INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Following a semifinal appearance in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Tournament, the Lewis women's basketball team was picked to finish tied for fifth in the 2026-27 GLVC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll, the league office announced Friday (Oct. 23).

The Flyers received 130 points to tie Truman for fifth place. Maryville led the poll with 186 points, followed by Missouri-St. Louis with 183. Drury placed third with 171 points, while McKendree was fourth with 141. Quincy (114), Upper Iowa (107), Illinois Springfield (98), Missouri S&T (90), Southwest Baptist (60), Indianapolis (54), Rockhurst (50), Lincoln (37) and William Jewell (23) rounded out the rankings.

Lewis returns two of its top scorers in Mallory Ramage (Mattoon, Ill./Mattoon) and Yahaira Bueno (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook). During the 2025-26 season, Ramage started all 30 games and averaged a team-best 14.6 points per game, earning All-GLVC First Team honors. The redshirt senior scored in double figures in 22 of 30 games, including a season-high 27 points against Southwest Baptist on Jan. 24. She also recorded a 17-game double-digit scoring streak that began Jan. 10 and continued through the end of the season.

An All-GLVC Second Team honoree in 2025-26, Bueno also started all 30 contests and averaged 12.2 points per game. She recorded a season-high 24 points against Maryville to open the new year. On Feb. 5 against Lincoln, Bueno posted a 14-point, 10-assist double-double, becoming one of three Flyers to record a double-double during the season. Her 11 assists against Rockhurst on Jan. 22 were the most by a Flyer in a single game that season. In the first round of the GLVC Women's Basketball Tournament against McKendree, she tallied a team-best 22 points to help lead Lewis to a 77-63 victory over the Bearcats.

In head coach Dodie Dunson II's first season at the helm in 2025-26, Lewis posted an 18-12 overall record and a 13-7 mark in conference play to earn a berth in the GLVC Tournament. The Flyers also put together one of the conference's longest winning streaks, recording more than 10 consecutive victories. He also became the fifth consecutive Lewis women's basketball head coach to win at least 15 games in their first season leading the program.

Under Dunson's leadership, Lewis earned three All-GLVC selections, including first- and second-team honorees in Ramage and Bueno. Ally Cesarini (La Grange, Ill./Lyons Township) was named GLVC Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player in program history to earn the distinction as well.

The Flyers open the season Tuesday, Oct. 27, with an exhibition matchup against Loyola Chicago. Lewis will host Northwood in its home opener Monday, Nov. 9, at 5 p.m.

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