Basketball season begins for women with tournament

You've probably been wondering when your favorite cold-weather, nighttime activity--cheering the EMU Royals to victory against winter sports teams--was going to get started. Your wait is over, because this weekend marks that annual beginning.

On Friday night, the EMU Tip-off Tournament will begin at 6:00 p.m. when Averitt College plays Meredith College, and at 8:00 p.m. the Lady Royals take on Ferrum College. Saturday afternoon the tournament continues with games at 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. EMU will play either Averitt or Meredith in one of those time slots.

The women's basketball team has only two seniors this year, four-year starters Amanda Renalds and Stephanie Mathews. The two are strong players who can capably lead the team. Both are close to reaching 1,000 career points (Renalds needs one point, and Mathews needs 35), as well as other EMU records. Mathews could break the school record for rebounds if she keeps up the averages from her previous seasons. Renalds and Mathews, if they get 16 wins this season, will be the players with the most wins of any in EMU history.

The team will look for help from other returning guards and forwards, as well as new players, to help Renalds and Mathews carry the team. Junior Tara Jones and sophomores Jolene Kratz, Dana Powell, Miranda White, Megan Seward, and Kate Stewart all played last season for the Royals. Newcomers include freshmen Kathleen Steele, Mandee Madden, Stephanie Bowers, Bebhinn Egger, and Sarah Colson, and juniors Johnna Sowell and Sarah Kauffman.

The Royals, led by new coach and EMU alumnus Kevin Griffin, are predicted as the season to finish in seventh place in the ODAC. They will have to work hard to finish near the top of their division with the number of new players on the team.

If you can't make it to the tournament this weekend, or any home games this year, they will all be broadcast live online at http://www.emu.edu/athletics/broadcast/, with live stats for each home game also available online at http://www.emu.edu/athletics/livestats/xlive.htm.