W&L Women's Basketball Season Preview

W&L selected third in ODAC preseason coaches poll

10/27/2022 4:00:00 PM

LEXINGTON, Va. – The Old Dominion Athletic Conference released its 2022-23 Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll on Thursday and Washington and Lee tallied 116 points and three first-place votes to place third.

Randolph-Macon topped the poll for the upcoming season with seven first-place votes and 136 points, followed by Randolph with 127 points and two first-place votes. Behind the Generals in fourth place was Roanoke with 112 points and the final first-place vote.

W&L is coming off a season in which is set a program record for winning percentage (.741) and wins with a 20-7 record. The 20-7 record also included a 16-2 mark in ODAC play, which also set a new program standard for most ODAC wins in a season. The Generals made their second all-time appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament, earning the program’s first-ever at-large bid.

Led by 2021-22 ODAC Coach of the Year Christine Clancy, W&L had numerous updates to Top 5 lists in the team record book, including a 19-game home winning streak that started during the 2019-20 season and spanned to February 9, 2022. Last season, Clancy became the program's all-time leader in wins when the team defeated Guilford, 72-61, on December 4 for her 124th win at the helm. Clancy also has the highest coaching winning percentage in program history (.567).

2022-23 ODAC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll

Randolph-Macon College (7) 136 pts.
Randolph College (2) 127 pts.
Washington and Lee University (3) 116 pts.
Roanoke College (1) 112 pts.
Bridgewater College 89 pts.
Shenandoah University 89 pts.
University of Lynchburg 87 pts.
Guilford College 86 pts.
Ferrum College 57 pts.
Eastern Mennonite University 39 pts.
Hollins University 31 pts.
Averett University 25 pts.
Virginia Wesleyan University 20 pts.

National Poll

The first release of the Women's Basketball Coaches' Association (WBCA) Division III Top 25 poll will be released here on Tuesday, Nov. 1.

We are coming off one of the most successful seasons in program history and the graduation of one of the most impactful classes. This year’s team is young and very talented - our success will be dependent on how quickly we can come together as a unit.

I am very excited to work with this group of young women as we figure out a new identity on the court.

Head Coach Christine Clancy (11th Season)

2022 Schedule Overview

The Generals will open the season with three straight ODAC contests, with the season-opener at home on Thursday, November 10, at 7:00 pm against Ferrum. They will follow that with road contests at Eastern Mennonite on November 16 and Guilford on November 19.

W&L’s three-game road stretch marks its longest of the season, and it will conclude on November 22 at Mary Washington. The Generals then return home to play Swarthmore on November 27, before getting back into ODAC play with a home contest against Hollins on November 30.

With the Generals’ schedule not featuring a home stretch longer than two straight games, W&L will get back on the road on December 3 and 6 to play Virginia Wesleyan and Southern Virginia, respectively. The team will then have an extended break and pick back up against York (Pa.) on December 17 at the Elizabethtown Tournament. W&L’s result against York will determine if they play either Elizabethtown or Delaware Valley the following day to conclude the tournament.

Another 11 days off will see the Generals return to action at home on December 29 in a nonconference tilt against Marymount, before the Generals host Bridgewater in ODAC play on January 2. The turn of the calendar has been friendly to the Generals over the past few seasons, as the team has gone on two straight eight-game winning streaks to start a new calendar year, with an active 18-game winning streak in January.

The Generals will travel to Averett on January 4 before hosting Christopher Newport in the team's final nonconference game of the season. The Captains ended the 2021-22 season ranked seventh in the final WBCA Coaches Poll, after they went 26-1 a season ago with their lone loss coming in the NCAA Round of 16 against then 10th-ranked Trinity (Texas).

W&L will split their final six games of January between home and away, with Roanoke (January 11), Lynchburg (January 21) and Randolph (January 24) at home and Randolph-Macon (January 14), Shenandoah (January 18) and Ferrum (January 28) on the road. The Generals will then play three of the five February games in Holekamp Gym; they will host EMU on February 8, Guilford on Feburary 11 and Shenandoah on February 18 in the regular season finale. Their final two road games will be at Bridgewater on February 1 and Hollins on February 15.

