BEAVERTON, OR --- The Moravian College women's basketball team is ranked 22nd in the nation in the 2013 Women's DIII News Preseason Top 25 Poll.
Head Coach Mary Beth Spirk enters her 27th season with a 487-230 career record, and she has 12 letterwinners and four starters back from last year's 22-7 squad that reached the championship game of the 2013 ECAC Division III South Tournament.
"I expect this team to be driven to not only get into Landmark playoffs, but also to be competing for the championship," Spirk stated. "I also expect that they will strive to get a NCAA Tournament berth. They know what they have to do to achieve these goals and with their past experiences understand each game has to be played like a playoff game."
Coach Spirk has put together a very competitive schedule this season including an opening weekend trip to Georgetown, Texas to take on Trinity (Tx.) University and Southwestern University. Trinity was picked as a school to watch by Women's DIII News, and both schools were picked as the top two of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference by the publication.
The Greyhounds' non-conference schedule also features a trip to Montclair State University on December 17, the top pick in the Women's DIII News Top 25 as well as games with Muhlenberg College and The College of New Jersey who were picked in the top three of their conferences by the publication. Landmark Conference opponents, The University of Scranton and The Catholic University of America, round out the top three for the league in the publication's conference previews, and Scranton is also listed as a team to watch nationally.
"This is as tough a schedule that we have had in a few years," Spirk said. "We will get tested early and often, and on the road for most of them. Hopefully it will prepare us for our conference play and keep us focused on where we want to be at the end of the regular season. We will be ready for the challenge and it will make us battle ready for playoffs.
"Preseason rankings are just that, preseason rankings," Spirk continued. "We want to be in the rankings at the end of the season. It is a great compliment to the players that they are recognized early on, but the reality of it is that we want recognition through the year and at the end of the year."
