MILLIGAN, Tenn. – The (RV) Milligan University women's basketball team enters the 2025-26 campaign after a historic run in 2024-25. With several key pieces returning to the fold this season, the Buffaloes have their sights set on even more this time around.
The campaign begins in Williamsburg, Ky., where the Lady Buffs will match up with No. 24-ranked Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.) in a neutral-site tilt at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 30.
2024-25 Season Review: What a year the Buffaloes put together in 2024-25. After a 1-4 start, losing four early games to Top-25 competition to start the schedule, they closed their season out winning 18 of their final 20 contests. They boasted a huge non-conference win over No. 9-ranked University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) by a score of 90-89 in overtime during that stretch. They also beat (RV) Johnson (Tenn.) in that stretch at home, 107-85, which eventually helped earn them the No. 1 seed in the AAC Tournament and an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament.
The run through the AAC Tournament was simple through the Quarterfinal and Semifinal rounds, in which the Buffaloes tallied 26 and 28-point wins over Columbia (S.C.) and Pikeville (Ky.). Then, their grit became apparent, as they faced a Cinderella No. 7-seed Tennessee Wesleyan team that led Milligan 54-47 after three quarters. In the final frame of regulation, the Buffs were able to tie the game at 66 apiece to send the contest to OT. After falling behind 72-68, the Lady Buffs mounted a 9-0 run to take a 77-72 lead and eventually won 79-75 to snatch their first AAC Conference Tournament title.
With the automatic bid to the NAIA Tournament, Milligan was selected to travel to Indianapolis, Ind. to Marian University, where they would serve as a No. 11-seeded squad and play No. 6-seeded Oregon Tech in the First Round. After trailing for the majority of the first three quarters of that battle, MU was able to build a high-scoring fourth frame, with 31 points scored, to notch a nine-point win over OIT, 83-74. It was the first nationals win for Milligan since 1998-99. In the second-round contest with the No. 3-seeded Knights of Marian University, the Buffaloes trailed all game, but they were able to cut their deficit down to one point at 56-55 with 7:15 remaining in the contest. From there, the Knights built their lead back to an eventual 10-point win over the Lady Buffs.
"We had an amazing season last year," said head coach Kylie Greer. "Our entire team was focused on achieving the goals, which we did, and we couldn't have asked for a better group of young women as well. They were a joy to be around and their success on the court took our program to a level we hadn't been in decades."
During conference play, Milligan scored far above anyone else in the AAC, notching 86.1 points per tilt. The next closest was Columbia (S.C.), who scored 74.1 per contest. They were also extremely efficient, turning the ball over on offense only 11.5 times per game, the least in the AAC. It was also the second-fewest turnovers per bout in the entire NAIA.
2025-26 AAC Preseason Poll: The Buffs came in second of 14 teams in the 2024-25 AAC Preseason Poll and received four first-place votes.
The 2025-26 AAC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
Team - Total Points (1st-Place Votes)
1. Pikeville (6) - 172
2. Milligan (4) - 155
3. Johnson (2) - 155
4. Reinhardt – 140
5. Bryan (1) - 127
6. Tennessee Wesleyan - 126
7. Montreat - 100
8. Columbia - 91
9. Spartanburg Methodist - 67
10. Truett McConnell - 65
T11. Bluefield - 44
T11. Brenau - 44
13. Union Commonwealth - 35
14. Columbia International - 33
Key Returners: A group of 17 returning faces make up a majority of the squad this season, with several key contributors returning to the fold.
Semaj Clark leads the group in 2025-26, after a career-best campaign in 2024-25. She scored 15.5 points per game last season, which was second highest on the squad. She also helped to find other players scoring opportunities with 3.7 assists per game. A menace defensively, she took 2.2 steals per contest and also brought in 7.6 rebounds per tilt. She notched a triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a MU win over Union Commonwealth last season.
