Huskers Open Exhibition Play with Wayne State
The Nebraska women's basketball team begins its season-long pursuit of a fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament bid by tipping off 2026-27 with an exhibition game against the Wayne State Wildcats on Friday, Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. (CT) at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
Season tickets, mini-plans and single-game tickets for the entire Husker women's basketball schedule are available now at Huskers.com or by calling the Nebraska Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-8-BIG-RED.
Nebraska's game with one of the state's top NCAA Division II programs also will be streamed live for subscribers of B1G+ - the first of 16 Husker women's basketball games scheduled to be streamed by B1G+ this season.
Free live audio from the Huskers Radio Network will be available on Huskers.com, the Huskers App, 107.3 FM in Lincoln and 590 AM in Omaha with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on the call to begin their 26th consecutive season together.
Nebraska closed a successful 2025-26 season by earning its third consecutive NCAA Tournament bid and its fourth in the past five years.
The NCAA NET 28 Huskers (19-13, 7-11 Big Ten) notched their second NCAA Tournament victory in the past three seasons and their 10th in school history with a 75-56 run past Richmond in the NCAA First Four in Durham, N.C. (March 18).
The No. 11 seed Huskers had their season come to an end against No. 6 seed and AP No. 21 Baylor, 67-62, in the first round at Cameron Indoor Stadium on the Duke campus (March 20).
Nebraska closed its 10th season under Head Coach Amy Williams with its fifth consecutive NCAA NET Top 45 ranking, closing the year at NET No. 28. Nebraska is one of only five current Big Ten schools (18) that have finished in the top five in the NET in each of the last five seasons, joining 2026 national champion UCLA, Maryland, Iowa and Ohio State in that esteemed group.
The Wildcats make the two-hour drive south to Lincoln after a 10-18 campaign that included a 5-17 mark in the Northern Sun. The Cats are led by second-year Head Coach Brian Ortmeier, a Dodge native and Nebraska graduate who led Briar Cliff to the 2025 NAIA semifinals.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
vs. Wayne State Wildcats
(Exhibition Game)
Lincoln, Nebraska (Pinnacle Bank Arena)
Tickets: Huskers.com / 1-800-8-BIG-RED
Live Video: B1G+ (StudentU)
Live Radio: Huskers Radio Network (5:30 p.m.)
Matt Coatney (PBP), Jeff Griesch (Analyst)
Lincoln (107.3 FM), Omaha (590 AM), Huskers.com, Huskers App
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Nebraska Cornhuskers (19-13, 7-11 Big Ten)
22 - Natalie Potts - 6-2 - Sr. - F - Redshirt
24 - Ashlyn Koupal - 6-3 - Fr. - F - High School
33 - Amiah Hargrove - 6-2 - Jr. - F - 12.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg
23 - Britt Prince - 5-11 - Jr. - G - 17.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg
3 - Allison Weidner - 5-10 - Gr. - G - Redshirt
Off the Bench
00 - Arek Angui - 6-9 - Jr. - C - 1.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg
1 - Ava Miles - 6-0 - Fr. - G - High School
2 - Logan Nissley - 6-0 - Sr. - G - 8.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg
8 - Edessa Noyan - 6-3 - Sr. - F - 5.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg
10 - Maddi Stewart - 5-9 - Fr. - G - High School
15 - Kennadi Williams - 5-4 - Jr. - G - 2.4 ppg, 0.8 rpg
34 - Emily Fisher - 6-0 - Sr. - G/F - 1.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg
Head Coach: Amy Williams (Nebraska, 1998)
11th Season at Nebraska (177-136); 20th Season Overall (370-245)
Wayne State Wildcats (10-18, 5-17 NSIC)
20 - Sophia Hope - 5-10 - Jr. - G/F - 1.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg
30 - Brooklyn Kruse - 6-3 - Sr. - F/C - Redshirt
1 - Courtney Franck - 5-8 - Fr. - G - High School
5 - Eleanor Griffin - 6-0 - Fr. - G/F - High School
15 - Emma Frost - 5-11 - Jr. - G - 5.2 ppg, 1.7 rpg
Off the Bench
3 - Cassie Allen - 5-6 - So. - G - 2.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg
4 - Sammie Allen - 5-7 - So. - G - 2.0 ppg, 1.1 rpg
11 - Stella Williams - 5-9 - Fr. - G - High School
12 - Macy Birkholz - 5-5 - Jr. - G - Redshirt
13 - Jadyn Kor - 5-10 - Fr. - G - High School
14 - Abby Aslesen - 6-0 - Jr. - F - 9.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg
21 - Lena Evans - 5-8 - Fr. - G - High School
22 - Ruth Dvoracek - 5-10 - Fr. - G - High School
23 - Ella Sharar - 6-0 - Jr. - F - 2.6 ppg, 0.8 rpg
40 - Avah Underwood - 6-0 - Fr. - F - High School
Head Coach: Brian Ortmeier (Nebraska, 2008)
Second Season at Wayne State (10-18); Fifth Season Overall (90-42)
Scouting the Wayne State Wildcats
• Wayne State comes to Lincoln for the first time in exhibition play since Nov. 2, 2014, when Nebraska rolled to an 84-43 win over the then-NCAA Division II No. 6 Wildcats in front of a then-Husker exhibition-record crowd of 4,948 fans at PBA.
