MORAVIAN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM MOVES UP TWO 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 10-1 overall record, has moved up two spots to 18th in the nation in the fifth 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 in the last poll on December 16th.  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 1-0 in Landmark Conference action, received 73 points in the poll this week, up eight points from the previous poll.  The Greyhounds had 32 points when they were ranked 23rd and just two points the previous week.

Illinois Wesleyan University is ranked first with 222 points and six first-place votes while the University of Rochester is second with 212 points and two first place votes.  The two schools were tied for second in the last poll.

Moravian’s only loss of the season is an 80-58 setback at Rochester on November 22nd.  The Greyhounds defeated 14th-ranked DeSales University, 67-63 on November 25th in Johnston Hall, and Moravian defeated 23rd-ranked Muhlenberg College, 98-87, December 15th in Allentown.

Moravian will return to action on Friday, January 9th when the Greyhounds host Juniata College in a Landmark Conference game in Johnston Hall tipping off at 5:30 p.m.