by One year removed from the Cardinals’ 2024-2025 Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular season and tournament championship, Ball State women’s basketball will follow the achievement-setting season as the new campaign gets closer and closer.
The program will see nine new players wear the Red and White. Here is a full roster breakdown.
Freshman No. 2 forward Zhen Vernburgt
Hailing from Hemiksem, Belgium, Vernburgt comes to Muncie after playing for her club team, Phantoms Basket Boom. Recently, she played for one of their top division teams, averaging 12 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
She also played for the Belgian U16 team and has competed in European Championships. In her first season with the team, she was the youngest player, averaging 12.3 points and 7.0 rebounds.
Junior No. 3 guard Karsyn Norman
Norman comes to Ball State after two seasons at Butler. Last season, she averaged 3.2 points and 2.6 assists.
She played for Bedford North Lawrence High School for four years before playing for the Bulldogs. In her senior year, she helped the program capture the Class 4A State Championship game, and following the victory, she was awarded the mental attitude award.
Freshman No. 5 forward Violeta Rojas
Rojas joins the Cardinals after a lone season at Trinidad State. While there, she averaged 20.1 points and shot over 47 percent from the field.
She finished the year ranked as the No. 7 player in scoring in the National Junior College Athletic Association.
Freshman No. 9 forward Alba Caballero
Caballero is from Ciudad Real, Spain, and found much success playing in her home country. From a Gold national championship medal to a Silver Medal playing for Spain in the European Young Olympics, she will suit up for the Cardinals, continuing a journey that has been full of hardware.
She also played for every level of Spain’s national team from ages 13 to 18.
Freshman No. 10 guard Giorgia Gorini
Another international player who comes to Ball State from Genova, Italy, Gorini has much experience. She’s been playing with her club team, CLV-Limonta Costa Masnaga, a team that is second in the national rankings in the Italian A2 League.
Throughout her basketball career, she has played for national teams including the U16, U17, U18 and U19 rosters.
Junior No. 15 guard Ashlynn Brooke
One of the four returners from the 2024-25 season, Brooke did not play much last year as an injury sidelined her for most of the year.
In her freshman year at Ball State, she played in four games and recorded a career-high nine points.
Freshman No. 21 forward Brooke Winchester
Winchester comes south to Ball State from Warsaw, Indiana. During her high school career, she played for Warsaw Community High School and averaged 13.0 points and 10.1 rebounds her senior year.
After averaging 15.4 points and 9.5 rebounds her junior season, she was named to the 2024 IndyStar Girls Junior All-Star Team.
Senior No. 22 forward Tessa Towers
Towers played in 17 games for Ball State last season, averaging 1.8 points and 1.4 rebounds. Before joining the Cardinals, she played two seasons at Wisconsin.
Sophomore No. 23 guard Zuri Ransom
Ransom appeared in 24 games last season, where she averaged 2.3 points and recorded 24 assists. During the Cardinals’ win over Anderson University Dec. 19, 2024, she scored a career-high 14 points and grabbed a career-high five rebounds.
Freshman No. 24 forward Aniss Tagayi
The Montpellier, Hérault, France native is a European Champion with the U18 French national team. Recently, she has been playing in the National Women’s 1st division with Montpellier.
Sophomore No. 25 forward Grace Kingery
Another retainer from the 2024-25 season, Kingery played in 31 games as a freshman. She averaged 4.8 points and grabbed 22 rebounds on the year.
She scored a career-high 23 points against Northern Kentucky Dec. 15, 2024, and finished the game shooting 47 percent from the floor.
Redshirt senior No. 35 forward Bree Salenbien
After a four-year stint at Gonzaga, where she saw three years of play, Salenbein joins Ball State for her fifth year of college basketball.
Last year, she averaged 6.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists. During the 2023-24 season, she was important for the Bulldogs’ foul game, shooting 89 percent from the free-throw line.
Freshman No. 77 forward Laura Martinez
The final international player on the roster, Martinez, joins the Red and White from Granada, Spain. Over her career, she has played for Granada Más Baloncesto in different age brackets.
Recently, she was chosen to play for Granada’s provincial team. She was also picked to play for the Andalusian team, winning a bronze medal in the Spanish Championship.
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu, zachcarter039@gmail.com or via X @ZachCarter85.
