MUNCIE, Ind. – The Adrian College women's rugby team opened the 2026-27 season with a pair of victories over Ball State University on Saturday. The Bulldogs won the opening match 27-5 before completing the sweep with a 34-5 victory in the second match.

Match 1: Adrian 27, Ball State 5

Laneigh Shinners opened the scoring for Adrian with a try, and Jorja Pennington converted to give the Bulldogs an early 7-0 advantage. Denae Covey added a try before Abigail Sawicki crossed for her first try of the afternoon. Shinners went over for her second try, while Sawicki followed with another to extend Adrian's lead to 27-0.

Ball State scored its lone try late in the match, but the Adrian defense held firm to secure the 27-5 victory.

Match 2: Adrian 34, Ball State 5

Ball State opened the second match with a try, but the Bulldogs answered with six consecutive tries to take control.

Sawicki began the Adrian response before Shinners crossed for a try that was converted by Pennington. Pennington then went over for a try of her own to continue the Bulldogs' scoring run. Shinners added two more tries during the match, with Pennington converting one of them. Pennington completed the scoring with her second try as Adrian closed out the 34-5 victory.

Shinners led the Bulldogs with five tries across the two matches. Sawicki finished with three tries, while Pennington recorded two tries and three conversions. Covey added one try during the season-opening sweep.

The Bulldogs will return home to face IU Indy on Saturday, September 12 at the Adrian College Rugby Pitch.