11/7/2026 5:44:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ATHENS, Ohio – Basketball season has already arrived at The Convo this season, as the Ohio women's basketball team (1-0) got an opening night win over Louisiana-Monroe on Monday night.
The opening night win is a great start to a season that has promise, especially after last year's successful campaign that saw the team earn a postseason birth, competing in the WNIT.
Head coach Bob Boldon is entering his 14th season in Athens, and likes the spot the program is in after not losing a single player to the transfer portal this offseason.
"I was happy with the transfer portal and not having anybody leave," Boldon said. "I think speaks volumes to our program and to the university itself. II think we have kids that want to be here. I don't know that everybody has that in college basketball right now, and I know that we do."
On the flip side of the portal, Boldon and his staff brought in one transfer this offseason, junior guard Irene Asencio Man~osa (Barcelona, Spain) who transfers in from UTEP.
She brings experience and leadership to the team after playing in 45 games for the Miners and starting 10 of those games. She also has experience playing basketball on the international circuit, representing her home country of Spain in the 2024 FIBA U18 Women's Eurobasket.
Another new guard to the roster is freshman Kamie Ellis (Port Charlotte, Fla) who impressed in her Ohio debut, scoring eight points on 50% shooting in her first ever collegiate game. She is another guard brought in to help run the offense while redshirt junior Bella Ranallo (Lake Forest, Ill) is out with an injury.
"We recruited Kamie as a freshman to come in as a point guard, and she's doing a great job," Boldon said. "She did exactly what we thought she would do."
With only one transfer the roster is loaded with experience players, and preseason first team all-MAC senior guard Bailey Tabeling (Seymour, Ind) is among the most veteran as she enters her fourth year with the Bobcats.
Tabeling boasts tons of talent on the offensive end, being able to shoot from anywhere on the court and make great passes to set up her teammates. This season she is focusing on other areas of her game.
"There's not much left to squeeze out at that talent," Boldon said. "I think she wants to be pushed. I think she wants to be better defensively. I think she's trying and doing a good job of being a better leader."
Two other four-year Bobcats that are back for their senior years are guards Monica Williams (Indianapolis, Ind) and Asiah Baxter (Indianapolis, Ind).
Williams looks to be back to full strength this season after last season saw her return from an injury. She scored 19 points while shooting 3-6 from deep in the win over ULM.
"It's nice to see Monica play basketball without a knee brace, that first year back is hard," Boldon said. She's looked really good in the preseason and I'm excited to see what she might do this year."
Baxter is a swiss-army knife for Boldon and the Bobcats, playing a multitude of roles while doing whatever is needed on the court.
"She's so steady, and she does all the things right," Boldon said. "She's dependable. She's a great communicator. She shoots the ball well, drives the ball well. She covers a multitude of positions and rebounds well and does a lot of things for us."
A strong core of veterans combined with newcomers like Ellis and Man~osa have Ohio off to a 1-0 start. The Bobcats will look to build on that positive momentum throughout the season as they look to get back to the MAC tournament.
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