FLORENCE, Ala. (September 24, 2026) – The University of North Alabama women's basketball team announced the non-conference schedule for the 2026 season on Thursday. The UNA schedule features three SEC programs with 14 total non-conference games.
The team will play four former ASUN opponents in Queens, West Florida, Bellarmine and Lipscomb.
"I couldn't be more excited to get on the court with this team," said UNA head coach Anna Nimz. "These players have been grinding all preseason, and they are ready for the test. We're kicking things off with three Power Four matchups — including two against top 25 opponents — which gives us an incredible opportunity to measure ourselves right out of the gate. Up and down the schedule, our non-conference slate is built to test us every single night, and this group is ready to work."
This announcement comes right before the inaugural UAC Basketball Tipoff event set for Thursday, Sept. 24 in Allen, Texas. UNA will be represented by Coach Nimz and junior transfers Amy Kurkowski and Brynn Lusby.
Times, dates and locations are subject to change. Fans can find the most up-to-date information on RoarLions.com.
NOTES
HEAD BALL COACH: On March 26, UNA Director of Athletics Dr. Josh Looney officially named Anna Nimz the 10th head coach of the North Alabama women's basketball program. Nimz takes the helm after a remarkable six-year turnaround at Northwestern State. Beginning in 2020, she took what once was a one-win team and turned it into a Southland Conference contender. Under her leadership, Northwestern State matched or increased its win total all six seasons. The 18 wins this past season were the program's most in 10 years, while the 14 conference wins were the most in 22 years. Entering her UNA tenure, Nimz has 192 wins as a head coach, leading the programs at Kilgore College and Labette Community College prior to Northwestern State.
SEC! SEC! SEC!: North Alabama begins its season in Mississippi with SEC powers, Mississippi State and Ole Miss. Later in the month of November, the team battles Vanderbilt in Tennessee to conclude the three SEC games on the schedule. This is the first time in school history that the women's program has played three SEC schools in the same season. The Lions played two SEC schools last season and in 2023-24.
FORGE AHEAD: This season, the Lions have officially forged ahead to the United Athletic Conference as of July 1. UNA will join former ASUN rivals Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky and West Georgia in the UAC. The Lions also join forces with Abilene Christian, UT Arlington and Tarleton State from the Western Athletic Conference and Little Rock from the Ohio Valley Conference. However, non-conference games still include former Atlantic Sun opponents such as Bellarmine, Lipscomb, Queens and West Florida.
AROUND THE WORLD: The newly constructed roster has 12 transfers with three returners in junior Venla Ulander alongside sophomores Greta Ramon and Brooke Hallman. Ten of the 15 players have international backgrounds from six different countries: Australia, Italy, Turkey, Finland, Slovakia and Lebanon. The staff brought in players such as Amy Kurkowski from Saint Mary's, Vera Gunaydin from Gonzaga, Phoebe Holmes from Xavier and Joceline Geara from Northwestern State, among others.
LAST SEASON: The 17-14 record in 2025-26 was the best record since the 21-9 finish in 2019-20. UNA won 11 conference games and 10 home games inside CB&S Bank Arena. The team took down No. 11 Queens in the opening round of the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament before battling No. 2 Central Arkansas in a hard-fought 67-56 defeat in the quarterfinal round. Highlights of the season included a four-overtime win against West Georgia, 118-107 and a 39-point outburst from Alexsandra Alvarado in a Feb. 27 game – the most points by a UNA player in a Division I game.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
