An experienced sophomore class, senior leadership and new first-years hope to guide The College of Wooster women's basketball team to success in the upcoming 2023-24 season.
The Scots are coming off a tough season, but there is hope among the program for better days ahead, and that starts with focusing on the little things.
Mary Kate Tierney enters her third year at the helm and has some pieces she can work with to try and get her team to the next level.
"The team is doing an excellent job of picking up what we're explaining," she said. "They're bringing energy, effort, our leadership is solid, and we are on the same page in defining what success looks like in this program."
Helping lead the way is this year's senior class in Alyssa Chritz, Melissa Burtscher and Alex Walker.
Chritz dealt with some injuries last year but has been strong for the Scots with a career average of 5.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. In her limited time last year, she put up a 20-point, 14-rebound performance in a two-point loss to Kenyon College.
Burtscher brings a unique perspective having filled the role of the team's student assistant last year after playing her first two years. Tierney says Burtscher will be like having an extension of the coaching staff on the floor.
"With the three of them, I think they're really figuring out who I am and what my expectations are and leading in that regard," Tierney said. "They've seen a lot of adversity, and I'm really glad their leadership is something that we can rely on."
One of Wooster's key returners is sophomore Ella Biondi who as a first-year made the All-North Coast Athletic Conference Third Team. She was second on the team at 11.6 points per game, first on the team and third in the NCAC at 8.8 rebounds per game and led the conference with 65 blocks (2.7 bpg).
Down the stretch, Biondi averaged a double-double over the last three games, averaging 20 points and 12.7 rebounds. She had seven total double-doubles on the season and tied the program's single game record with eight blocks against Hiram College on Feb. 11.
"Ella is getting better every single day," Tierney said. "She's coachable, leading through example, and doing a really good job on working on specific areas of weakness that we have discussed over the course of the last year."
Biondi has a solid sophomore class by her side with Ella Dean, Chloe Pordash and Erica Beaty.
Dean and Beaty were two of three who appeared in all 26 games for the Scots last year. Pordash missed half the season after going down with an injury but is expected to return sometime during the season.
Size has always been an issue since Tierney came aboard, but she brought in two first-years that clear six feet, Kylie Parsons and Anna Hardink, which should open up Biondi even more in her sophomore campaign.
"I think we are bigger, longer and more athletic than we've been in the past," Tierney said. "Just being a part of this league, I've learned for us to be competitive we have to be longer and more versatile in that area. We still have room to grow, but I think we've taken the right steps in trying to match the league in that regard."
Rounding out the first-year class is Ace Sturdivant, Alexis Lovejoy and Katelyn Barnes. Sturdivant is a longer, more versatile guard who can play multiple positions. Lovejoy will help handle the ball and hopefully be a successful catch and shoot player, while Barnes is another nursing an injury and expecting to debut midseason.
"We did set some goals and talked a lot about if we can have a growth mindset, be a connected group, and trust and respect one another we believe like the rest will take care of itself," Tierney added.
Wooster will open the season Nov. 10 when they host Houghton University in the Nan Nichols Classic. They will travel to Kenyon to open its NCAC schedule on Jan. 3.