LOWELL, Mass. - UMass Lowell Women's Basketball Head Coach Jon Plefka revealed his program's 2025-26 schedule on Tuesday with the new era under his leadership beginning at home against St. Anselm on November 3 at the Kennedy Family Athletic Complex.
 
"I'm incredibly excited to kick off this new chapter of UMass Lowell Women's Basketball," said Plefka. "There's a lot of energy and anticipation around what we can build together. The players have been working extremely hard this summer, buying into our culture and really embracing the vision we have for the program. We still have a ton of work left to do, but I'm looking forward to seeing how it will all translate when we hit the floor for real."
 
After the home opener, the River Hawks set out on their longest road trip of the season. They will visit Boston College on Nov. 9 and CCSU on Nov. 15, followed by two in-state matchups at Massachusetts (Nov. 18) and Boston University (Nov. 22) to close out the four-game swing. The squad then returns home to host Northeastern (Nov. 25) and Maine Fort Kent (Nov. 30), wrapping up the first month of action.
 
December begins with another long road trip for UMass Lowell, as they will head to New York to visit Iona on Dec. 3 before playing at New Haven on Dec. 6. The team then heads to Chicago to face DePaul for the first time in program history on Dec. 11. Looking to end non-conference play on a high note, the team faces two more home tests against LIU (Dec. 14) and St. Joes Brooklyn (Dec. 29). They also face a road challenge against Holy Cross (Dec. 21) between the two before the start of America East action.
 
"Our focus will always be taking it one game at a time, regardless of who we are playing," added Plefka. "In our non-conference schedule, we will face opponents that will challenge us in many different ways. It's all about testing ourselves early, identifying where we need to grow, and learning how to compete in tough situations, especially on the road."
 
The new year means a new season of America East Conference play, as the River Hawks will host the Maine Black Bears on January 1 to open league play. After a short trip to UAlbany on Jan. 3, the team takes on back-to-back home games against Bryant (Jan. 8) and Binghamton (Jan. 10). The next week sees the team head to NJIT (Jan. 15) before its first bye, giving the team a week of rest. The team returns to action on Jan. 22 at defending America East Champion Vermont before a pair of games at the Kennedy Family Athletic Center against UMBC (Jan. 24) and New Hampshire (Jan. 29). The River Hawks then start the second half of conference play at Maine (Jan. 31) to close out the month of January.
 
"The America East is a very tough league," commented Plefka. "We have to be disciplined, execute to the best of our ability and play unselfish basketball on both ends of the court. If we can stay locked in on the details and continue building trust and chemistry as a team, we'll have an opportunity to make an impact this season."
 
February begins with another short home stretch for the squad, welcoming both NJIT (Feb. 5) and UAlbany (Feb. 7). They then face another three-game road trip when they will visit Bryant (Feb.12), New Hampshire (Feb.19) and Binghamton (Feb.21) before one final home game against Vermont on Feb. 26. The regular season then comes to a close on the final day of the month, as the River Hawks head to UMBC on Feb. 28 before beginning the America East Playoffs.
 
The top eight teams in the standings will qualify for the 2025-26 America East Playoffs, which are set to start with the quarterfinal round on Thursday, March 5. The semifinals will follow on Monday, March 9 to determine the championship matchup, which will be played on Friday, March 13. All rounds will be played at the higher seed.

Season Tickets for the River Hawks 2025-26 season are available now by clicking here, with packages starting at just $50! Get access to the best seats for the best price, plus membership gift, members only events, playoff ticket access and more! 

The 2025-26 schedule is subject to change. Updates can be found at www.goriverhawks.com.