Season Preview
expectations high for women’s basketball

The Muhlenberg women’s basketball team won the Centennial Conference championship last year after being picked third in the preseason poll. The 2006 CC championship team was predicted to finish sixth.

If the Mules are to win their third CC title in four years

CC Preseason Poll School 2007-08 Record Points 1. MUHLENBERG (13) 21-7 (14-4) 192 2. Gettysburg (3) 18-10 (12-6) 172 3. Dickinson (3) 16-10 (14-4) 154 4. Franklin & Marshall (3) 19-7 (14-4) 148 5. McDaniel 13-13 (11-7) 125 6. Johns Hopkins 12-12 (10-8) 120 7. Ursinus 13-12 (11-7) 107 8. Swarthmore 8-16 (5-13) 68 9. Washington 9-16 (6-12) 61 10. Bryn Mawr 5-20 (2-16) 33 11. Haverford 3-21 (0-18) 30

in 2009, it will be less of a surprise: They were picked first in the CC preseason poll.

“This year we’re facing a lot of pressure because we’re expected to do so well,” said senior Erin McSherry. “It’s a different position to be in, but I think we’re going to make the most of it.”

Muhlenberg, which opens up against St.

Enterline scored seven points in only five minutes in a key late-season win against Dickinson last year.

Elizabeth in the first round of the Scotty Wood Tournament on Friday, has also received national attention, landing at No. 24 on the D3hoops.com preseason poll.

“We were all really surprised and excited that we were ranked 24th,” said McSherry. “Since we got that news we’ve been working hard – we want to prove that we deserve that ranking.”

Of course, championships are not decided by preseason polls — they are decided by players. Fortunately, Muhlenberg has plenty of good players who could prove the prognosticators right after all come March.

The Mules lost only two players from last year’s 21-7 team and bring back three all-conference selections. The 10 returning letterwinners will join with an excellent freshman class to give Muhlenberg depth at every position as it tries to win its record fifth CC championship.

“Our strength almost every year is our defense,” said McSherry. “If we go hard and play aggressive, we can stop anyone.”

The Mules allowed fewer than 60 points per game for the third straight year

McSherry received All-CC honorable mention in 2008 and enters her senior season needing six blocks to become the program’s all-time leader.

and were second in the CC in field goal percentage defense. One of the biggest reasons was McSherry, who had a breakout season as a junior. She averaged 7.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots, twice tying the school record for blocked shots in a game and influencing many games with her defensive presence.

Junior Alexis Bates (7.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and sophomore Sheila Cook (7.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg) emerged as quality post players last year, and senior Bethany Enterline, though limited by injuries, gave the team a spark off the bench.

In the backcourt, Muhlenberg returns its stellar starting combo of senior Lauren Boyle and sophomore Kelly McKeon, who finished 1-2 on the team in scoring, assists and steals last year. They helped Muhlenberg rank seventh in Division III in assist-to-turnover ratio.

Boyle earned a spot on the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-America team after averaging 14.9 points. A two-time first-team All-CC selection, she enters her senior season third on the Mules’ all-time scoring list with 1,084 career points. McKeon earned All-CC honorable mention after averaging 10.3 points with a team-leading 104 assists and 50 steals as a freshman point guard.

Junior Kaitlyn O’Malley (6.2 ppg) is the top returning three-point shooting threat, and junior Brenna Ferster gives the team experience as a backup point guard. Junior Maiza Mock (3.3 ppg) continues to show improvement as a wing player. Senior Kaitlin Strumph, a valuable defensive player, is expected to miss the season with an injury.

The Mules’ potential schedule includes three other NCAA Tournament invitees, as they play local rival DeSales and are in tournaments with William Paterson and Marymount. First, though, they will try to get the season off to a good start by reclaiming the Scotty Wood trophy after losing in the final to Scranton last year.

“I think especially since we didn’t get the outcome we wanted last year, there’s even more of a drive to win it this year,” said McSherry.