Skyhawks Begin 58th Season Monday at Home Against Eastern Kentucky

Date (Time): Mon., Nov. 2, 2026 (6 p.m.)
Opponent (Record): Eastern Kentucky Colonels (0-0)
Head Coach: Greg Todd (Eastern Ky., 1983)
Record (Seas.) Overall/EKU: 363-233 (21^st)/101-63 (6^th)
Location (Arena): Martin, Tenn. (Kathleen & Tom Elam Center)
Radio: WCMT 100.5 FM (PxP: Chris Brinkley; Analyst: Davis Gregory)
TV/Streaming: ESPN+ (Same)
UTM vs. EKU: EKU leads series 32-26

The University of Tennessee at Martin women's basketball team will have a brand new look when it takes to the court to open its 58th season Monday night at the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center against former Ohio Valley Conference foe Eastern Kentucky at 6 p.m. Twelve of this year's fourteen Skyhawks are new to the program with three Division I transfers, a Division II transfer, four junior college transfers and four true freshmen.
Only two Skyhawks return from a season ago, sophomores Kennedy Horton and Sidni Middleton. Middleton was a three-time OVC Freshman of the Week last season who averaged 9.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Meanwhile, Horton appeared in 29 of 30 games for the Skyhawks and averaged 10.4 minutes per game.
Two of the transfers have already earned accolades going into the new season, as Tyler Jones and Raven Sims were named OVC Players to Watch. Jones joins the Skyhawks after spending a season at New Mexico, while Sims started her career at Memphis for two seasons, followed by one season at Niagara.
Eastern Kentucky won the 2025-26 Atlantic Sun regular-season championship, but this season will play in the new United Athletic Conference, in which they were picked second in the inaugural pre-season poll. The Colonels went 25-9 a season ago and 15-3 in conference play. After a surprise exit in the first round of the ASUN tournament, the Colonels advanced to the second round of the Women's Basketball Invitational Tournament by upsetting top-seeded Utah at home, before falling on the road at fourth-seeded Harvard.
Liz Friehofer returns to Eastern Kentucky after being named a first-team All-ASUN selection and the ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year last season. She averaged 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and a team-high 2.1 3-pointers per game. Also returning for the Colonels is 2025-26 ASUN All-Freshman honoree Kenleigh Woods, who averaged 10.6 and 2.7 assists per game. Kailani Lindsey rounds out the returners for EKU and played in all 34 games with 5.4 points per game.
Monday will be the 69th all-time meeting between UT Martin and Eastern Kentucky and the first since the Colonels left the OVC following the 2020-21 season. Eastern Kentucky leads the all-time 36-32, despite the Skyhawks winning the last seven games between the two teams and 17 of the last 18. In Martin, the Skyhawks hold a 15-12 advantage, while head coach Kevin McMillan is 17-2 against Colonels.
The Skyhawks have made a 3-point field goal in 543 consecutive games, a streak dating back to Feb. 3, 2009 against Austin Peay and ranking eighth nationally.
UT Martin has posted a 159-60 (.726) record at home during the Kevin McMillan Era, dating back to 2009. The home squad has also posted a 116-34 record in the Elam Center (.733) against OVC foes during the same span.
Nov. 3 will be the 48th home opener in the history of the program, with the Skyhawks winning 31 of the 47 previous games. For head coach Kevin McMillan, he is currently 8-9 going into his 18th lid-lifter at the Elam Center.
With just two returners, a young Skyhawk squad was picked to finish fourth in the quest for the 2026-27 OVC championship as voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. UT Martin garnered 78 total points.
Senior Raven Sims and sophomore Tyler Jones received preseason honors from the Ohio Valley Conference when both were named to the 2026-27 Preseason Player to Watch list at the annual OVC Basketball Media Day.
Jones spent her freshman season at New Mexico. She appeared in 24 games for the Lobos in 2025-26 and averaged 6.7 minutes per game. Before New Mexico, she was a highly decorated high school player at Hutchinson, earning All-State honors from the Basketball Coaches Association of Tennessee, the Tennessee Sports Writers Association and the Tennessee Report. Jones was also named the TSSAA Division II-AA West Region Player of the Year and was a 2025 TSSAA Miss Basketball finalist.
Sims comes to UT Martin after sitting out last season at Niagara. Before her year with the Purple Eagles, she spent two seasons at Memphis, playing 57 games with three starts for the Tigers. In high school, Sims played at Tipton-Rosemark Academy and Bartlett, where she earned three All-Tennessee accolades. As a senior, she ranked as Tennessee's ninth-best player, after leading the Memphis area in scoring her junior year.

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Players Mentioned

Kennedy Horton

Tyler Jones

Sidni Middleton

Raven Sims