Liberty women’s basketball is set to start the 2025-2026 season against Frostburg St at home on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 7:00 pm. Get prepared for the season with the preview of the roster, upcoming schedule, biggest impacts, and insights about the new head coach.
The Flames ended last season at 26-7, with their Conference USA record being 16-2. Number one seed Liberty defeated number two Middle Tennessee State 53-48 to capture their first-ever Conference USA title, leading to their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2018. Kentucky beat the Flames 79-78 in the first round to end Liberty’s strong season.
It will be a much different team that takes the court for the Lady Flames this coming season, highlighted by a new head coach roaming the sidelines, as long-time assistant Alexis Sherard takes over for the retired Carey Green. Liberty will also have to find replacements for four starters from last year’s championship squad.
Liberty has lost some players for the upcoming season due to transfers – Asia Boone, Emily Howard, Brooke Moore, and Pien Steenbergen. Asia started all 33 games for the Flames last season, averaging 10.2 points, and was a two-time Second Team All-Conference selection in her career. She will attend Kentucky for the upcoming season.
Two players have also come in for the new season through the transfer portal in Lydie Mwamba, a guard from New Mexico who averaged 3.0 ppg and 41% from three for the season, and JaKayla Thompson, a guard from Boston College who averaged 2.2 ppg and 41% from the field.
Elisabeth Aegisdottier is the only returning starter while Emmy Stout, Claudia Acin, and Avery Mills all return from their bench roles. Avery Mills had a promising freshman season, averaging 6.8 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists. She also shot 51.9 percent from the field with 46.2 from three and 91.3 percent from the line.
LIBERTY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ROSTER AND BIO
#4 Claudia Acin – Junior Guard – 5-8: 2024-25 Season: Appeared in 29 games off the bench; 57.8% field goal, 46.7% from three (on 7-of-15); 41 assists to 25 turnovers (assist/turnover ratio ~1.64).
#21 Elisabeth Aegisdottir – Junior Forward – 6-2: 2024-25 Season: Started all 33 games; had a career-high 12 rebounds and 17 points in individual games; exemplified strong rebounding and efficiency, averaging 5.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
#15 Maleah Alexander – Redshirt-Freshman Guard – 5-7: Freshman Guard from Burlington, KY
#25 Zeynep Avci – Freshman Guard – 6-0: Freshman from Ankara, Turkey
#24 Emma Leon – Freshman Guard – 5-6: Freshman from Barcelona, Spain
#13 Sierra Maxwell – Freshman Guard – 5-10: Freshman from Menifee, CA
#1 Avery Mills – Sophomore Guard – 5-9: 2024-25 Season: Appeared in all 33 games, named to CUSA All-Freshman Team; two-time Freshman of the Week; shot 51.9% from the field, 46.2% from three, 91.3% at the line; scored in double-figures nine times, including 19 points vs Tennessee and Randolph.
#22 Lydie Mwamba – Senior Guard – 5-11: Transferred from New Mexico; at New Mexico averaged 3.0 ppg and 1.7 rpg in 12 games; shot 41.2% from beyond the arc. At Trinity Valley CC earlier, earned NJCAA second-team All-America honors.
#6 Ify Nwaobi – Redshirt-Freshman Forward – 6-2: Freshman Forward from Calgary, Canada
#33 Lynn Peters – Freshman Center – 6-3: Freshman Center from Almelo, Netherlands
#11 Caroline Shiery – Junior Forward – 6-3: 2024-25: Only appeared in three games before season-ending injury; previously played as reserve in 2023-24. Will be looking to return to full form.
#17 Emmy Stout – Sophomore Center – 6-3: In the 2024-25 season (her freshman year): Averaged 7.1 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per game. Shot an efficient 64.6 % from the field. Named to the Conference USA (CUSA) All-Freshman Team
#3 JaKayla Thompson – Junior Guard – 5-8: At Boston College: Appeared in 43 games over two seasons (2023-24, 2024-25), with three starts as a sophomore. In the 2024-25 season, averaged 2.2 points per game and 1.7 rebounds per game.
