The Youngstown State women’s basketball program unveiled its non-conference schedule for the upcoming season on Monday.

The Penguins will open the 2025-2026 regular season on Nov. 3 at home against Division III foe Thiel to begin head coach Melissa Jackson’s second season in Youngstown.

In addition, the Penguins will have home games against Bucknell (Nov. 16), Toledo (Nov. 25) and Division II opponent Salem (Dec. 31). YSU will hit the road to face North Dakota (Nov. 7), Michigan State (Nov. 12), Mercyhurst (Nov. 20) and Akron (Nov. 30), while also participating in Florida International’s Christmas Classic multi-team event on Dec. 19 and 20 against opponents that are still to be determined.

The contest against the Fighting Hawks is the return game for last year’s canceled season opener at the Beeghly Center. The games against Bucknell and Mercyhurst are also return games for two home-and-home series that began last year. The Penguins fell to the Bison 51-36 and defeated Mercyhurst 64-56 in the Lakers’ first season at the Division I level.

The games against Toledo and Akron mark the beginning of two home-and-home series with return games penciled in for next year. It’s the first time the Rockets have come to Youngstown since 2007 and first time that the two programs have played since a 2013 meeting in the WNIT.

YSU’s trip to face the Zips will be the 62nd meeting all-time between the two programs after a one-year break last year. It’ll be a homecoming of sorts for Jackson, who coached at Akron for five years as head coach and 10 years before that as an assistant coach.

YSU’s trip to East Lansing will also be a homecoming for Penguins assistant coach Courtney Davidson, who played for the Spartans from 2005-2008. YSU will receive $24,000 from Michigan State for the game, according to documents acquired by the Tribune Chronicle and Vindicator.

The Penguins’ games against non-Division I foes Thiel and Salem are also buy games, for which YSU will pay each program $2,000.