Tuesday, January 10, 2006

MORAVIAN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM MOVES UP THREE SPOTS TO 15TH IN FIFTH USA TODAY/ESPN DIVISION III TOP 25 COACHES’ POLL

LILBURN, GA --- The Moravian College women’s basketball team, which is off to an 11-1 start, moved up three spots to 15th in the nation in the fifth USA Today/ESPN Division III Top 25 Coaches’ Poll announced Tuesday by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. The complete poll can be viewed at http://www.wbca.org/DIIICoachesPoll.asp.

The Greyhounds, under the direction of 19-year head coach Mary Beth Spirk, received votes in the coaches’ preseason poll but were not ranked in the Top 25 before debuting at 21st in the first regular season poll and moving up to 18th in the second poll. The Greyhounds dropped one spot to 19th in the third poll before moving back up to 18th last week. Moravian has won ten of its first 11 games of the year by an average of 18.3 points, and the team has begun its 2005-06 Commonwealth Conference season with a pair of victories.

The University of Southern Maine is the top team in the poll by receiving six first place votes and 192 points while Bowdoin College is second with 185 points.

Moravian suffered a 67-62 loss to sixth-ranked the University of Scranton on December 7th in Johnston Hall. The Greyhounds will play 12th-ranked Messiah twice during the Commonwealth Conference season, in Johnston Hall on January 25th and in Grantham on February 11th. Both games are slated to begin at 6:00 p.m.

Moravian will return to action in a Commonwealth Conference game at Lebanon Valley College on Wednesday, January 11th in Annville at 6:00 p.m.