It is
McKenna Myers' senior season, and she is also coming off a career year, having shot 44.4% from the field and a strong 35.7% from beyond the arc. She scored a career-high 252 points last season, fourth most on the Milligan roster.
Lina Lyon continues to run the point with precision, with ball control being her strength. She dished out 2.8 dimes per game and only turned over the orange 0.8 times per contest. For a five-foot-three guard, Lyon also brought in boards at a high level, collecting 3.2 per game. She also scored 6.6 per contest, mostly as a driver to the bucket.
Jenna Hare,
Kenzie Campbell,
Naomi Atchley and
Lexi Ervin also figure into the mix this season after all scoring 90 or more points last season.
Renna Lane and
Caroline Krueger are two more players that will likely play a more featured role entering their junior and sophomore seasons, respectively.
"This group has high expectations and is excited about the depth of experience they can bring to this season," Greer stated. "We had a great offseason, led by these returners, and have continued to work hard in preseason. This team wants to write their own story."
Newcomers: A group of five new players joins the squad for their AAC title defense in 2025-26.
Four freshmen and one transfer were brought in in the offseason, as
Dachelle Lucas (Snellville, Ga.),
Savannah Jenkins (Johns Creek, Ga.),
Callie Reeder (Cookeville, Tenn.) and
Kelsey Harper (Madison, W.Va.) make up the list of prep additions.
Makenzie Bremer (UVA Wise, Maryville, Tenn.) is a transfer junior post who played consistent minutes for the Cavaliers in NCAA Division II last season.
"Mak and Callie are two players that I have been able to watch in the last 4-6 years," Greer explained. "They are ready to help us at the varsity level, and we are excited to see them mixed in. Dachelle, Savannah, and Kelsey were 3 players we really started recruiting late summer and last fall. Being from out of state, I didn't get to watch them as much in high school, but they are making amazing progress and becoming more confident in our system each day."
Looking at the Schedule: After the neutral-site bout with a ranked Lindsey Wilson squad, the Buffaloes' non-conference preseason schedule continues to be challenging, as they then face off with the No. 25-ranked University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) Patriots on Oct. 31. The Lady Buffs head to Alice Lloyd (Ky.) on Nov. 4, before hosting No. 2-ranked Bethel (Tenn.) on Nov. 10. Milligan starts their AAC slate on Nov. 12, when they host Brenau (Ga.), and closes out the early-season non-conference tilts with a home battle against the (RV) University of Rio Grande (Ohio) RedStorm on Nov. 15.
"It's always a goal of mine to make our non-conference schedule as challenging as possible," Greer said. "We have earned opportunities at the National Tournament by beating highly ranked teams in the year. In addition, by consistently playing some of the best teams in the country, hopefully we are more prepared for the pressure and challenges of our own conference."
A trip out to Florida in the end of December will consist of a pair of contests against Webber International (Fla.) on Dec. 29 and Southeastern (Fla.) on Dec. 30.
"The trip to Florida will be a great time together," Greer pointed out, "but it also gets us some games against non-conference teams before starting back into conference."
Important early AAC dates include Dec. 3 on the road in Knoxville at Johnson, Dec. 10 on the road in Pikeville, Ky. against the Bears of UPIKE. In the 2026 portion of the schedule, the Buffaloes will face Pikeville at home on Jan. 21 and Johnson inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse on Feb. 14 in the final home tilt of the season. Milligan will look forward to defending their AAC Tournament title at the conclusion of their regular-season slate inside the MeadowView Marriott in Kingsport from Feb. 25-28.
"The AAC is going to be strong this year," Greer opined. "We have multiple new coaches/teams in the league, and a few programs that have been rising! Of course, I know we have what it takes to win a Championship this season, but there are multiple teams who will be contending for it. There will be more disparity this season, maybe more than we have ever had in this league."
Last Word: "We are excited to get on the court," concluded Greer. "At this point, we know we have the talent/personnel to achieve our goals, but it's time to put it all together. We will be challenged in our early games, but we also have confidence that it is going to prepare us for the rest of the season."
