BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College women's basketball team has received one of the 20 at-large/Pool C berths to the 2016 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament, and the Greyhounds are headed to The University of New England in Biddeford, Maine for the first and second rounds on Friday and Saturday, March 4 and 5.
The Hounds, who are 19-7 on the season, are making the 10th NCAA Tournament appearance in school history, and Moravian will face host and Commonwealth Conference Coast Champion the University of New England (25-3) in the second game of the First Round on Friday, March 4. The other first round game features Tufts University (23-3), another Pool C/at-large team, and New England Collegiate Conference Champion Regis (Mass.) College (24-3) with the winners advancing to the second round on Saturday. Game times for the first two rounds have not been announces at this time. The national championship game will be played as part of the NCAA Division I Final Four in Indianapolis, Ind. in early April.
The Greyhounds, coming off a loss to The Catholic University of America in the Landmark Conference Semifinal game, are making their ninth NCAA Tournament appearance under the direction of 29-year Head Coach Mary Beth Spirk. In her career, Spirk has posted a career record of 541-257 and she led Moravian to the NCAA Division III National Championship game in 1992 and Sweet Sixteen appearances in 1991 and 1993.
"I'm ecstatic that we received an at-large bid," commented Spirk. "I was nervous but I was more nervous for the players since I've experienced this situation a number of times before. They kept saying that people were predicting we'd get in but I tried to down play it because I know from a few years ago when we were in this same spot and didn't get selected so I didn't want to get their hopes up. When the last pod in the first 48 slots came up, I told those players and coaches in my office that if we didn't make it in those four, we wouldn't be in since they weren't going to send us to Texas or the Midwest and those teams still needed to be announced. It was pretty exciting to see Moravian come up on the screen in the final spot. I'm thrilled for the players."
Leading the Hounds on the court this season has been junior forward Camille McPherson, who leads a trio of Moravian players in double figures at 14.0 points per game. McPherson also has a team high of 35 three-pointers to go with an average of 5.3 rebounds per outing, 35 assists, 13 steals and five blocked shots. McPherson is one of six Greyhounds shooting over 80 percent from the foul line at 81.7 percent (85-of-104).
Graduate student forward Alexis Wright is averaging a double-double for Moravian at 13.3 points and 11.7 rebounds per game, and Wright also leads the Blue and Grey with 71 blocked shots. She has added 52 assists and 38 steals while posting 16 double-doubles in 26 games. In her career of 119 games for the Greyhounds, Wright owns the school record with 1,251 rebounds, and she is third in scoring with 1,686 points, second in blocked shots with 275 and seventh in steals with 209. Wright is one game shy of tying the record for games played in a career.
Senior forward Alesha Marcks is also netting double figures for the Hounds at 11.4 points per contest, and Marcks tops the squad at the foul line at 85.9 percent (67-of-78). She is second on the team on the boards, pulling down 7.8 rebounds per game, and Marcks also has 48 assists, 34 steals and 24 blocked shots. She joined Wright in the 1,000-point club and sits 16th in school history with 1,117 points, and Marcks is 11th in rebounds with 630, and seventh in blocked shots with 105 in 110 games.
Junior guard Morgan Calabrese is contributing 8.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game for the Greyhounds to go along with 53 assists, 15 steals and 28 three-pointers while sophomore forward Trista Cunningham has averages of 5.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per contest with 11 assists, 12 blocked shots and seven steals. Freshman guard Maggie Melhem is scoring 5.6 points per contest in her debut collegiate season, and Melhem has also added 54 rebounds, a team-high 45 steals, 17 three-pointers and 12 blocked shots.
Senior guard Samantha Caligiuri leads the Greyhounds with 71 assists, and she has added 35 steals, 44 rebounds and 10 three-pointers while scoring 5.3 points per game. Senior guard Karine Polgar is netting 5.0 points per contest with 62 rebounds, 38 assists, 32 steals, 24 blocked shots and 16 three-pointers this winter while senior guard Emily MacDonnell has 74 points, 38 assists, 33 boards, 13 steals and 15 three-pointers.
Sophomore guard Taylor Freeman has 31 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals for the Hounds this year while senior guard Marie Rossignoli has added 30 points, 21 rebounds and four blocked shots. Senior forward Karlee Corvasce has contributed 23 points, 23 rebounds and six blocked shots while freshman forward Kaitlyn Roberto has 15 points and 19 boards. Sophomore guard Victoria McCaslin has 13 points and nine rebounds while sophomore forward Jen Cella has added 10 blocked shots, 16 rebounds, four assists and four points. Freshman guard Kaeli White has six points, eight rebounds and three assists in her debut season while freshman forward Caitlin Flanagan has five rebounds and two points for the Greyhounds.
Moravian has six players that were on the squad for the Hounds last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2014 including Marcks, Calabrese, Corvasce, Rossignoli, MacDonnell and Wright although Wright did not have the opportunity to play two years ago after a season ending injury during December of that campaign.
The Greyhounds enter the NCAA Tournament looking for their 18th 20-win season in program history.
