When the Lipscomb Women’s soccer team steps onto the pitch in Jacksonville, Florida on Thursday, they won’t just be playing for a spot in the next round of the ASUN Championship. They will be playing to keep a dynasty alive. The No. 6 seed Bisons are set to face off against the No. 3 seed Bellarmine University in a high-stakes, first-round knockout match. For the veterans players on the roster, the goal is clear; secure a historic back-to-back-back ASUN title. But for the women leading them from the sidelines, the narrative looks a little different. This marks the first postseason run for Lipscomb head coach Dr. Kathleen Paulsen. Hired in December 2025, Paulsen stepped into one of the most unique situations in collegiate sports. She inherited a powerhouse program that captured the conference crown in both 2024 and 2025 under former head coach Kevin O’Brien. While wasn’t on the sidelines for those previous two rings, the pressure to deliver the elusive “triple championship” now rest on her shoulders. It is the ultimate sports storylines, a first-year coach tasked with finishing a three-peat she didn’t start. To rewrite the history books, the Bisons will have to go through a brutally foe. Thursday’s match will be the third time Lipscomb and Bellarmine have clashed in less than three weeks, making it true “rubber match” will ultimate consequences. The Knights took the first meeting on Oct. 18 in a tight 3-2 battle. Just days ago, on Halloween, the two squads battled through to a grueling 1-1 draw in a regular-season finale. In 81st-minute equalizer to snatch momentum away from the Knights right before the postseason brackets were locked. Because the tournament is being held at the natural site in Jacksonville, regular-season records and home-field advantage fly out the windows. On paper, the Bisons wear the No. 6 underdog tag. In reality, they carry the irresponsible DNA of back-to-back-to- back championships. If Dr.Paulsen can can guide this veteran group past a dangerous Bellarmine squad on Thursday, she won’t just be advancing in the bracket, she will be cementing her own legacy in Nashville and proving that while coaches change, the Bisons’ championship standard does not. Featured Image taken courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics
Lipscomb University kicked off the basketball season with a bang during the Lipscomb Lights Out event. Allen Arena was packed on Oct. 29, with Lipscomb students pumped up and ready to see their new men’s and women’s basketball teams. The night featured exciting games that students played alongside the players. The competing students could win prizes and the crowd cheered in a mostly darkened stadium. President Caleb Carlson and Vice President Ellie Moen of the Lippy Lunatics put on a show hosted the event’s games. Lipscomb did not have the Lights Out event last year and the Lippy Lunatics were thrilled to have it back. “It feels great man.” Carlson said after the Lights Out event. “It’s fun to bring back an event that’s a student body favorite and it’s been really fun to try to revive that tradition and we hope to bring it back.” The Night featured five different games where students could win prizes including Apple AirPods, NeeDoh, Starbucks vouchers, 300 dollars for their Res Hall, and an electric scooter. The five games were a “Basketball Relay”, “Mattress Relay”, “Cheer Meter,” the “Price is right”, and “Hungry Hungry Hippos”. Each game was played with the most of the lights out in Allen Arena, and Bisons basketball fans loved the atmosphere. “I got to do this in the dark because most of the time we do it in the light.” said Mathew Brown, a junior accounting major after the event. “It’s so fun that we have students from the audience participate in the games and win awesome cool prizes.” For the basketball relay the players and students had to dribble up and down the court and make a layup. Then the players had to make a 3-pointer while the students shot free throws; the first team to finish won. For the mattress relay, both players and students took turns belly-diving onto air mattresses to push them down the court. The team that pushed the air mattress down the court first won. The cheer meter game split the crowd into groups and had the cheerleaders teach the students the Lippy lunatic chants. The side that cheered the chant the loudest won. In the “price is right” students were paired up with players to guess the price of basketball items and events tickets. The student who got the most right won $300 to their Res Hall. The last game of the night was “Hungry Hungry Hippos.” Students lay down on scooters with buckets and the players pushed them around to capture basketballs, mimicking the Hungry Hungry Hippos board game. While every game was very exciting but this one got the crowd the most energized. Students, coaches, and players all enjoyed the festivities