HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's basketball team will feature several veterans stepping up into new roles as it seeks to qualify for the Centennial Conference playoffs for the third straight year in 2013-14.
The Fords said goodbye to three players who had made indelible marks on the program at graduation last spring. The four-year span that Dominique Meeks, Calla Miller and Victoria Sobocinski wore Haverford uniforms coincided with the Fords' rise in the Centennial standings and the first two playoff berths in program history.
A deep cast of talented veterans looks more than capable of carrying on the winning tradition that has been established. Highlighting the returnees is a strong senior class that provides the squad with a little bit of everything. Rachel Baskin, a versatile player who has made a habit of filling up the stat sheet throughout her career, averaged eight points a game last season as she shot over 40 percent from the field. One of the top defenders on the squad, Hope Rainey has worked hard on the offensive side of her game. Nina Voith, the fifth player to surpass 1,000 points in the history of the program, has been playing great in the preseason and is a strong rebounder at the guard spot. Cara Wyant's return to the team gives the Fords another scoring option and some added size on the block. Wyant averaged six points and 5.3 rebounds a game as a freshman.
Directing the multi-faceted offense is junior Jacquelyne Pizzuto. Pizzuto, a tri-captain with Baskin and Rainey, earned honorable mention all-conference honors last season as the point guard ranked third in the conference in assists and finished among the nationals leaders in assist-turnover ratio (2.25). Having a great sense of when to attack and when to distribute, Pizzuto set a program record for free throw percentage in a single season (.872, 34-for-39) as a sophomore.
Fellow junior Elizabeth Lynch was often on the receiving end of Pizzuto's passes. Lynch provided instant offense off the bench last season as she has shown the ability to score either inside or out. The 5-11 forward, who should see an expanded role this season, ranks fifth in program history with 98 career three-pointers but is also not afraid to mix it up down low.
Juniors Shannon Smith and Brianna Robbins should see significant minutes this season after filling mostly reserve roles in the past. Smith, a 6-1 center, registered 26 blocks and 52 rebounds last year while averaging just over eight minutes per game. Another junior, Pallavi Juneja, who returned from injury last season, is expected to be a contributor at the guard spot.
Sophomore Olivia Walsh and freshmen Clio Bodie, Madison Skerritt and Darby Festa will look to continue to work hard on their respective games to earn playing opportunities.
This edition of the Fords, with different players at the focal point of the offense, should be just as competitive but will need some time to try and fit the pieces together.
Last year's campaign saw several close contests and with that in mind Haverford head coach Bobbi Morgan, in her sixth year, identifies the importance of finishing. "We have to do the little things right that win ball games like rebounding and foul shooting," said Morgan.
While the offense might be a work in progress early on, expect the Fords' trademark tough defense to remain a constant. Haverford ranked 23rd in three-point field goal defense and 32nd in overall scoring defense in 2012-2013 as it went 12-8 in conference play and 15-10 overall.
The Fords, picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll of conference coaches, will once again look to be in the playoff mix in what is expected to be another tightly-contested season in the Centennial. Haverford opens the conference slate with two straight on the road against Dickinson College and Muhlenberg College on Nov. 23 and Nov. 26, respectively. The non-conference portion of the schedule begins on Friday, Nov. 15, against host Marymount University, in Arlington, Va., as part of the Saints' tip-off tournament. The contest against Marymount, who won its 12th Capital Athletic Conference title last season on its way to appearing in the national tournament for the 17th time in program history, is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m.