Moravian Women Set to Begin 2026 Landmark Conference Tournament at Catholic on February 24
TOWSON, Md. --- The Moravian University women’s basketball team has earned the fifth seed in the 2026 Landmark Conference Tournament and will travel to fourth seed The Catholic University of America for a First Round contest on Tuesday, February 24 at 7:00 p.m.
TOWSON, Md. --- The Moravian University women's basketball team has earned the fifth seed in the 2026 Landmark Conference Tournament and will travel to fourth seed The Catholic University of America for a First Round contest on Tuesday, February 24 at 7:00 p.m.
Admission to Tuesday's match is $10 for adults and $5 for minors ages 10-17. Children ages nine and under are admitted free of charge, as are all Landmark Conference students, faculty and staff with their school ID. Tickets can be purchased via Hometown Ticketing at https://landmarkconference.org/sports/2022/4/25/championships-tickets.aspx?path=champs, available beginning Monday, February 23 at 9:00 a.m.
For the third straight year, the Landmark Conference Tournament features six teams with the top two seeds earning first round byes. The winner of the Moravian/Catholic contest will travel to top seed No. The University of Scranton for a semifinal game on Thursday, February 26 at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday's other first round contest has third seed Elizabethtown College hosting sixth seed Drew University at 7:00 p.m., and the winner of that game will head to second seed Susquehanna University for the other semifinal contest on February 26. The 2026 Landmark Conference Championship match is set for Saturday, February 28 at the highest remaining seed for the conference title and a berth to the 2026 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.
The Greyhounds are 11-14 overall this winter and finished the Landmark regular season with a 9-9 mark while the Cardinals are 17-8 overall and were 14-4 in Landmark action, part of a three-way tie with Susquehanna and Elizabethtown that was broken by each team's NPI ranking. During the regular season, Catholic swept the season series, winning 64-62 in Johnston Hall on January 7 and 84-54 in Washington, D.C. on February 7.
Moravian Head Coach Mary Beth Spirk has the Hounds returning to the postseason for the 34th time in her 38 seasons leading the Greyhounds' program. The Blue & Grey are making their 16th Landmark Conference Tournament appearance. Spirk has a career record of 659-359 and is looking to lead the Greyhounds to their fourth conference title that would go with a Landmark Championship in 2010 and Middle Atlantic Conference titles in 1991 and 1992. Spirk has led Moravian to the NCAA Division III Tournament nine times in her tenure including the NCAA Division III National Championship game in 1992 and a first-round win at the University of New England in 2016, the program's last NCAA tournament appearance.
Junior guard Lizzie Lustig leads Moravian with averages of 11.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game to go along with 42 assists, 27 steals, 13 three-pointers and eight blocked shots while averaging a team-high 30.6 minutes per game. Senior guard Juliana Vassallo is tossing in 9.2 points per contest to go with 54 rebounds, 30 three-pointers, 30 assists, 24 steals and three blocked shots while sophomore guard Ellie Wallbillich is contributing 7.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per outing with 37 assists, 26 steals, seven three-pointers and two blocked shots.
Sophomore guard Megan Elias is contributing 6.3 points per game to go along with 59 rebounds, 54 assists, 16 steals and 13 three-pointers while sophomore guard Kylie Cabana has averages of 6.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest with 23 assists, 15 steals, four blocked shots and four three-pointers. Junior forward Grace Steffen is posting 7.2 rebounds and 5.8 points per outing with 22 steals, 19 blocked shots, seven assists and a pair of three-pointers while junior forward Lanie Herbert is registering 5.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game to go along with 22 blocked shots, 11 assists and seven steals.
Senior guard Jayda Cartagena is netting 5.1 points per contest with 44 rebounds, 30 assists, 20 steals and 14 three-pointers this winter while freshman guard Abby Hayes has 77 points, 34 rebounds, 17 assists, eight steals, six blocked shots and six three-pointers in her debut season. Sophomore guard Mallory Elias has posted 50 points, 32 rebounds, 26 assists, eight steals, seven three-pointers and three blocked shots while sophomore forward Kate Donaldson has added 27 rebounds, 26 points, five assists, four steals and three blocked shots.
Junior forward Bellisima Lew has recorded 21 rebounds, 12 points and a pair of assists while sophomore guard Kylie Sheridan has 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Sophomore forward Brynn Ohlhoff has grabbed 10 rebounds to go with eight points and six assists while freshman guard Sofie Laird has three assists, two points and two rebounds since joining the Hounds at the semester break.
