GEORGETOWN, TEXAS – With under 70 days until tip-off, the Southwestern University women's basketball team announced its 2026-27 schedule Wednesday, featuring 25 games, including 13 games inside the Robertson Center, a road tournament and 16 Southern Athletic Association contests. 
 

The Pirates, who finished 13-13 last season with their most wins since 2017-18, will open the 2026-27 season on the road at Concordia (TX) on November 8. Southwestern will open its home schedule on November 14 versus Mary-Hardin Baylor followed by a contest with Howard Payne three days later November 17. 
 

Southwestern will travel to Ashland, Virginia, to compete in the Randolph-Macon College 2026 Tip-Off Classic November 20-21. The Pirates will take on the host school Randolph-Macon on Nov. 20 before taking on Lynchburg on Nov. 21. 

The Pirates return to the Robertson Center on November 28 to host McMurry before making a return trip to Brownwood to face Howard Payne on December 2. Southwestern will welcome Hendrix College to the Robertson Center on December 4 before SAA play starts four days later. 
 

Southwestern will open SAA play on the road in San Antonio against Trinity on December 8 followed by Oglethorpe at home on December 13.  
 

The Pirates will leave the state of Texas for the second time this season when they make an SAA road swing December 18-20. Southwestern will face Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee, on Dec. 18 before heading to Danville, Kentucky for a matchup against Centre College on Dec. 20.  
 

Southwestern will have nine days off before hosting the University of Dallas at home on December 30 for its final non-conference matchup of the season.  
 

The Pirates will open the new year with back-to-back SAA road games, traveling to Memphis, Tennessee, to face Rhodes College on January 8 before heading south to Jackson, Mississippi, for a meeting with Millsaps College on January 10. 
 

Southwestern will host three consecutive contests inside the Robertson Center, beginning with Berry College on January 15. The Pirates will host their Alumni Game on January 17 against Sewanee. SU will close its homestand on January 26 against Trinity.  
 

The Pirates will close the month of January with a road matchup against Oglethorpe in Atlanta on Jan. 29.
 

Southwestern will begin the final month of the regular season with back-to-back home games against Rhodes College on February 5 and Millsaps College on February 7. The Pirates will then travel to Mount Berry, Georgia, to take on Berry College on February 12, before closing out the road schedule on February 14 at Sewanee in Sewanee, Tennessee. 
 

The Pirates will wrap up the regular season with back-to-back home games against Maryville College on February 19 and Centre College on February 20.  

This year's SAA Championship Tournament will take place at Maryville College from February 25-28.  
 

Head coach Caitlin Kriesel-Bigler enters her fourth season at the helm after leading the Pirates to their best record in eight years and their first appearance in the conference tournament in five years. The Pirates return over 80 percent of last season's scoring and nearly 85 percent of its minutes played. Neela Castillo, the 2025-26 SAA Rookie of the Year, returns for her second season and is expected to pair well seven incoming freshmen and other Pirate returners. 
 

"I can't wait to kick off our 2026-27 basketball season," stated Kriesel-Bigler. "We bring a lot of depth and experience back from last year's squad while adding seven talented freshmen to our group. We have a couple of very strong non-conference matchups. Personally, I am thrilled to bring the team to Randolph-Macon to play in their 2026 Tip-off Classic in Ashland, Virginia. We will see two high-caliber ODAC teams, and I get to coach against my former boss and mentor. This will be a high-quality tournament as we prepare for the SAA schedule starting in December. The goal is always to build and elevate the program every year, and I cannot wait to work with this group of young women."