• Coach Brian Ortmeier made the move to NCAA Division II Wayne State after leading Briar Cliff in Sioux City, Iowa, to an 80-24 record in three seasons as head coach, including 15 wins over NAIA top-25 teams. He guided the Chargers to an NAIA semifinal appearance with a 30-6 record in 2024-25. Ortmeier, a native of Dodge, Neb., is a Nebraska graduate.
• The Cats, who battled to a 10-18 record in Ortmeier's first season, will feature a new-look roster in 2026-27 that includes Eleanor Griffin (Lincoln Southwest), Stella Williams (Omaha Westview) and Avah Underwood (Council Bluffs St. Albert), along with Truman State transfer Sophia Hope and Valley City State transfer Abby Aslesen. Lena Evans (Oxford, Iowa), Ruth Dvoracek (Sioux Falls Christian), Courtney Franck (Mount Vernon, Iowa) and Jadyn Kor (Pipestone, Minn.) round out a list of nine newcomers.
• Griffin, who was a high school teammate of Nebraska's Kennadi Williams at Lincoln Southwest, was a three-time All-Heartland Athletic Conference pick. She averaged 11.6 points and 3.8 rebounds while knocking down 41 three-pointers as a senior. As a sophomore starter, she averaged 8.0 points and 3.9 rebounds to help Southwest to the state semifinals when Williams was a senior.
• Franck is a talented all-around guard who averaged 7.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.1 steals as a junior while leading Mount Vernon High School to an Iowa Class 3A state title. She added 4.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists as a senior to help Mount Vernon to a state runner-up finish. She was also a three-year starter as a soccer player.
• Kor scored 2,336 points in her career at Pipestone High School. She averaged 24 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.6 blocks and 2.5 steals for the Arrows as a junior in 2024-25.
• Stella Williams helped Omaha Westview to the Class A state tournament a year ago by averaging 13.6 points and 3.8 rebounds, while knocking down 80 three-pointers in 2025-26. She finished her high school career with 1,155 points and 239 three-pointers.
• Northeast Nebraska sophomores Cassie and Sammie Allen (Crofton), and Wayne native Brooklyn Kruse bring hometown flavor to the Wildcats. The 6-3 Kruse could provide a presence inside that the Wayne State lacked a year ago.
Huskers Receive Votes in Preseason Top 25
• Nebraska was the highest-ranked team outside the poll in the Associated Press Top 25 released on Tuesday, Oct. 20. The Huskers received 47 votes, just four behind No. 25 NC State.
• The Huskers were one of 12 Big Ten Conference teams to earn votes, including nine in the top 25 led by USC (3), Michigan (5), Iowa (10) and defending national champion UCLA (11). Washington (16), Minnesota (17), Ohio State (18) and Maryland (20) all joined the top 20, while Illinois entered the poll at No. 23.
• Nebraska, which spent seven consecutive weeks (six polls) in the AP Top 25 last season, slipped out of the poll on Jan. 26. The Huskers last received votes in the AP poll on Feb. 9. NU continued to receive votes in the WBCA/USA Today Top 25 through Feb. 17.
• Eight Big Ten teams finished the 2026 season in the AP Top 25 (April 6) led by national champion UCLA, No. 7 Michigan, No. 15 Minnesota, No. 16 Iowa, No. 17 Ohio State, No. 20 Maryland, No. 22 Michigan State and No. 25 Washington.
• Nebraska played 11 games against teams that finished in the AP Top 25 in 2025-26, including wins away from home over No. 19 Virginia and No. 25 Washington.
• The Huskers were ranked in the AP Top 25 for seven straight weeks to open 2024-25, before falling out of the rankings Dec. 23, following a 72-61 road loss at then-No. 17 Georgia Tech (Dec. 21).
Huskers Prepare for Sizemore Sportsmanship Pep Rally
• Nebraska's Sizemore Sportsmanship Pep Rally will be held at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Monday, Nov. 2 ahead of the Husker women's basketball season-opening game with San Jose State.
• Last season, a record 83 schools from around the state registered to participate with more than 3,900 students and accompanying adults attending the event. The overall attendance of 8,004 for a 103-46 win over Northwestern State marked the third-largest opening crowd in NU history.
• In 2024-25, the pep rally featured over 3,800 students and accompanying adults from 75 schools around Nebraska. The crowd of 8,106, which included a group from Hemingford (6-hour drive, 385 miles) watched the Huskers roll to an 88-48 win over Omaha. It was the second-largest season-opening crowd in school history.
• In 2023-24, the pep rally welcomed more than 3,300 students and accompanying adults from 62 middle grades schools from across the state of Nebraska.
• The 2022-23 rally helped the Huskers attract the fourth-largest opening-day crowd in program history with 7,065 fans on hand at PBA, which at the time trailed only the 9,750 fans on hand for the opening game in the history of the building against UCLA in 2013.
