CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State women's basketball team will open the 2024-25 season with an exhibition contest on Friday, November 1, hosting Edinboro in the Wolstein Center. Friday's exhibition game is slated for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff and is free for all fans to attend.
 
The Vikings enter the 2024-25 campaign with nine returners from last season's team that went 29-6, and captured the program's first-ever Horizon League Regular Season championship. Included in this returning group is the trio of Destiny Leo, Colbi Maples and Mickayla Perdue, who all earned Preseason All-League honors, with Maples being named the #HLWBB Preseason Player of the Year.
 
This group will be joined by five newcomers, including transfers Jannah Eissa (NC State), Macey Fegan (Toledo) and Mya Moore (Seattle). In addition, two true freshmen will be on the roster for the Vikings this season in Sarah Hurley (Pelham, Ontario) and Brenae Jones-Grant (Plainfield, N.J.).
 
Earlier this month, the Vikings were selected as the preseason favorite to win the Horizon League, picking up 117 points and seven first place votes. This marked the first time in program history that Cleveland State was selected as the preseason favorite.
 
The Vikings will be under the direction of seventh-year head coach Chris Kielsmeier, who enters the 2024-25 campaign with a career head coaching record of 541-176. Last season, Kielsmeier picked up his 100^th victory at Cleveland State, while he was recently named to the Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Watch List.
 
Edinboro enters Friday's contest coming off a 17-12 2023-24 campaign, including a 14-8 record in PSAC play. Earlier this month, the Fighting Scots were picked to finish fourth in the PSAC West Preseason Poll and return their top seven scorers from last year, including a pair of All-PSAC honorees.
 
The Vikings will officially kickoff the 2024-25 season on Tuesday, November 5 when Cleveland State travels to No. 14 Ohio State for a 6:00 p.m. contest. This will be the first of 11 non-league games for the Vikings this year, while Cleveland State's official home opener will be Tuesday, November 12 when they welcome Bowling Green to the Wolstein Center.