The Cal Poly Women’s Basketball released their official schedule for the upcoming 2024-25 season on Thursday, Sept. 26. The schedule includes a challenging non-conference slate and 14 home games.
After exceeding expectations in the 2023-24 season, leading to a third-place Big West finish and a 17-14 record, the Mustangs will look to continue to compete near the top of the conference in year three of head coach Shanele Stires’s tenure.
The annual ‘Field Trip Game’ will kick off the season on Oct. 30 at Mott Athletics Center. It will be an exhibition matchup against Sonoma State, and local elementary school students will fill the stands to celebrate the start of the new season.
The Mustangs’ official season opener, one of nine non-conference games, will be on Nov. 6 against Division II program UC Merced.
Their non-conference opponents include Stanford on Nov. 25 and UCLA on Dec. 16, both teams who made the NCAA Tournament last year. The Mustangs will also travel to face Power 4 team USC on Nov. 9.
Last year, the Mustangs boasted an 8-4 home record, fueled by the second-highest average home attendance in Big West women’s basketball.
Cal Poly will get an early chance at redemption on Dec. 5 at home against UC Davis, the team that knocked them out of the Big West Tournament quarterfinals last season.
Other key matchups include games against Hawai’i on Jan. 4 and Feb. 6 and defending Big West champion UC Irvine on Jan. 9 and 18. The Mustangs went a combined 0-3 against both teams last year in the regular season.
The Mustangs have eight newcomers, seven of whom are freshmen. They will be tasked with filling the roles left by last year’s departures, most notably Natalia Ackerman, the All-Big West first-teamer who transferred to UC Berkeley this offseason.
Senior guard Annika Shah, sophomore forward Mary Carter and senior forward Sydney Bourland will be among the seven returning players from last season.
Shah was named an All-Big West Honorable Mention a season ago, and Carter made the All-Big West freshman team.
Their tough opponents will test the new squad early as they prepare to challenge for another Big West championship.