Messiah Women's Basketball Team Dominates the Court

Expectations heading into the 2011-2012 season couldn't have been higher for the Messiah Falcons' women's basketball team, who were ranked in the preseason Top 25 ranking of Division III basketball teams. Their 22nd ranking came despite a 19-8 record last season. One of the biggest reasons for the Falcons' high ranking was the return of almost the entire team, as well as the transfer of forward/guard Katelyn Vanderhoff, who had played Division I college ball at the University of Maine.    

The team couldn't have started off stronger. They won their first two games, including a 39-point thrashing of John Jay College in the Hampton Inn Tip-Off Classic.  However, they lost three of their next five games, including an 87-67 game against Kean University.

Then the Falcons reached their peak performance, winning their first of six consecutive games. The first two victories for the Falcons occurred in the Cruzin Classic in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and were highlighted by the season debut of Vanderhoff, who had missed the first eight games with injuries.

The Falcons are fully healthy right now for the first time since the season began. Junior Jordan Sez and freshman Sienna Wisse had also dealt with recurring injuries this season, and the ability to practice with a full team has helped the Falcons on game days. 

Two of the most impressive victories in the current six-game winning streak include a commanding 74-56 victory over DeSales University, a game that Messiah head coach Mike Miller called the team's best game of the season, and an 80-36 blowout of Albright College, a game in which the Falcons committed just five turnovers all game. In doing so, they won a bet with their head coach.

"At some point, I'm going to get my head shaved because of single-digit turnovers," Miller said. ''I told them if we had single-digit turnovers anytime, I'd shave my head."

Through 14 games this season, the Falcons are led in scoring by junior Dori Gyori, who is averaging 14.4 points per game. She is also leading the squad with 7.9 rebounds per game, and 1.3 blocks per game. Classmate Vanderhoff ranks second on the team in scoring, as she has averaged 13.8 points while playing in just 18 minutes per game. Kira Maier is averaging 11.0 points per game, good for third on the squad, and she ranks second on the team in rebounds (90) and blocks (12). Sophomore Chelsea Danel leads the team with 29 steals on defense, and junior Nicky Hess has averaged 9.5 points with a team-leading 52 assists this season.

Following an inconsistent start to the 2011-2012 season, the Falcons are playing arguably their finest basketball since the 2009-2010 season, when the team won 24 of 29 games during the regular season. With their team fully healthy and playing dominant basketball, look for this red-hot Falcons squad to make a run at a national championship this spring.