Connor Brown, Production Director, FM88 Sports
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – With the regular season approaching, Marshall women’s basketball has one final opportunity to prepare before the games begin to count.
The Thundering Herd welcomes Kentucky Christian to the Cam Henderson Center on Tuesday for its second exhibition matchup of the 2026-27 season. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Marshall enters the matchup following a historic 2025-26 campaign that saw the program record 28 victories and capture the WNIT championship. Head coach Juli Fulks enters her third season in Huntington looking to build on that success while working several new faces into the rotation.
The Herd returns seven players from last year’s championship team and adds seven newcomers. Among the returning players is sophomore guard Olivia Olson, who earned Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team recognition after an injury shortened her freshman campaign.
Olson averaged 12.9 points per game while shooting from beyond the arc, knocking down 42 three-pointers in 16 appearances. Her return gives Marshall an experienced scoring option as the team prepares for another demanding schedule.
Senior forward Leyocha Marigney also returns as an important presence in the frontcourt. Marigney led Marshall with 57 blocked shots last season, ranking fourth in program history for blocks in a single season.
The Herd also brings in several transfers who could make an immediate impact. Cassie Gallagher arrives from USC Upstate after leading the Spartans with 15.7 points per game. Anaya Harris joins Marshall from Gardner-Webb, where she averaged 12.8 points per game and earned Second-Team All-Big South honors. Maddie Moody also adds experience after averaging 10 points and 6.5 rebounds per game at Northern Kentucky.
Tuesday’s exhibition provides another opportunity for Fulks to evaluate how the returning players and newcomers fit together before the regular season begins.
Kentucky Christian, located in Grayson, Kentucky, competes at the NAIA level in the River States Conference. The Knights finished 7-20 during the 2025-26 season.
Marshall has historically controlled the matchup between the programs, winning all four previous meetings. The most recent meeting came in November 2019, when the Herd secured an 89-40 victory.
For Marshall, the focus will be on continuing to develop its chemistry, finding consistency with its new roster and building momentum before the start of regular-season competition.
Following Tuesday’s exhibition, the Herd will turn its attention to its regular-season opener against Massachusetts on Nov. 2 as part of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge.
Marshall returns home Nov. 6 to host North Carolina A&T for its regular-season home opener at the Cam Henderson Center.