Spartan Women's Basketball Opens the Season Hosting Valparaiso Tuesday

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball open's the 2026-27 season against Valparaiso on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 6:30 p.m. MSU ended last season with a 23-9 record reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Myles Welch and Jack Vohwinkle will be on the call for B1G+.

• The fourth season of the Robyn Fralick era begins on Tuesday. Michigan State has made the NCAA Tournament in Fralick's first three seasons, advancing to the second round the last two years. She holds a 67-28 record, as the Spartans' head coach.

• This is only the second meeting between the Spartans and the Beacons. Michigan State defeated Valpo 73-62 on Nov. 16, 2021.

• The Spartans will have nine new players on the squad this season, but they will also return a pair of All-Big Ten returners. Junior guard Kennedy Blair and graduate guard will both be back in the lineup this season. Hallock missed much of last season due to injury.

• Kennedy Blair was tabbed to the 2027 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and WBCA Preseason Watch List for the Nancy Lieberman Award. Blair was a Second-Team All-Big Ten honoree last year after finishing fourth in the B1G in assists last season, dishing out 5.2 assists per game.

SCOUTING VALPARAISO
In its only exhibition, Valpo defeated Judson, 82-43 on Oct. 26.

Both Allia von Schlegell and Autumn Dibb both saw action in all 32 games last season. Von Schlegell is the top returning scorer, averaging 11.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. The Beacons add eight newcomers to its roster for the 2026-27 season, including six transfers, four of whom have Division I experience and two true freshmen.

The Beacons are led by second-year head coach Courtney Boyd. In her first season with Valpo, the team went 0-32. Overall, Boyd holds a career record of 180-100.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BEACONS
This is the second meeting between the Spartans and the Beacons. The two teams met in 2021 in East Lansing with Spartans coming out on top, 73-62. In that game, Michigan State were led 18 points from future All-American Nia Clouden.

AROUND THE CORNER
After the season opener, Michigan State will hit the road to take on Toledo on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 2 p.m. The Spartans then return home to face Oakland on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
In its only exhibition of the season, the Michigan State women's basketball team had five players in double figures, as the Spartans cruised to a 100-53 win over Michigan Tech on Oct. 28 night at the Breslin Center.

Thirteen of 15 Spartans got into the game led by 21 points from freshman guard Monique Bobongie. Senior transfer Carter McCray added 20 points in her Michigan State debut. Junior guard Kennedy Blair and junior forward Tabitha Betson added 13 and 12 points, respectively. Graduate guard Theryn Hallock, who returned after missing much of last season, added 11.

Michigan Tech was led by 16 points from Kaitlyn Maxwell. There were several reunions in the game as sophomore guard Anna Wypych played against her sister MTU senior Alyssa Wypych.

MSU Associate Head Coach Kim Cameron and Assistant Coach Maria Kasza both coached at Michigan Tech. This is the second-straight season that the teams have met in an exhibition. Last season, the Spartans came out on top 101-58.

LOOKING AT THE CALENDAR
This is the earliest season opener for Michigan State opening the year on Nov. 3. Last season, the Spartans first game of the season was Nov. 4, while the season opener in 2024-25 was Nov. 5.

BRINGING HOME THE GOLD
Last summer, MSU head coach Robyn Fralick won a gold medal as an assistant coach for the USA Women's U18 National Team at the 2026 FIBA U18 Women's AmeriCup in Irapuato, Mexico.

BLAIR NAMED TO WATCH LIST
Kennedy Blair was tabbed to the 2027 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and WBCA Preseason Watch List for the Nancy Lieberman Award.

Blair was a Second-Team All-Big Ten honoree last year after finishing fourth in the B1G in assists last season, dishing out 5.2 assists per game. Blair ranks second in the conference among returning point guards back in 2026-27, behind Katie Fiso of Oregon, who was second in the B1G with 6.2 apg.

Additionally, Blair ranked third in the league in steals with 2.4 spg. She led MSU and ranked in the top 20 in the conference in scoring at 14.5 ppg. Blair was also one of two Spartans to start all 32 games. Off the court, Blair earned CSC Academic All-District and Academic All-Big Ten accolades.

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame also announced the 2027 Bob Cousy Award for the men's basketball top point guard, and MSU men's basketball redshirt junior guard Jeremy Fears Jr. was one of 20 players selected to the watch list. Michigan State is one of seven teams in the country with a men and women's player on each list, and only one of two Big Ten teams, joined by Michigan, while UConn, Louisville, LSU, Miami and Virginia also had one player on both lists.

INTERNATIONAL SQUAD
The 2026-27 Spartan team has a true international flavor. This season, MSU welcomes Australians junior Tabitha Betson and freshman Monique Bobongie. Betson comes to Michigan State after two years at Colorado. MSU also adds a pair from France in freshmen Kathy-Emma Otto and Emma Broliron. The Spartans also welcome back senior Sara Sambolić from Slovenia and graduate student Isaline Alexander.

LOOKING AT THE SCHEDULE
For the sixth-straight season, the Big Ten Conference will play an 18-game schedule. MSU also played an 18-game schedule in both 2018-19 and 2019-20. The conference additionally had 18-game schedules in both 2015-16 and 2014-15.

The Spartans will face a maximum of 13 opponents that competed in the NCAA Tournament last season, as MSU will possibly playing Virginia Tech in the Emerald Coast Classic. From the Big Ten portion of the schedule, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington reached the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins are the defending NCAA Champions. MSU will also take on Gonzaga at the Acrisure Classic Series in Palm, Springs, California.

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Players Mentioned

Isaline Alexander

Tabitha Betson

Kennedy Blair

Monique Bobongie

Emma Broliron

Theryn Hallock

Carter McCray

Kathy-Emma Otto

Anna Wypych

Michigan State University Athletics