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Sports News: Winter 2008-09
Tuesday, January 20, 2009

MORAVIAN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SLIPS FOUR SPOTS TO 18TH IN LATEST
USA TODAY
/ESPN DIVISION III TOP 25 COACHES’ POLL

LILBURN, GA --- The Moravian College women’s basketball team, which has a 14-2 overall record, has dropped four spots to 18th in the nation in the seventh USA Today/ESPN Division III Top 25 Coaches’ Poll of the season 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 22-year head coach Mary Beth Spirk, received votes in the second poll of the season before moving into 23rd in the third poll and then up to 20th on December 16th.  Moravian was 18th two weeks ago before moving up to 14th last week.  The last time Moravian was nationally ranked by the WBCA was during the 2005-06 season when the team reached the NCAA Division III National Tournament. 

Moravian, which is 4-1 in Landmark Conference action, received 79 points in the poll this week, down 34 points from the previous poll.

Illinois Wesleyan University and The University of Rochester are tied for first with 243 points.  Illinois Wesleyan had four of the ten first-place votes while the Yellow Jackets received the other six top votes.

Moravian’s first loss of the season was an 80-58 setback at Rochester on November 22nd before falling to The Catholic University of America on the road, 66-61, on January 17th.  The Greyhounds defeated 16th-ranked DeSales University, 67-63 on November 25th in Johnston Hall, and Moravian defeated 22nd-ranked Muhlenberg College, 98-87, December 15th in Allentown.

Moravian will return to action on Saturday, January 24th when the Greyhounds host Drew University in a Landmark Conference game in Johnston Hall tipping off at 5:30 p.m.