Optimism is plentiful for the 10 schools in the Missouri Valley Conference as a new women’s basketball season crests the horizon. Who has what it takes to win it all in the Quad Cities in March? Let’s take a look.
- Missouri State
Missouri State and a roster stacked with upperclassmen stands firmly atop the conference. Seven seniors, most notably Brice Calip and Jasmine Franklin, will suit up for the Bears when their season begins at Little Rock on Nov. 9.
Calip earned MVC Player of the Year honors last season, averaging 13.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 26 games. Franklin earned MVC Defensive Player of the Year honors after recording 2.2 steals per game and 24 blocks. Senior Abby Hipp also returns after averaging 9.2 points in 23 starts. The only key losses for the Bears come from the departures of Elle Ruffridge, who averaged 9.8 points while starting in 15 of her 26 appearances, and depth player Emily Gartner.
- Drake
Reigning MVC Newcomer of the Year Grace Berg headlines the Drake roster that is equipped to compete at the top level of the conference. Berg, who redshirted the 2019-20 season after transferring from Missouri, led the Bulldogs with 15.9 points per game while also averaging 5.2 rebounds per game in 30 appearances.
Other key players for the Bulldogs include Maggie Bair, who won the sixth player of the year honors last season, and Sarah Beth Gueldner, who averaged nearly eight points per game and shot 42% from beyond the arc in a depth role last season. The loss of departing conference first-teamer Maddie Petersen is a minor setback, but the Bulldogs should fare very well in 2021-22.
- Illinois State
Illinois State is experiencing a program renaissance under fifth-year head coach Kristen Gillespie, who has led the Redbirds to three consecutive winning seasons after the program had gone since 2012-13 without one. Expectations have followed the program too, with the Redbirds earning a fourth-place nod in the preseason poll. Returning MVC first-teamer Juliunn Redmond will be a large piece of the puzzle after leading the team in points (13.9), rebounding (6.1) and assists (2.8) last year.
Big contributions are also expected from junior Mary Crompton, who earned all-MVC honorable mention and most improved player honors last season after converting on 46% of her three-point attempts. Senior Lexy Koudelka is also expected to take a step forward after averaging 4.3 points in 24 games.
- Bradley
Bradley will rely on a talented crop of newcomers to offset the losses of first-teamer Lasha Petree and perennial starter Nyjah White, who transferred to Rutgers and Kansas City, respectively, following the conclusion of last season. Remaining is perennial threat Gabi Haack, who looked good in a 26-point performance against McKendree at Carver Arena last night. Freshman guard Caroline Waite was close behind with 24 points in a promising debut, while fellow guards Tatum Koenig and Chloe Rice also carded solid efforts. In the frontcourt, expect big roles from Seward County Community College transfer Sierra Morrow and returning sophomore Tete Danso. The Braves are easily among the Valley’s best rosters this season.
- Northern Iowa
Seniors Bre Gunnels, Nicole Kroeger and Karli Rucker headline a Northern Iowa roster that was chosen to finish third in the conference in the preseason media poll. Rucker earned a spot on the MVC First Team for the third consecutive time last season after averaging a team-high 13.3 points per game on 40-percent shooting from the field.
The departure of starting center Megan Maahs will impact the Panthers, but they should be able to overcome it with the help of junior Cynthia Wolf, who played in all 30 games last season and tallied 25 blocked shots.
- Valparaiso
The Beacons will be led by returning first-team selection Shay Frederick, who led the team in scoring with 14.5 points per game during her junior season. Starters Grace White and Caitlin Morrison return for their fifth and sixth seasons, which should give Valparaiso enough firepower to remain competitive with the top of the conference. White led the team with an average of 5.6 rebounds in 22 games last season, while Morrison averaged 9.3 points and 3.5 rebounds while starting all 25 games.
This will be a competitive team, though a tough start to Valley play that includes Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Drake, Illinois State and Bradley in consecutive games in early January will leave little room for error out of the gate.
- Loyola-Chicago
First-team selection Allison Day returns with high ambitions for her senior campaign. The forward averaged 11.7 points and 6.9 rebounds in 27 games, leading the Ramblers to a 12-15 record and an 8-10 mark in MVC play. The departure of Ellie Rice, a conference honorable mention selection last season, will hurt the team, but key depth pieces like Kat Nolan and Janae Gonzales return and should play large roles as the season progresses.
The Ramblers likely won’t find themselves toward the top of the standings but could play spoiler against teams with more impressive pedigrees.
- Southern Illinois
The Salukis will run through graduate student Makenzie Silvey this season on the heels of a terrific 2020-21 campaign, wherein she ranked fifth in the conference in scoring with an average of 14.7 points in 27 contests. The first-team selection also chipped in 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists over the course of the season, though the Salukis finished at 9-16 overall and 5-13 in conference play.
Don’t expect them to fare much better this season, although fellow graduate Abby Brockmeyer will return to play a large role after being limited to just 12 games last season.
- Evansville
Junior Abby Feit is set to lead a Purple Aces squad that finished 6-18 last season and scored just two wins in conference play. Feit’s efforts were a bright spot for the smallest school in the conference as she finished fourth in the conference with 14.8 points per game and second in the conference with eight rebounds per game.
However, there simply aren’t many proven names on a roster that has found itself toward the bottom of the league for several consecutive seasons. The Aces may fare well enough during a relatively light non-conference slate but will run into problems when MVC play begins against Northern Iowa on Dec. 30.
- Indiana State
Indiana State is entering its first season under new head coach Chad Killinger, who takes the reins from Vicki Hall. Hall was never able to establish a stable culture in Terre Haute; the Sycamores roster was made up entirely of newcomers during her second season in 2019-20, finishing just 5-25 overall.
The team finished 5-15 last season, with no players earning all-conference honors. Several players return from last season’s team, including able scorers Marie Hunter and Sommer Pitzer, but there is plenty of work to be done before Indiana State ascends beyond the bottom of the MVC.
