WBB Game Day: Frostburg State - Liberty University

Game Day Coverage

Liberty Storylines

For the second year in a row and the third time in the last four seasons, Liberty will tip off its campaign by hosting Frostburg State, Monday at Liberty Arena.
Alexis Sherard begins his second year as Liberty's head coach and his 20th season on the Lady Flames' coaching staff. Liberty finished 18-13 during his inaugural season in 2025-26, reaching the CUSA semifinals.
Four starters return to the Liberty lineup, headlined by first team All-CUSA center Emmy Stout and CUSA All-Freshman Team honoree Ify Nwaobi. The Lady Flames bring back 74.2 percent of their scoring and 86.8 percent of their rebounding from 2025-26.
Sophia Gregory stands out among the Lady Flames' six newcomers. The junior post player was the 2026 Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year at Youngstown State and joined Stout and Nwaobi on this year's Preseason All-CUSA listing.
Liberty was picked third in the CUSA preseason coaches poll, trailing only defending champion Missouri State (first place) and Middle Tennessee (second). The Lady Flames are beginning their fourth season as CUSA members in 2026-27.

Notes and Anecdotes

Liberty is hosting Frostburg State for the Lady Flames' season opener for the second year in a row and the third time in four years. Meanwhile, this will serve as one of the Bobcats' three preseason exhibitions before they officially tip off their 2026-27 campaign against Mansfield on Nov. 13.
Liberty is predicted for a third-place finish in CUSA, while Frostburg State was voted sixth of 12 squads in the preseason Mountain East Conference (MEC) poll.
Frostburg State went 16-15 last season, marking the Bobcats' third consecutive winning record.
Liberty is one of four CUSA teams facing a non-Division I opponent in its season opener on Monday, joining Jax State, Kennesaw State and Sam Houston.
Liberty is 4-0 when facing Frostburg State head coach Jenna Eckleberry, including 2-0 during her time with the Bobcats and 2-0 when she coached at Shepherd.
Claudia Acin, Elisabeth Aegisdottir, Maleah Alexander, Zeynep Avci, Emma Leon, Ify Nwaobi and Lynn Peters all scored their first collegiate points against Frostburg State.
Former Liberty Head Coach Linda Farver (1977-86) is a member of the Frostburg State Athletic Hall of Fame, thanks to her performance in basketball and lacrosse.

Lady Flames in Season Openers

Liberty is 26-25 all-time in season openers, including 17-8 when tipping off the year at home (3-1 at Liberty Arena).
The Lady Flames have won their first game of the season in three consecutive years (2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26) for the first time since taking four straight openers between 2004-05 and 2007-08.
Liberty will begin the season with a home game for the second year in a row and the fourth time in the last five seasons, dating back to 2021-22.

Looking to Extend Some Streaks

The Lady Flames enter the 2026-27 season having won six straight games at Liberty Arena since a 74-61 loss to FIU on Jan. 30, 2026. Liberty's next home win will be their 75th victory at the facility, which opened on Dec. 1, 2020. The Lady Flames own a 74-14 record at Liberty Arena.
Liberty has won 10 or more conference games for 27 straight seasons (1999-2000 through 2025-26). The streak includes three conferences (Big South, ASUN and CUSA) and began during Carey Green's first season as head coach.

What a Difference a Year Makes!

A year ago at this time, Alexis Sherard was preparing for his head coaching debut with a squad which returned only one starter from the 2024-25 CUSA regular-season and tournament champions (Elisabeth Aegisdottir). The Lady Flames had lost 72.7 percent of their scoring and 71.3 percent of their rebounding from the previous season.
This time around, Sherard's squad features four returning starters. The Lady Flames bring back 74.2 percent of their scoring and 86.8 percent of their rebounding from the 2025-26 campaign.

Rulers of the Rebounds

Liberty posted a CUSA-best +7.4 rebound margin in 2025-26 and finished No. 24 nationally.
The Lady Flames have ranked among the nation's top 20 teams for rebound margin in 20 of the last 23 seasons, leading the country on six occasions (2003-04, 2004-05, 2009-10, 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14).

Rulers of the Rebounds, Part 2

Liberty is the only NCAA Division I women's basketball team which boasts two players who led their respective conferences in rebounding in 2025-26.
Ify Nwaobi paced CUSA with 9.5 rpg, becoming the first freshman to lead the conference in rebounding since 2007-08.
Meanwhile, Sophia Gregory topped the Horizon League rebounding chart with 8.7 rpg while playing for Youngstown State.

Schedule