as Lipscomb celebrated the start of the 2026-27 season. Moen was thrilled at how the event turned out. “I think the biggest win that we have from this event truly is seeing the players come together on both teams and just being with the students.” Moen said. “It was so intentional of every game, every cheer, really making sure that the student body knows that the players care about them. So, I think the biggest win tonight was recognizing that we’re all here for each other and it’s so much more fun when we come together.” With students excited for the basketball season to start, both the men and women’s first games will be next week. The men’s first game is Nov. 2, against Southeast Missouri State and their home opener is Nov 7, against SIU Edwardsville. The Women’s first game is on Nov. 2, against Vanderbilt, with their home opener is also Nov. 7 against Carolina University. Featured Image Taken by Noah Moran
The Nashville Vibe, the newest addition to the UPSHOT league, announced Yolanda Moore as the team’s first head coach on Wednesday, Oct. 7, in a press conference at the Nashville Vibe offices. The UPSHOT League is a professional independent women’s basketball league that launched with four teams in 2026. The Jacksonville Waves, Savannah Steel, Greensboro Groove, and the first ever UPSHOT League champions, the Charlotte Crown. Nashville was officially awarded its expansion franchise by the UPSHOT League on April 9, 2026, and they now have a head coach with much anticipation ahead of the team’s first season. “We are building this team around three commitments: Joy, belonging, and basketball excellence,” Nancy VanReese, president and CEO of the Nashville Vibe, said. For a city like Nashville that just missed out on being a WNBA expansion franchise, there can be obstacles in the way to in order to bring excitement that a WNBA team would, without actually having one. “Joy is the excitement of a close game… belonging means when you come to a Nashville Vibe game, you know you have a place there… and basketball excellence is the standard that we will give and guide,” VanReese said. The Deputy Commissioner of the UPSHOT League, Taj McWilliams-Franklin was next to the podium. A 15-year WNBA legend, a Hall of Famer, and the all-time offensive rebounds leader when she retired, McWilliams has ties to Moore. Both women were a part of the inaugural Orlando Miracle roster in 1999, and McWilliams-Franklin had nothing but praise for her former teammate and longtime friend. “She’s experienced this game at the highest level and spent years coaching, mentoring, and pouring in[to] others,” McWilliams-Franklin said. “She’ll allow her players to grow, to compete, but she’ll challenge them to be better on and off the court.” The UPSHOT League prides itself on giving the players who may not have been drafted to the WNBA that second chance that can spark something special. Nashville Vibe Head Coach Yolanda Moore shared her experience in this game and how she can relate to her players in that aspect. “I know what it’s like to go from being a superstar in college, to sitting down by the cooler at the end of the bench,” Coach Moore said. “There are so many players who haven’t gotten an opportunity at the professional level, and this gives them an opportunity.” Moore brings about as much experience as you could draw up for a brand new franchise. Her playing career brought three all-conference selections for the University of Mississippi, and was inducted to the Ole Miss Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. She adds two WNBA championship rings to the resume, both with the Houston Comets. Her coaching experience brings stints at the high school level, and more notably the college ranks, where she led LSU Eunice women’s basketball to a 26-3 record in just one season at the helm of the Lady Bengals. In that season, she led the team to its first-ever regular season conference title, and was named the 2013-2014 NJCAA Region 23 Coach of the Year. VanReese was asked about the process of hiring a coach and how Moore was ultimately the final decision. She replied, “We did interview a handful of candidates. We were so overwhelmed with joy to find out that Yo[landa] was gonna be available that we leaned in as hard and as fast as we could.” The inaugural season for the Vibe is set to begin sometime in late May and run through late August, according to VanReese. She also shared that the home games will be played in the historic Memorial Gymnasium at Vanderbilt University. For information about upcoming games, season tickets, and the UPSHOT League, visit nashvillevibe.com to learn more. “I didn’t know that this is where I needed to be, but now that I’m here, I wouldn’t want to be any place else,” Moore said. “I am excited about what we are building and I’m ready to get started, so it’s up from here.” Featured Image taken by Will Blackmon