Among the ODAC teams that the Generals will see twice this season (Ferrum, EMU, Guilford, Hollins, Bridgewater, Shenandoah), W&L owned a record of 10-0 during the regular season, on top of a win over Guilford in the ODAC Quarterfinals before a loss to Shenandoah in the semifinals.

Ten teams will qualify for the 2022-23 ODAC Championship Tournament, beginning with a pair of first round contests on February 20, featuring the No. 10 seed at the No. 7, and the No. 9 at No. 8. The winners of those games will meet up with the top six seeds at the Salem Civic Center for the remainder of the championship. The quarterfinals will be played on February 23, semifinals on February 25 and the ODAC title game on February 26.

Key Returners

The Generals return one of their three All-ODAC selections from last year's team in junior guard Hanna Malik. As a sophomore, Malik garnered Third Team All-ODAC honors after she averaged 11.6 points per game and ranked fourth in the conference in three-point percentage (.373). Malik led the conference three pointers per game and total three's made, while tying the W&L program record with 75 makes from long range.

Senior forward Kathryn Vandiver is the team's leading returning rebounder, after she ranked third on the team a season ago with a 5.6 rebounding average. That average came across just 18.9 minutes per game, and Vandiver also added 7.1 points per game on an even 50-percent (77-154) shooting from the floor. On the defensive end, Vandiver ranked third on the team and second among returning players in total blocks (22).

Sophomore forward Lauren Achter ranks as the team's second-best returning three-point shooter for the upcoming season, after she connected on 32.9 percent (23-70) beyond the arc. In just 16.7 minutes per game last season, Achter contributed 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest, and she was also one of four players to tally double-digit steals (16) and blocks (16).

Junior Grace O'Connor was one of W&L's most efficient scorers last season, shooting 43.4 percent (56-129) from the floor. In 18.9 minutes per game, O'Connor pulled down an average of 3.9 boards and dished out 1.8 assists. O'Connor is also one of W&L's strongest returning defensive players, as she tied for the team lead in total blocks (24) and came away with 20 steals.

During the 2021-22 season, six W&L players shot better than 40 percent from the floor, and the Generals return five of those players to this year's team (Cat Pettegrove, Vandiver, Tahri Phillips, O'Connor, Emma Robertson).

Ana Dorta (Katonah, N.Y./John Jay) enters her senior season with 55 career appearances over her three seasons.

Dorta has tallied 135 points, 43 rebounds and 27 assists throughout her career, and she has also produced 51 steals and six blocks. Her scoring average has increased in each season so far as well, and she set a career high with 31 steals last season, which was the second most on the team.

Dorta is involved with Generals Leadership Academy on campus, and she is also a WLUR Radio Show host.

Kathryn Vandiver (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Latin School) is one of W&L's top rebounders heading into her senior season, and the top returning rebounder.

As a junior, Vandiver's usage skyrocketed and her efficiency took great strides, as she averaged a career high in shots per game (5.7) while shooting 50 percent (77-154) from the floor. Vandiver averaged 7.1 points and 5.6 rebounds across just 18.9 minutes per game, and she also made 75 percent (39-52) of her free throws.

Vandiver is also involved with Generals Leadership Academy on campus, and she also serves as the trip leader for the W&L Outing Club.

Tahri Phillips (Wrightsville, Pa./Linden Hall School for Girls) enters her senior year having played in 28 career games.

As a junior, Phillips played in 22 games and tallied 55 points, 16 rebounds, eight steals and eight assists. She shot an efficient 46.8 percent (22-47) from the floor, but made 70 percent (14-20) of her two-point shots. Phillips broke into double figures twice last year, including a career-high 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting at Ferrum on February 5.

Phillips is a W&L Johnson Scholar and she was inducted into the Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society as a junior. She also serves as the Head Community Assistant for Woods Creek and Theme Houses and an Interview Fellow for University Ambassadors.