court for the Pioneers this season. Both players were two-time All-Conference selections at the NJCAA level, with Harris playing at Arizona Western College and Agustsdottir at Ellsworth Community College.
Also joining the program are five freshmen: 6-2 center Julia Szwichtenberg (Koleczkowo, Poland), 5-8 guard Caroline McDowell (Dayton, Ohio), 5-7 guard Martina Garofalo (Rome, Italy), 6-0 guard Maddison Neale (Parker, Colo.) and 6-0 forward Aisha Patel (Knoxville, Tenn.).
The Pioneers will play five of their next six games at home following the Region Crossover, including the SAC opener against preseason league favorite Coker on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. at Pioneer Arena.
