Opponents beware.

Playing a women’s basketball game at either of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s (SLIAC) southern-most schools – Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas, and the Mississippi University for Women (aka The W) in Columbus, Mississippi - might be hazardous to your field goal percentage…and ego. That’s because two of the nation’s premier shot blockers for the NCAA Division III reside at those institutions, which are also the SLIAC’s newest members and travel partners on the league’s schedule.

The Scots’ Savanna Lopez and the Owls’ Mia Bowen – both seniors – have been the absolute gold standard among NCAA III for sending back opponents' shot attempts from the floor. The duo has taken turns sitting atop the total blocks statistical category at some point this season, with Lopez currently ranked No. 1 (46/4.18 per game) and Bowen No. 2 (42/3.50 per game), through the holiday break updates. Likewise, they are also 1-2 on the SLIAC leader board (nearly double the third-ranked player’s total).

Just how dominant have Lopez and Bowen been, you may ask? Well, thus far in 2025-26, neither has had fewer than two blocked shots in any given game. Lopez and Bowen each have four games with four or more rejections. In other words, “Southern Hospitality” for foes of Lyon and The W stops at the locker room door.

And while the SLIAC stars are joined at the statistical hip by blocked shots, Lopez and Bowen took very different journeys to arrive at their respective campuses.

Lopez, a native of Angleton, Texas, began her love for the game all the way back in the sixth grade when she began playing AAU ball. It was something she continued doing in Houston and Freeport throughout her teens, constantly improving her game. While attending Angleton Junior High and High School, she would develop into a key player, especially as a member of the Wildcats' high school girls’ basketball team. Coming out of high school, Lopez would choose Lyon College, out of multiple offers, for its athletic and academic opportunities. 

While currently in her fourth year as a Scot, her arrival made an immediate impact on the program, as she scored 256 points, recorded 154 rebounds, and notched 21 blocks in her freshman year. Her shot blocking abilities continued to shine throughout her sophomore year, recording 43 blocks, and her junior year tallying 87 blocks. “I have always been able to block a shot here and there, but coming to college, I have learned how to read where and when I will be able to get a good block,” said Lopez. 

Her skills as a player have certainly made a mark on the program, as she currently is the all-time leader in three statistical categories for the Scots. She is the all-time shot block leader, having 197 blocks at Lyon, a feat she is still adding to. She has recorded the most blocks in a season, setting the record last year during the 2024-25 season with 87 blocks. Finally, she holds the record for the most blocks in a single game, recording 13 blocks versus Greenville on December 13, 2025. 

She has also been recognized at the national and conference level. In her freshman season (2022-23) she was named to the American Midwest Conference’s All-Freshman Team and was an all-conference honorable mention. In her sophomore season (2023-24) she was named first team all-conference in the SLIAC. Finally, in her junior year (2024-25), she was honored as a United States Collegiate Athletic Association first team All-American and was named third team all-conference in the SLIAC. 

“When it comes to blocks, every person is different,” said Lopez. “Some people bring the ball down to their stomachs first, or some people keep it high up. Every person has a specific move they like to lean on, so once I learn how or what their main move is, it helps me to know where I need to be to be able to get a finger or hand on the ball”. 
Lopez, while being an outstanding defensive player, is also excellent at helping out on the glass, averaging 9.5 rebounds so far this season, leading the team. She has recorded three double-doubles this year and one triple-double. 

“I’m really proud of Savanna,” expressed Head Women’s Basketball Coach Michael Peckham. “She does so many things for our team’s success, and one area is blocking shots!” 
Peckham explained that, “Savanna is deceptive as her length is that of a much taller player, but it’s her 'timing' that makes her special in shot blocking!”

Lopez is majoring in Business and earned a spot on the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in the Fall of 2025. But she is not ready to put down the ball yet, as she plans to continue playing in the future or possibly overseas. 

Bowen, a senior transfer to The W in 2025-26, has finally found her college home on the Columbus campus. Bowen is at her fourth college in as many years, with previous stops at Coahoma Community College (2022-23), Itawamba Community College (2023-24), and NCAA Division I University of Arkansas-Little Rock (2024-25).

A native of Buena Vista, Mississippi (and Pontotoc High School), Bowen returned to her home state and the Owls’ program after a sparse season with UALR, where she appeared in just four games. She had kept in contact with MUW second-year head coach Eric Vaughn, who had attempted to recruit Bowen out of high school when he was an assistant at Mississippi Valley State University. With the pair finally making the connection this year, The W turned out to be the perfect venue for Bowen to utilize her athletic, as well as academic, skills.

“I saw the potential for Mia early on,” Vaughn said. “She has truly been a gift from God for the program this year and the missing piece we needed in establishing the foundation for the future of MUW women’s basketball. 

“And the crazy part is, I think that she has not even reached her potential yet.”

The old basketball adage is that “you can’t teach height,” and at 6-foot-2 inches, blocking shots was one of those skills Bowen has put to good use each year of her career. As a prep, she once set a school record with 18 blocks in a game at PHS. In her JUCO years, she amassed 36 blocks at Coahoma C.C., then 48 blocks at Itawamba C.C., and even managed three turn-aways at UA-Little Rock in her limited minutes.

For MUW’s program – which was restarted in 2018-19 – Bowen has already rewritten the modern era school blocked shots records. In her very first game as an Owl (versus Belhaven University on November 7, 2025), she set the single-game blocks record with 7 swats (the old mark was 6). And that was just the foreshadowing of what was to come, as Bowen erased the single-season mark of 16 blocks by her fifth game with the team. It only follows that the Owls’ career record of 22 was not far behind, surpassing that standard in her seventh outing with The W.

“Becoming a shot blocker throughout my career hasn’t been easy,” Bowen explained. “But I’m getting better by the day. I think (playing) high school volleyball actually helped me (with shot blocking) with form and watching ball placement. Blocking shots benefits the team in many ways and also gets them hyped; they love seeing me do it.” 

And while Bowen’s blocked shot number tics upward, so have the other aspects of her game. Although never a true scoring or rebounding threat during her previous collegiate campaigns, Bowen is posting career numbers across the board as a senior by also averaging 19.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game through the Owls’ first 12 contests of 2025-26. She has five double-double games and has tallied in double-figure scoring in all of her contests played for MUW, thus far.

Bowen is a biology major at The W and made the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in the Fall of 2025. As for her future career, Bowen desires to become a veterinarian, where she will no doubt have to do a 180-degree turn, mentally, as she gets used to giving shots…rather than blocking them.

As a result of Lopez’s and Bowen’s separate paths converging for this one special SLIAC season, the faithful from their respective institutions – and women’s basketball fans in general - can sit back and enjoy what the tandem is accomplishing. 

For the opponents of the Scots and Owls, however, maybe not so much.