Roster | Schedule | Interview with Head Coach Ryan Bailey
After a 2013-14 season that saw the Malone University women's basketball team reach the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (GLIAC) championship game, the 2014-15 season was one wrecked by injuries. Despite a promising start, the Pioneers could not overcome season-ending ailments to four starters and struggled to an 8-18 finish including seven straight losses to end the year.
With last season behind them, the Pioneers are looking to move forward under the direction of first-year head coach Ryan Bailey who spent the previous three seasons as an assistant at NCAA Division II University of Charleston (WV).After a 6-16 record in GLIAC play last winter, the rookie head coach realizes the difficulty in taking over a program and installing a new system.
"We're changing the mentality of everything," said Bailey. "We're all trying to grow together in that aspect. I'm trying to learn the girls just as much as they're trying to learn me."
After coming up just short of reaching the National Tournament in 2013-14 and failing to qualify for the postseason last year, the Pioneers are aiming for a return trip to the playoffs.
"Every team's goal is to go win the conference and make the NCAA Tournament," Bailey noted. "Of course we want to have fun while we're doing it, if you have fun and buy into the system, the winning will take care of itself."
Malone returns eight players from last season's squad, including four who played in 25 or more games. Gone from last season's team are, among others, 2013 All-GLIAC Second Team selection Selana Reale and the Pioneers' 6th all-time leading rebounder Lindsy Snyder.
Back to lead the way for the Pioneers is sharp-shooting junior Rachel Goddard. A 2014-15 All-GLIAC Second Team honoree and 2015-16 Preseason All-GLIAC First Team selection, Goddard finished 13th in the conference with 12.8 points per game last season. A 37% shooter from the beyond the arc, she led the Pioneers with 40 3-pointers, 52 assists, and 24 steals. She was the only Pioneer to start more than 16 games, starting all 26 a season ago.
Joining Goddard in the backcourt are redshirt junior Audrey Myers and sophomore Alahna Singleton. Myers was a 39% 3-point shooter last season and averaged 5.5 points per game before suffering a season-ending injury, forcing her to the sidelines for the final 7 games. Singleton appeared in 25 games in her freshman season, tallying 7.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest.
Among the remaining returners is a duo of 6'0 senior forwards, Bri Libertore and Tara Schaffter. Libertore appeared in all 26 games a season ago, starting 7 of them. She averaged 4.7 points an outing and pulled down 4.4 rebounds a night. Schaffter played in 25 games last year, averaging 5.6 points and 3.2 boards per contest. As the only two holdovers from the 2013 GLIAC runner-ups, the Pioneers will look to them for leadership.
"Tara is by far our spiritual leader," Bailey commented. "Bri along with Audrey are the vocal leaders. Rachel is more of a leader on the floor. Her play speaks for itself."
The Pioneer roster also includes junior forward Natalie Nickol, sophomore guard Lexie Pittinger, and 6'2 forward Emma Havener who, according to Bailey, "could be a dominant player." A pair of junior guards, Alaina Schwarz and Mackenzie Storlie, who each redshirted last season, will make their Pioneer debuts on the Hal Smith hardwood this winter.
Malone welcome a trio of new faces this season including junior guard Victoria McDuffie, who transferred in from Notre Dame College, freshman Naomi Grandison, and freshman Chrissie Vaughan who will be counted on to contribute significant minutes at the one and two guard positions.
On the floor, the defensive-minded head coach is expecting a reversal of fortune for a team that ranked 15th among 16 teams in GLIAC play in opponents' field goal percentage and points per game.
"I really like to hang my hat defensively," Bailey stated. "We need to grow in that area, we need to have more pride in our defense."
On the other side of the ball, the Pioneers will look to improve on an offense that ranked 15th in field goal percentage (38.7%) and 13th in points per game (61.0).
"Offensively, we have more weapons than what most people think," mentioned Bailey. "We have weapons everywhere, we have stamina, and we're looking to run."
Above all else, the head coach is adamant that Pioneers will give maximum effort night in and night out.
"There's never going to be a night off when you play Malone"
The Pioneers begin their season this Saturday, November 14th at 1:00 pm when they host Indianapolis University before traveling to Charleston (WV) on November 17th to face Bailey's former team. Malone's non-conference schedule is highlighted by a matchup with NCAA DI Kent State University on November 28th at 2:00 pm. They then open conference play with a trip to Michigan Tech on December 3rd.