25-26 SCHEDULE
*CUSA game
Liberty’s first Division I competition this season is at home against East Carolina. The Pirates finished last season with a 19-14 record and a 9-9 conference record in the American Athletic Conference. The last time Liberty played the Pirates was in 2022, with Liberty losing 64-72. Liberty has an all-time record of 1-2 against ECU.
One of the toughest out of conference matchups the Lady Flames have is the Duke Blue Devils, which are pre-season ranked No. 7. Duke finished last season at a strong 29-8 record, with their conference record being 14-4. Duke reached the Elite Eight last season while also winning the ACC tournament for the first time in 12 years. Duke also holds a 4-0 record against the Flames.
On the road, LU faces George Mason and JMU, who are both respected teams that have success in their conferences, both of which are in a tough atmosphere. JMU still holds the strong advantage with a 14-4 record over Liberty. George Mason’s record against LU is 11-2, but the last time Liberty and George Mason have played was 2008, with Liberty winning 69-54.
LU enters two different tournaments in a neutral site, one being the Navy Classic in Annapolis, MD, and the next being the Maui Classic played in Makawao, HI.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
PG: Avery Mills (#1, So.)
SG: JaKayla Thompson (#3, Jr.)
SF: Claudia Acin (#4, Jr.)
PF: Elisabeth Aegisdottir (#21, Jr.)
C: Emmy Stout (#17, So.)
PROJECTED DEPTH
Backcourt
- Sierra Maxwell (#13, Fr.) – Freshman guard; may come off the bench to provide scoring spark.
- Maleah Alexander (#15, R-Fr.) – Younger guard/wing; development piece who can fill in.
- The team added the transfer Lydie Mwamba (from New Mexico) for 2025-26, which should bolster depth wing/forward minutes.
Frontcourt
- Caroline Shiery (#11, R-Jr.) – 6′3″ forward; returns from injury and can contribute minutes at PF/C.
- Ify Nwaobi (#6, R-Fr.) – 6′2″ forward; versatile and labeled as “positionless” and someone who will become more of a known commodity by the end of the season.
NEW COACH
Carey Green retired on Aug. 28 after spending 26 seasons as the Flames Head Coach. Green stacked up more wins than any other Liberty Coach in Liberty’s athletics history. He racked up 31 conference titles in his time as coach. Long-time Assistant Coach Alexis Sherard was announced as the new Head Coach, and the seventh Head Coach in the Liberty Women’s Basketball program.
Upon his hiring, Sherard said, “I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to build on the program’s tradition while bringing my own vision to its next chapter.”
Sherard again addressed the media during a press conference on Sept. 2, where he explained his vision for the team, “I want to begin by expressing my heartfelt gratitude. It is truly an honor to stand before you as the new head coach of Liberty University Women’s Basketball – this is not just a professional milestone, it’s a personal one.”
Sherard served as an assistant for 18 years under Green. He moved to the program in 2007 after working with the men’s basketball team, then serving as a Recruiting Coordinator for 10 years until his promotion as Associate Head Coach. Sherard has coached for about 30 years, starting at Saint Michael’s College and Providence, both while being an Assistant Coach. Then in 1999, Shepard joined UVA, where he was Director of Operations and Assistant Coach, after this he came to Liberty.
WHAT WE CAN EXPECT
Liberty enters the season as a team that has lost four starters from the last championship season but looks determined. Avery Mills spoke on adopting the role of leader within the team and helping the newcomers for the upcoming season, “The leadership we had last year was great, definitely taken a lot from them and their leadership, and our team culture has been amazing together so far so it has been pretty easy to step into that role and I’m loving it.” This aims to show how Mills can impact this year as a leader on the court.
Coach Sherard then talked about what is different for this year stepping into the season as not just a coach but now the leader, “I’m just overly excited, there is a big job at hand, I don’t take it lightly, I have a great group of ladies that are eager to play, and I am looking forward to the challenge.”
This year for the Flames seems to be a story about new challenges and new roles. Liberty seems to be ready to embrace this and determined to start strong.
