Youngstown State begins its 51st season of women's basketball and its second under head coach Melissa Jackson on Monday morning by hosting Thiel in the 12th Annual School Day Kids Game, presented by Chick-fil-A Tiffany Square Plaza. The contest from Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center will tip at 11 a.m., and it will be broadcast live on ESPN+, 1390 WNIO and iHeart.com.
Gameday Info
Tickets, Promotions & Fan Information
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Advance tickets for Monday's game are available online through YSUsports.com. The ticket office and gates at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center will open at 10 a.m. on Monday.
Season tickets are available by calling the YSU Athletic Ticket Office at (330) 941-1978.
Promotions
Game Preview
The Penguins enter the 2025-26 season with a 12-player roster featuring six returners, three players coming off medical redshirts, two transfers and a true freshman. Sophomore forward Sophia Gregory headlines the returning group after being named the Horizon League Freshman of the Year in 2024-25 and earning Preseason All-Horizon League First-Team honors. Gregory led YSU in rebounds, blocks and steals last season, and she is the top returning scorer at 10.2 points per game.
Jackson noted in the preseason that YSU's posts are its strength this season, prompting some adjustments to offensive schemes. Before Gregory emerged in the second half of the season, fellow forward Sarah Baker was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Week three times in the first five weeks of the season. Fifth-year senior Faith Burch also returns after making 22 starts and setting new career highs in scoring and rebounding last season.
The Penguins will feature three new starters in the backcourt following the departures of Malia Magestro, Xoe Rosalez and Jewel Watkins, who combined for 86 starts in 2024-25. Watkins was a Second-Team All-Horizon League selection last season and attempted 209 more field goals than any other player. Sixth-year senior point guard Casey Santoro, a transfer from FGCU who has played in 120 career games at the Division I level, will be counted on to play a big role on both ends of the court. Sophomore Erica King has the most experience of the returning wings after logging more than 550 minutes last season. Redshirt freshman Danielle Cameron was expected to be a contributor in 2024-25 but suffered a season-ending injury in the second game.
A Win Would...
- Improve YSU's record to 30-21 overall in season openers.
- Give the Penguins 10 victories in their last 14 season openers.
- Extend YSU's winning streak against non-Division I opponents to 31 games.
- Improve YSU's all-time record against Thiel to 2-0.
- Give Head Coach Melissa Jackson her 85th career win, her 13th at Youngstown State, and her first overall victory against the Tomcats.
Milestone Watch
Scouting Thiel
Roster | Schedule | 2024-25 Stats
Thiel is an NCAA Division III program that competes in the Presidents' Athletic Conference. The college is located in Greenville, Pa., less than 40 miles from Youngstown State's campus.
Jessica Vormelker enters her third season as Thiel's head coach in 2025-26. A Thiel alumna, Vormelker was a starter for the Tomcats when they faced Youngstown State at Zidian Family Arena at Beeghly Center on Dec. 20, 2018. The Penguins won that game 76-53.
Thiel returns its top three scorers from last season, led by Kayley Rissler, who averaged 11.2 points and recorded 20 blocks in 2024-25. Issy Green added 10 points per game and led the team with 67 steals.
Monday's game will count as an exhibition for Thiel, which will officially begin its season on Nov. 7 at Fredonia.
Series History and Matchup Notes
Overall: Youngstown State leads 1-0
Home: 1-0 // Away: 0-0 // Neutral: 0-0 // Jackson (career): 0-0
Current Win Streak: 1 by Youngstown State
Youngstown State beat Thiel 76-53 on a Kids Day game during the 2018-19 season on Dec. 20, 2018. That is the only other meeting between the two teams.
In that contest, the Penguins outscored the Tomcats 41-22 in the first half and shot 46.7% from the field. YSU had 23 assists on 28 field goals, as Chelsea Olson and Melinda Trimmer combined for 13 assists without a turnover. Mary Dunn scored 22 points in 24 minutes off the bench to lead the Penguins in scoring.
YSU vs. non-Division I teams: YSU's last loss to a non-Division I opponent came against Edinboro on Jan. 13, 1990. Since then, the Penguins have won 30 consecutive games against non-Division I teams. YSU is 84-10 all-time against teams that are currently outside Division I. The Penguins have played at least one non-Division I opponent in every season since 2013-14 except 2020-21. YSU was 2-0 against non-Division I opponents last season.
YSU vs. PAC teams: Youngstown State is 12-0 all-time against teams currently in the Presidents' Athletic Conference. YSU holds series records of 4-0 against Geneva, 3-0 against Hiram, 3-0 against Westminster, 1-0 against Grove City and 1-0 against Thiel.
Kids Day History
Monday is the 12th Annual School Day Kids Game, presented by Chick-fil-A Tiffany Square Plaza, and the Penguins are 10-1 in previous runnings of the event. Approximately 2,000 students from area schools are expected attend this year's edition.
YSU won the first nine Kids Day games, which were all against non-Division I opponents, before falling 65-59 to Canisius in 2023-24. The Penguins led that game 50-37 after three quarters, but the Golden Griffins held a 28-9 edge in the fourth quarter to escape with a six-point victory. YSU topped Mercyhurst 64-56 on Kids Day last season.
YSU has held the event every season since 2013-14 except for the 2020-21 season affected by COVID-19. Each of the first 10 games took place between Dec. 16 and Dec. 21 on the calendar.
Up Next
Youngstown State will play its next two games on the road, starting with a contest at North Dakota on Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern.
