BEMIDJI, Minn. – Bemidji State University Women's Basketball is slated 14
th in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, taking seventh in the Northern Division. Junior guard
Tieryn Plasch has also been named the Beavers 2025-26 Player to Watch, as announced Thursday morning.
Last season, the Beavers went 6-20 overall with a 4-18 record in the NSIC. Non-conference wins came early in the season over University of Minnesota Morris, 79-51, and Valley City State University, 64-61. In the NSIC the Beavers started with a 69-63 overtime loss to University of Minnesota Crookston, not finding the win column again until December 19, 2024, when they took down St. Cloud State University 78-74 in Bemidji. BSU went on to defeat Augustana University, 63-50, St. Cloud State a second time, 59-58 and Augustana again, 70-64. They played ranked teams four times throughout the season.
"I am optimistic about this group and the year ahead," said Beaver Head Coach
Chelsea Stoltenberg. "We have more new faces than returners and many will be immediate impact players. Adding new talent has motivated our returners to get better individually in the off season. I am really impressed with how both have blended in one so well for a competitive atmosphere."
New faces are the name of the game this year for BSU as they return just seven student-athletes from last season. Returners include redshirt freshman
Evyn Eppinga, sophomores
Brooklyn Wood,
Kendra Syverson and
Aubrey Heyer, and juniors
Ashlynne Guenther,
Tieryn Plasch and
Beth Bolte. Transfers new to the Beavers' roster include seniors
Tiffany Liddie, a five-foot-ten guard from Rockwall, Texas by way of Cameron University, and
Kassandra Caron, a six-foot forward out of Eden Prairie, Minn. out of Missouri Western State University. Juniors
Sam Veto and
Kaitlyn Reeves join from Kirkwood Community College and Newman University, respectfully. The Beaver freshman class includes two guards in
Macee Linow and
Gabrielle Fineday and two forwards in
Ava Olson and
Lindsey Weiler.
Last season,
Tieryn Plasch led the way for the Beavers during her sophomore campaign. She started in all 26 games for the Green & White, marking a team-leading 806 minutes played, averaging 31.0 per game. She shot 41.3 percent from the field, sinking 90 shots on 218 attempts. From the arc, Plasch found the net 39.2 percent of the time, making 60 total shots. At the free-throw line, she went 23-for-29 for a 79.3 shooting percentage. In total, Plasch added a team-leading 263 points to the Beavers' total. Defensively, she marked 108 total rebounds, 12 offensive and 96 defensive for an average of 4.2 per game. Plasch also added 69 assists, 22 steals and six blocks.
"Tieryn is our leader in every capacity," said Coach Stoltenberg. "She has a high IQ and will take on a huge role for us again this year. We will look to her to have a huge impact offensively, both scoring and facilitating."
The Beavers begin competition in less than a month as they prepare to host North Central University and Augsburg University on November 4 and 8, respectively. This season, the team plans to travel to the University of Tampa Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 28-29, taking on Florida Institute of Technology and Tampa. When they return, NSIC play begins with a home matchup against Minnesota State University Moorhead on Dec. 4. The 2026 NSIC Women's Basketball Tournament kicks off on Feb. 25 with the championship held on Mar. 3 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
All NSIC games are available for streaming on the NSIC Network. Tickets to Beaver home games will be available via Hometown Ticketing on the BSU Beavers' website.
For more information on the Bemidji State women's basketball program, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on X (@BSUBeaversWBB), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) and like them on Instagram (@BSUBeaversWBB).
Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's and women's hockey membership in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
