ANNVILLE, Pa. – The Lebanon Valley College women's basketball team has its sights set on a Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom title in 2025-26. The Flying Dutchmen are scheduled to compete in 25 games this winter, including 12 home matchups at Sorrentino Gymnasium.

Lebanon Valley is coming off a 2024-25 season in which it finished 19-7 overall and posted a 12-2 record against conference opponents, winning its first-ever MAC Freedom Regular Season Championship. The program also earned a postseason appearance, reaching the MAC Freedom Semifinals. Entering the 2025-26 campaign, the Dutchmen are ranked third out of eight teams, with 37 points and two first-place votes in the MAC Freedom Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Poll. 

Head Coach Julia Duggan was announced as the 33rd Head Coach in program history on July 3 and is entering her first season with the Dutchmen this winter. She joined LVC after serving as an Assistant Coach for Christopher Newport University and Endicott College. Duggan also played for Rider University's women's basketball team for four years and competed professionally in Europe for two years after college. She expressed that she is looking forward to her first season with LVC and working with the program's coaching staff. 

"We already have a really good program, and we will look to build upon the team's recent success during the upcoming season," Duggan said. "The players have really taken to the systems, coaching points, and structure that we've implemented so far. We are excited to have fun throughout the year as we work toward our goals on the court." 

Lebanon Valley's roster for the upcoming campaign includes 11 returners and five first-year student-athletes. Senior forward Brielle Reidinger and senior guard Riley Hevelow, a pair of 2024-25 All-MAC Freedom honorees, lead the list of veteran players. 

Reidinger ranked 25th in the nation with 13 double-doubles while leading the MAC Freedom in double-doubles, rebounds per game with 9.7, total rebounds with 253, and field goal percentage with a mark of .491 last season. In the conference, the forward also ranked in the top 10 in points, points per game, assists, and blocks. On LVC, Reidinger was first in points, field goal percentage, free throws made, and total rebounds. 

Hevelow ranked fourth in the MAC Freedom with 15.1 points per game, while finishing seventh with a field goal percentage of .435 and seventh with 1.5 three-pointers per game as a junior. Among Lebanon Valley players, the guard led the team in points per game while ranking second with 318 points, 133 field goals made, 31 three-pointers made, and a three-point percentage of .320. 

Another key returner is senior forward Kailey Eckhart, who ranked fourth in the MAC Freedom with a field goal percentage of .450 and was 10th in the conference with 1.4 three-pointers per game. On Lebanon Valley, the forward was first with 34 three-pointers made and a three-point percentage of .391, while being one of three Dutchmen to average double figures in points and pull down over 100 rebounds during the year. Additionally, the Dutchmen will rely on senior forward Adrianna Stricek, as well as junior guards Abbie Reed and Alexa Holcomb, to make an impact. 

The Dutchmen will open the season at the Winking Lizard Tip-Off Tournament, which will be hosted by John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio. LVC will take on Wheaton College (Ill.) on Friday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m., and Alma College on Saturday, Nov. 8, at noon. Lebanon Valley's home opener is set for Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m., against Muhlenberg College at Sorrentino Gymnasium.

The Flying Dutchmen will begin their MAC Freedom schedule on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at 5 p.m., against King's College in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Later in the month, on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 1 p.m., LVC will host Delaware Valley University for Hot Dog Frank Day.

Lebanon Valley will hold Senior Day on Saturday, Feb. 14, at 1 p.m., when the program will host Arcadia University at Sorrentino Gymnasium. Before the game, the team will recognize Hevelow, Reidinger, Eckhart, and Stricek. The Dutchmen will close out the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 1 p.m., against Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, Pa. LVC's full schedule can be found here. 

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