When the Lipscomb Women’s soccer team steps onto the pitch in Jacksonville, Florida on Thursday, they won’t just be playing for a spot in the next round of the ASUN Championship. They will be playing to keep a dynasty alive. The No. 6 seed Bisons are set to face off against the No. 3 seed Bellarmine University in a high-stakes, first-round knockout match. For the veterans players on the roster, the goal is clear; secure a historic back-to-back-back ASUN title. But for the women leading them from the sidelines, the narrative looks a little different. This marks the first postseason run for Lipscomb head coach Dr. Kathleen Paulsen. Hired in December 2025, Paulsen stepped into one of the most unique situations in collegiate sports. She inherited a powerhouse program that captured the conference crown in both 2024 and 2025 under former head coach Kevin O’Brien. While wasn’t on the sidelines for those previous two rings, the pressure to deliver the elusive “triple championship” now rest on her shoulders. It is the ultimate sports storylines, a first-year coach tasked with finishing a three-peat she didn’t start. To rewrite the history books, the Bisons will have to go through a brutally foe. Thursday’s match will be the third time Lipscomb and Bellarmine have clashed in less than three weeks, making it true “rubber match” will ultimate consequences. The Knights took the first meeting on Oct. 18 in a tight 3-2 battle. Just days ago, on Halloween, the two squads battled through to a grueling 1-1 draw in a regular-season finale. In 81st-minute equalizer to snatch momentum away from the Knights right before the postseason brackets were locked. Because the tournament is being held at the natural site in Jacksonville, regular-season records and home-field advantage fly out the windows. On paper, the Bisons wear the No. 6 underdog tag. In reality, they carry the irresponsible DNA of back-to-back-to- back championships. If Dr.Paulsen can can guide this veteran group past a dangerous Bellarmine squad on Thursday, she won’t just be advancing in the bracket, she will be cementing her own legacy in Nashville and proving that while coaches change, the Bisons’ championship standard does not. Featured Image taken courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics
Lipscomb University kicked off the basketball season with a bang during the Lipscomb Lights Out event. Allen Arena was packed on Oct. 29, with Lipscomb students pumped up and ready to see their new men’s and women’s basketball teams. The night featured exciting games that students played alongside the players. The competing students could win prizes and the crowd cheered in a mostly darkened stadium. President Caleb Carlson and Vice President Ellie Moen of the Lippy Lunatics put on a show hosted the event’s games. Lipscomb did not have the Lights Out event last year and the Lippy Lunatics were thrilled to have it back. “It feels great man.” Carlson said after the Lights Out event. “It’s fun to bring back an event that’s a student body favorite and it’s been really fun to try to revive that tradition and we hope to bring it back.” The Night featured five different games where students could win prizes including Apple AirPods, NeeDoh, Starbucks vouchers, 300 dollars for their Res Hall, and an electric scooter. The five games were a “Basketball Relay”, “Mattress Relay”, “Cheer Meter,” the “Price is right”, and “Hungry Hungry Hippos”. Each game was played with the most of the lights out in Allen Arena, and Bisons basketball fans loved the atmosphere. “I got to do this in the dark because most of the time we do it in the light.” said Mathew Brown, a junior accounting major after the event. “It’s so fun that we have students from the audience participate in the games and win awesome cool prizes.” For the basketball relay the players and students had to dribble up and down the court and make a layup. Then the players had to make a 3-pointer while the students shot free throws; the first team to finish won. For the mattress relay, both players and students took turns belly-diving onto air mattresses to push them down the court. The team that pushed the air mattress down the court first won. The cheer meter game split the crowd into groups and had the cheerleaders teach the students the Lippy lunatic chants. The side that cheered the chant the loudest won. In the “price is right” students were paired up with players to guess the price of basketball items and events tickets. The student who got the most right won $300 to their Res Hall. The last game of the night was “Hungry Hungry Hippos.” Students lay down on scooters with buckets and the players pushed them around to capture basketballs, mimicking the Hungry Hungry Hippos board game. While every game was very exciting but this one got the crowd the most energized. Students, coaches, and players all enjoyed the festivities