• The event, which is co-sponsored by the Nebraska High School Hall of Fame, features positive messages from Husker student-athletes, coaches and athletic administrators.
• The 2026 Sizemore Sportsmanship Pep Rally marks the eighth time since 2013 (also 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025) the event was paired with NU’s season-opening women’s basketball game.
• The Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rally, which is focused on 4th through 8th grade students across the state of Nebraska, not only includes inspiring messages from current and former Nebraska student-athletes and staff members, it also includes complimentary pizza from Nebraska Athletics through generous support from the Sizemore family and water provided by Pepsi for students and accompanying school staff members.
• The 2026 Pep Rally, which will be hosted by Jessica Coody from the Huskers Radio Network, will begin at 9:30 a.m., and include messages from Coach Amy Williams, Huskers Natalie Potts and Logan Nissley, along with Nebraska volleyball players Andi Jackson and Teraya Sigler, football players Jacory Barney Jr. and Danny Kaelin and track and field athletes Cade Moran and Axelina Johansson. The rally will conclude at 10:45 a.m., prior to Nebraska and Northwestern State taking the court for pregame warm-ups ahead of their noon tip-off.
Nebraska Life Skills Sportsmanship Pep Rallies at Women’s Basketball
2026 - TBA (attendance) / 3,985 (students/staff) - 71 schools) vs. San Jose State
2025 - 8,004 (attendance) / 3,900 (students/staff) - 83 schools) vs. Northwestern State
2024 - 8,106 (attendance) / 3,800 (students/staff - 75 schools) vs. Omaha
2023 - 7,065 (attendance) / 3,300 (students/staff - 62 schools) vs. Northwestern State
2022 - 6,233 (attendance) / 2,500 (students/staff - 40 schools) vs. Omaha
2021 - 4,476 (attendance) / 1,600 (students/staff - 30 schools) vs. Maine
2019 - 5,250 (attendance) / 2,000 (students/staff - 27 schools) vs. Alabama A&M
2013 - 9,750 (attendance) / 4,000 (students/staff - 45 schools) vs. UCLA
Huskers Aim for Fourth Straight NCAA Berth
• Nebraska made its 18th NCAA Tournament appearance and its 12th since 2007 (last 19 tournaments) in 2025-26.
• The Huskers own 10 all-time NCAA Tournament wins after their 75-56 First Four win over fellow No. 11 seed Richmond (March 18, 2026). The No. 6 seed Huskers defeated No. 11 seed Texas A&M in the first round in Corvallis, Ore., in 2024.
• The Huskers advanced to NCAA Sweet Sixteens in 2010 and 2013.
• Nebraska has advanced to the NCAA Second Round on seven occasions.
• Nebraska earned a No. 1 seed in the 2010 NCAA Tournament after going 29-0 in the regular season. The Huskers were the first Big 12 Conference team in history to go through an unbeaten conference regular season (16-0). NU defeated No. 16 Northern Iowa, before knocking off No. 8 UCLA in Minneapolis in the NCAA Tournament.
• The Big Red earned a No. 4 seed in the 2014 NCAA Tournament after winning the Big Ten Tournament title. Nebraska defeated No. 13 Fresno State in Los Angeles, before falling to No. 5 BYU at Pauley Pavilion on the UCLA campus in the second round.
• The Huskers advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen as a No. 6 seed in 2013, defeating No. 3 seed Texas A&M in College Station after defeating No. 11 seed Chattanooga.
• Nebraska also earned a No. 6 seed in 2024 in Corvallis, defeating No. 11 Texas A&M before falling to No. 3 Oregon State.
• The Huskers won their first and only NCAA Tournament home game as a No. 6 seed by beating San Diego at the Devaney Center in 1993.
Husker Roster Filled with State Players of the Year
• The 2026-27 Nebraska women’s basketball roster features five state players of the year in basketball, who won their respective awards from their home states from 2021 to 2026.
• Natalie Potts (Missouri, 2021, 2023), Logan Nissley (North Dakota, 2021, 2022, 2023), Britt Prince (Nebraska, 2023, 2024), Ashlyn Koupal (South Dakota, 2025-26) and Maddi Stewart (Oklahoma, 2026) have combined for 10 total state basketball player-of-the-year honors, while adding a pair of state volleyball player-of-the-year awards (Nissley, North Dakota, 2021, 2022).
• In addition, Allison Weidner was the Nebraska Girls Athlete of the Year across all sports in 2021, while Britt Prince added a Nebraska Girls Athlete of the Year award over all sports in 2024.
• Prince (2,491) and Weidner (2,282) combined for 4,773 points during their Nebraska High School careers.
• While Amiah Hargrove was not the overall Illinois state player of the year, she was the Illinois Class 1A Player of the Year in 2023 and was named the Southern Illinois Player of the Year three times (2022, 2023, 2024).
• Hargrove (2,774), Koupal (2,610), Potts (2,108), Stewart (1,735) and Nissley (1,664) combined for 10,891 points in their high school careers, while Hargrove, Potts and Koupal each added more than 1,000 career rebounds.