LEBANON, Ill. - McKendree University women's basketball head coach Kari Kerkhoff confirmed the schedule for the upcoming 2023-24 season this fall. The Bearcats come off a 12-16 performance and a 9-11 conference record in addition to a Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament appearance in the 2022-23 season. McKendree returns all 12 players from a season ago while adding four incoming freshmen to the 2023-24 squad.
"This year's schedule brings a perfect blend of competition and experiences for our squad," said Kerkhoff who enters her ninth year at the helm for the Bearcats. "Our goals for the early non-conference games are to continue to build the team's comradery while preparing for the challenges we will face in the GLVC."
The season tips off with the Bearcats hosting the GLVC/GMAC Crossover tournament including fellow GLVC member Missouri S&T and GMAC members Ohio Dominican and Ferris State. McKendree faces Ohio Dominican on Friday, Nov. 10 at 5 p.m. followed by a match-up against Ferris State on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 6 p.m.
For the third consecutive year, McKendree will participate in the Hansen-Spear Funeral Home Classic hosted by Quincy at Pepsi Arena. The Bearcats meet Washburn University for the first time in women's basketball history with a 5 p.m. game on Friday, Nov. 17. On Saturday, Nov. 18 at 1 p.m., McKendree faces GMAC foe Hillsdale College for the first time since 2016.
McKendree begins regular season conference play with matchups against Truman State, Maryville, and Rockhurst in the last week of November.
On Dec. 2, William Jewell comes to town for a 5:30 p.m. game before the Bearcats are on the road for the next two weeks with GLVC games at Illinois-Springfield and Quincy. Additionally, McKendree will take an international trip to Rincon, Puerto Rico to take on the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez and the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras on Dec. 15 and 16. Rounding out the 2023 portion of the schedule is a home contest against Harris-Stowe State on Dec. 30.
In its first game of the new year, McKendree faces the GLVC's newest member, Upper Iowa University, on Jan. 3 at 5:30 p.m. before setting out on a four-game stint on the road against Missouri S&T, the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Lewis, and Indianapolis.
February features the bulk of the conference's women's basketball schedule as the Bearcats are set to play eight games in four weeks. March 2 against Indianapolis concludes the regular season before the GLVC tournament begins March 7-10.
Click here to go to the full 2023-24 schedule.
