Olivet College women’s basketball team ranked No. 24 in D3hoops.com poll
For the first time in school history, the Olivet College women’s basketball team is ranked in the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll. The Comets have collected 49 points to be ranked at No. 24.
OLIVET, Mich. – For the first time in school history, the Olivet College women's basketball team is ranked in the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll. The Comets have collected 49 points to be ranked at No. 24.
"This is pretty big for our program," said Olivet Head Coach Nicole Burford. "I am happy for our players, especially our seniors. They have worked extremely hard to take our program to where we are now and are very deserving.
"This is something they can really be proud of and being a part of something special no other team at Olivet has done before. We know we have to do some special things this season to have a chance to compete for the MIAA, so this is a huge step."
Olivet is currently riding a school-record 11-game winning streak and has a 16-2 overall record, with the 16 wins already being a single-season school record. The Comets have a 9-1 mark against Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) opponents.
Olivet's lone loss in league play was an 82-57 setback to No. 4 Hope College. Since that defeat, the Comets have won nine straight conference games and 14 of their last 15 games. Olivet and the Flying Dutch will battle each other Wednesday night at the DeVos Fieldhouse, starting at 6 p.m.
The Comets are led by starters – junior center Stefanie Lang (Valparaiso, Ind.), senior guards Kelsey Campbell (Olivet) and Chelsea Ciba (Olivet), senior forward Heather Lauwers (Ortonville/Brandon) and junior forward Carli Reid (Lansing/Waverly). Among all NCAA DIII women's basketball players, Lang is tied for first with 15 double-doubles and fifth in rebounding at 14.0 per game. She is also averaging 20.7 points per game (ppg).
Campbell tops all NCAA DIII women's basketball players and is fourth among all NCAA basketball players, all three divisions and both genders, in assists at 8.7 per game. She is third on the team in scoring at 11.7 ppg. Campbell has already set a single-season record with 156 assists.
Ciba ranks second on the team with a 13.9 scoring average and tops the team with 30 steals. Lauwers is second on the team in rebounding at 7.8 per game, while scoring 6.7 ppg. Reid is averaging 11.2 ppg and 6.7 rebounds per game (rpg).
Sophomores Dallas Austin (St. Johns) and McKenzie Skiendziel (Battle Creek/Lakeview), and freshmen Jillian Nickels (Byron Center) and Gabrielle Trudell (Mason) have seen playing time off the bench. Skiendziel and Trudell are both averaging 3.4 ppg, while Austin has a 3.3 scoring average and grabbing 4.1 rpg. Nickels has contributed 2.6 ppg.
After Wednesday night's showdown against Hope, Olivet returns home for three straight games. On Saturday afternoon, the Comets welcome Alma College to The Cutler Event Center for a 3 p.m. contest.