WILMINGTON, N.C. – UNCW women's basketball will kick off the 2025-26 regular season with a road contest at East Carolina on Monday, Nov. 3, at 6 p.m.

GAME COVERAGE
UNCW Seahawks (0-0) at East Carolina Pirates (0-0)
Date: Nov. 3, 2025
Gametime: 6 p.m.
Location: Greenville, N.C. | Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum
Live Stats: UNCWstats.com
Live Video: ESPN+

Nicole Woods enters her third season at UNCW. Last season, Woods navigated the Seahawks to an appearance in the second round of the Coastal Athletic Association tournament. 

During the 2024-25 campaign, the Seahawks improved their overall win total by nine, finishing with a 14-18 record. The Seahawks' 8-10 record in Coastal Athletic Association play matched their league-win total from the previous four seasons combined. 

Eight returners and four newcomers make up the roster for UNCW in 2025-26. The Seahawks lost their top four scorers from last season, including CAA first-team selection Ali Zelaya (12.3 PPG).

Zelaya was also named the 2025 CAA Defensive Player of the Year last season. She ranked seventh in the nation with 81 blocked shots and set the program's new single-season record.

Senior guard Kate Hollifield started 31 of 32 games last season and averaged 6.8 points per game, the most by any returning player for the Seahawks. Hollifield also led all players in the CAA in 3-point percentage during conference play, shooting 43.5% from beyond the arc in 18 CAA contests.

Sophomore guard Tia Dobson averaged 5.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals in 29 games as a freshman last season. Dobson also led all freshmen in the conference with 65 assists.

Senior guards Mary Ferrito and McCall King bring veteran experience to the Seahawks' lineup. Ferrito played in 10 games last season, missing the entire conference slate with an injury. King played in all 32 games last season and made 14 starts. 

Kylah Silver (R-So./G) and Torin Rogers (R-Jr./F) return to the court after missing all of last season with injuries. Rogers won the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship at Richmond. 

As a freshman, Silver averaged 11.2 points and 4.6 rebounds for the Seahawks during the 2023-24 campaign. Silver will make her return to the court in her hometown.

Silver's mother, Tomekia Blackmon-Silver, was inducted into the East Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019 after a standout career for the Pirates from 1992-96.

Rori Cox (Gr./G) and Paige Smith (Jr./G) joined the Seahawks as transfers in the offseason and will look to add scoring depth to the offense. 

Last season, Cox averaged 14.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.8 steals at Virginia Union, an NCAA Division II institution. She has scored 1,447 points during her collegiate career.

Smith was an NJCAA Division II Women's Basketball All-America selection at CCBC Essex in Baltimore. Smith averaged 17.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.9 steals and made 96 3-pointers during the 2024-25 season.

Corrie McLaughlin (Jr./F) and Angelina Pelayo (R-Fr./C)are the returning post players for UNCW in 2025.

McLaughlin played in 26 games for the Seahawks last season, shooting 59.1% from the field.

Pelayo played two games as a freshman before missing the remainder of the season with an injury.

The Seahawks added two freshmen in the offseason, Icyss Storm and Ebbony Wilson. 

Storm, a 6-foot-1-inch forward from Durham, North Carolina, won three state championships during her prep career and scored 1,299 points. She finished her prep career averaging 13.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, two assists, 2.6 steals and two per game.

Wilson, a 5-foot-10-inch guard from Los Angeles, led the state of California in scoring as a senior, averaging 31.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 3.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.