Wittenberg Women's Basketball Season Preview
Wittenberg women’s basketball team will begin their second season under the guidance of Head Coach Kelly Mahlum.
Springfield, Ohio – The Wittenberg women's basketball team will begin their second season under the guidance of Head Coach Kelly Mahlum. The Tigers have high hopes this season, coming off the program's 28th consecutive NCAC Tournament appearance, coach Mahlum has added five new faces this season to continue this tradition.
"We are definitely excited to see what this group can accomplish. We were extremely young last year and we will look for continued improvement this season with more playing experience returning" said Coach Mahlum.
The Tigers return their leading scorer in Alex Kiess with 12.8 points per game in 30.3 minutes, starting all 26 games. Wittenberg brings back their top rebounder, Haley Dannemiller pulling in 5.3 boards in her 25 appearances on the court for the Tigers. Wittenberg will look to rely on the depth of its bench, as they return 11 letter winners from the 2016-17 season.
"Alex Kiess is our top returning player who had a break-out season last year. We will need others to step up their production this season on a consistent basis," continued Mahlum.
The Tigers look to replace former all-conference player and leading rebounder Michelle Brunswick, along with the backcourt duo of Riley McDonald and Madison Linn.
Wittenberg will begin their season this Friday when they take on Spalding University at the Wilmington Tip-Off Tournament with the game time set for 8:00 PM. The Tigers opponent is yet to be announced for the second day of the tournament, as the match-up could be the Wilmington College Quakers or the Mary Baldwin Fighting Squirrels. Links for live stats and video can be found on Wittenbergtigers.com.
The Tigers open the season with a six-game road trip, spanning the entire month of November. Traveling to Marietta College after the Thanksgiving holiday, Wittenberg will take on Carnegie Mellon and host Pioneers of Marietta on November 25 and 26 in the Marietta College Turkey Shoot. The Tigers will wrap-up the month by opening up conference play, traveling to Kenyon College to take on the Ladies on November 29 in an 8:00 PM showdown.
Wittenberg will return home to host three straight NCAC contests, starting with back-to-back matchups against Allegheny on Friday, December 1 and Hiram on Saturday, December 2. Wittenberg will then welcome the Tigers of DePauw to Pam Evans Smith Arena for a midweek showdown, before heading out for a business trip at Denison. The Tigers will end out of conference play with a trip to Franklin College on Tuesday, December 19, before returning home to host Heidelberg on December 21.
As always, Tiger fans can catch both the men's and women's programs in action during the Kiwanis Holiday Classic on December 29 and 30, as Wittenberg will take on Susquehanna followed by a team to be announced later.
Wittenberg finished the 2016-17 campaign with a 10-16 record and 6-10 in NCAC play. The Tigers were projected to finish fifth by the NCAC Coaches Poll with Denison edging out the Tigers for the fourth spot.
TOP RETURNEES
| Name | Yr. | Ht. | Pos. | Hometown | GP | RPG | APG | PPG |
| Alex Kiess | Jr. | 5-6 | G | Edon, Ohio | 26 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 12.8 |
| Sydney Mayle | Jr. | 5-9 | G | Powell, Ohio | 22 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 6.2 |
| Haley Dannemiller | Sr. | 5-11 | F | Cleves, Ohio | 25 | 5.3 | 0.7 | 3.4 |
TOP NEWCOMERS
| Name | Yr. | Ht. | Pos. | Hometown/High School |
| Delaney Williams | Fr. | 5-4 | G | Lake Forest, IL/ Lake Forest |
| Kristie Kalis | Fr. | 5-10 | F | Winnetka, IL/ New Trier Township |
LETTERWINNERS RETURNING: 11
LETTERWINNERS LOST: 3