as Lipscomb celebrated the start of the 2026-27 season. Moen was thrilled at how the event turned out. “I think the biggest win that we have from this event truly is seeing the players come together on both teams and just being with the students.” Moen said. “It was so intentional of every game, every cheer, really making sure that the student body knows that the players care about them. So, I think the biggest win tonight was recognizing that we’re all here for each other and it’s so much more fun when we come together.” With students excited for the basketball season to start, both the men and women’s first games will be next week. The men’s first game is Nov. 2, against Southeast Missouri State and their home opener is Nov 7, against SIU Edwardsville. The Women’s first game is on Nov. 2, against Vanderbilt, with their home opener is also Nov. 7 against Carolina University. Featured Image Taken by Noah Moran
The Nashville Vibe, the newest addition to the UPSHOT league, announced Yolanda Moore as the team’s first head coach on Wednesday, Oct. 7, in a press conference at the Nashville Vibe offices. The UPSHOT League is a professional independent women’s basketball league that launched with four teams in 2026. The Jacksonville Waves, Savannah Steel, Greensboro Groove, and the first ever UPSHOT League champions, the Charlotte Crown. Nashville was officially awarded its expansion franchise by the UPSHOT League on April 9, 2026, and they now have a head coach with much anticipation ahead of the team’s first season. “We are building this team around three commitments: Joy, belonging, and basketball excellence,” Nancy VanReese, president and CEO of the Nashville Vibe, said. For a city like Nashville that just missed out on being a WNBA expansion franchise, there can be obstacles in the way to in order to bring excitement that a WNBA team would, without actually having one. “Joy is the excitement of a close game… belonging means when you come to a Nashville Vibe game, you know you have a place there… and basketball excellence is the standard that we will give and guide,” VanReese said. The Deputy Commissioner of the UPSHOT League, Taj McWilliams-Franklin was next to the podium. A 15-year WNBA legend, a Hall of Famer, and the all-time offensive rebounds leader when she retired, McWilliams has ties to Moore. Both women were a part of the inaugural Orlando Miracle roster in 1999, and McWilliams-Franklin had nothing but praise for her former teammate and longtime friend. “She’s experienced this game at the highest level and spent years coaching, mentoring, and pouring in[to] others,” McWilliams-Franklin said. “She’ll allow her players to grow, to compete, but she’ll challenge them to be better on and off the court.” The UPSHOT League prides itself on giving the players who may not have been drafted to the WNBA that second chance that can spark something special. Nashville Vibe Head Coach Yolanda Moore shared her experience in this game and how she can relate to her players in that aspect. “I know what it’s like to go from being a superstar in college, to sitting down by the cooler at the end of the bench,” Coach Moore said. “There are so many players who haven’t gotten an opportunity at the professional level, and this gives them an opportunity.” Moore brings about as much experience as you could draw up for a brand new franchise. Her playing career brought three all-conference selections for the University of Mississippi, and was inducted to the Ole Miss Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. She adds two WNBA championship rings to the resume, both with the Houston Comets. Her coaching experience brings stints at the high school level, and more notably the college ranks, where she led LSU Eunice women’s basketball to a 26-3 record in just one season at the helm of the Lady Bengals. In that season, she led the team to its first-ever regular season conference title, and was named the 2013-2014 NJCAA Region 23 Coach of the Year. VanReese was asked about the process of hiring a coach and how Moore was ultimately the final decision. She replied, “We did interview a handful of candidates. We were so overwhelmed with joy to find out that Yo[landa] was gonna be available that we leaned in as hard and as fast as we could.” The inaugural season for the Vibe is set to begin sometime in late May and run through late August, according to VanReese. She also shared that the home games will be played in the historic Memorial Gymnasium at Vanderbilt University. For information about upcoming games, season tickets, and the UPSHOT League, visit nashvillevibe.com to learn more. “I didn’t know that this is where I needed to be, but now that I’m here, I wouldn’t want to be any place else,” Moore said. “I am excited about what we are building and I’m ready to get started, so it’s up from here.” Featured Image taken by Will Blackmon