Concord Women's Basketball Opens 2026-27 Season Against Ferrum

Concord Opens 2026-27 Season Against Ferrum

The Concord University women’s basketball team kicks off its 2026-27 campaign inside the Carter Center against familiar non-conference opponent Ferrum, cumountainlions.com reported.

For the Mountain Lions, the matchup marks an immediate opportunity to rewrite a recent history against the Panthers.

Last season, Ferrum handed Concord a 75-59 defeat on December 1, 2025. Head Coach Tesla Southcott leads her squad back onto the floor aiming to flip that script, leaning on a core of returning production and several new roster additions.

Concord enters the new year carrying an 18-win profile from the previous season, averaging 76.2 points per contest while allowing 70.5. Ferrum counters with a 10-20 record from 2025-26 under veteran head coach Brian Harvey, featuring returning contributors Breyana Kimmons and Sofia Ponce.

Concord Women's Basketball Preview vs. Ferrum

Familiar Faces Leading the Maroon and Gray

Four key players who logged heavy minutes a season ago return to anchor the Mountain Lions’ rotation. Kenyah Stubbs paces the returning scorers after averaging 15.7 points and 3.6 assists in her debut season with Concord.

Graduate forward Olivia Ziolkowski also returns following a strong 2025-26 campaign where she put up 10.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Ziolkowski proved to be a disruptive interior presence, racking up a team-high 40 blocks.

Senior guard Alexis Frazee returns as a perimeter threat, having set a single-season program record by shooting 46.1 percent from beyond the arc last year. Senior guard Kiley Smich rounds out the primary returners, contributing 1.7 steals per game defensively.

Cadee Blackburn and New Transfers Expand the Roster

Sophomore guard Cadee Blackburn steps into an expanded role after a promising freshman campaign where she appeared in every contest. Blackburn flashed late-season scoring capability by dropping a career-high 24 points against Fairmont State on February 9.

Coach Southcott also integrated notable transfers into the lineup, including sophomore forward Madelyn Caron from Lenoir-Rhyne and graduate guard Shelby Fiddler, who arrives in Athens with experience at Niagara and Presbyterian. Morehead State transfer Marija Marinkovic rounds out the new arrivals.

As the opening tip approaches, Concord looks to snap a five-year skid in season openers. The program’s last victory in a first game of the season came back in 2021 against Winston-Salem State.