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Sports News: Winter 2008-09
Tuesday, January 27, 2009

MORAVIAN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL JUMPS TWO SPOTS TO 16TH IN LATEST
USA TODAY/ESPN DIVISION III TOP 25 COACHES’ POLL

LILBURN, GA --- The Moravian College women’s basketball team, which has a 16-2 overall record, moved up two spots to 16th in the nation in the eighth 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 three weeks ago and up to 14th on January 13th before falling to 18th 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 6-1 in Landmark Conference action, received 98 points in the poll this week, up 19 points from the previous poll.

Illinois Wesleyan University is in sole possession of the top spot with all ten first-place votes and 250 points after being tied for first last week with the University of Rochester, which fell to sixth after its first loss of the season this past weekend.

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 15th-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 also has a 57-45 triumph over The University of Scranton, which is tied for 25th in this week’s poll, and an 86-72 win over The College of New Jersey, which received votes in this week’s poll.

Moravian will return to action on Friday, January 30th when the Greyhounds travel to Susquehanna University in a Landmark Conference game in Selinsgrove tipping off at 5:30 p.m.