2018-19 Women's Basketball Schedule
Buy Tickets!!
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Junior
Stephanie Karcz has been named to the five-member Preseason All-Patriot League Team, while the Loyola University Maryland women's basketball team was picked to finish third in the Preseason Poll, as announced by the League office Thursday.
Karcz had a breakout year for the Greyhounds last season, being named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, to the All-Patriot League First Team for a first time, and to the All-Defensive Team for a second-straight season. She was one of three players in the Patriot League to average a double-double on the year (14.0 ppg, 10.3 rpg), while she was the only one to do so in conference play (14.2, 11.7).
A guard from Middletown, New Jersey, Karcz finished the year ranked seventh in the League in scoring (14.2), first in rebounding (10.6 pg), fourth in field-goal percentage (.427), second in assists (4.1), third in assist/turnover ratio (1.6), first in steals (3.7) and third in minutes (34.3). Her 112 steals also ranked sixth in the NCAA last year, while her 3.73 per game was fourth.
In addition, Karcz broke three of Loyola's rebounding records last year – single-game rebounds (21 vs. American), single-season rebounds (300) and single-season defensive rebounds (224). She also finished the year second on Loyola's single-season steals records with 112, just six shy of Katie Sheahin's school records of 118 set during the 2010-11 season.
Coming off a season in which it finished tied for sixth in the Patriot League with a 7-11 record in conference play, Loyola earned its highest-ever rank in the preseason poll, collecting 129 points, including four first-place votes. Bucknell earned the top spot with 154 points and 14 first-place votes and was followed by American with 137 points and the remaining two first-place votes. Following Loyola was Lehigh and Navy, which tied for fourth with 91 points each, and then Holy Cross (81 points), Army West Point (75), Lafayette (63), Boston University (56) and Colgate (23), respectively.
Karcz was joined by American senior forward Cecily Carl, Bucknell senior forward Kaitlyn Slagus, Bucknell senior guard Kate Walker, and Preseason Player of the Year Lauren Manis, a junior forward from Holy Cross, on the on the Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
In returning its entire starting lineup, Loyola brings back 93.3 percent of its scoring, 92.6 percent of rebounding, 88 percent of assists and 90.6 percent of steals from the 2017-18 team. In addition to Karcz, Loyola returns
Isabella Therien, the 2017-18 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, seniors
Ashley Hunter and
Courtney Vannoy, juniors
Alexis Gray and
Molly Taylor, and sophomore
Delaney Connolly; all players who logged time in the starting lineup last year. Redshirt senior
Bri Betz-White back, a 2016-17 All-Patriot League First Team honoree, also returns after missing last season due to injury.
The Greyhounds will lean on the experience of Betz-White, who was an Patriot League All-Tournament Team selection after helping Loyola to its first-ever Patriot League Championships title game appearance in 2015-16. The Greyhounds finished third in the League that year and upset Bucknell, the tournament's No. 2 seed, in the semifinals to advance to the championship game, where they fell to top-seeded Army West Point.
Prior to joining the Patriot League for the 2013-14 season, Loyola was in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. The Greyhounds joined the MAAC conference in 1989, and through its 22 years of membership won two MAAC Tournaments titles, in 1993 and 1994.
Loyola will open its 2018-19 season with a trio of road games; at George Mason on Tuesday, November 6, at Dartmouth on Friday, November 9 and at Georgetown on Tuesday, November 13. The Greyhounds' home opener is slated for Saturday, November 17, vs. William & Mary.
