- Women's Sports
Women’s Basketball
Blue Knights Release 2010-11 Schedule
URBANA, Ohio (June 21, 2010) - Urbana University Head Women's Basketball Coach Rob Phillips released the 2010-11 schedule this week. For the first time, the Blue Knights will tackle a schedule that contains only NCAA opponents, making the schedule one of the toughest in school history. In all, Urbana will play 25 games against D-II schools, including 13 home dates, and 1 game against a D-I opponent. The Blue Knights open the 2010-11 season at home on Friday, November 12th against Grand Valley State University. Then, the team hits the road on Tuesday, November 16th to take on D-I Youngstown State University. The game will mark the Blue Knights' first against a D-I opponent since a 1974 matchup with Xavier.
After the exciting openers, the Blue Knights face a brutal stretch that will see them play 11 of 16 games on the road against some of the top competition in Division II. The road-tested Blue Knights return home for most of February, playing 7 of their final 8 contests in the friendly confines of the Warren G. Grimes Center. The team returns to post-season play for the first time in 3 years at the end of the season, traveling to the University of the District of Columbia for the National Independent Tournament on February 25th. Urbana finished with the 2nd best record amongst D-II Independents last season.
Last year's team finished a torrid 17-5 after a tough 0-5 start. The strong finish helped capped another successful decade by matching the mark for the most wins in a single season after the start of the millenium. The 17 wins was the most by a Blue Knight squad since the 1998-99 team that qualified to play in the NAIA National Tournament. For the first time in school history, Urbana will be eligible to qualify for the NCAA National Tournament in 2010-11. To view the entire 2010-11 schedule, click here.
Lane Leads 4 UU Picks on All-Indy Teams
Vogel, Ducey, and Jackson also honored as UU finishes runner-up amonst 8 Independent squads
URBANA, Ohio (May 24, 2010) - Led by Unique Lane's First Team selection, the Urbana University women's basketball team landed 4 players on the NCAA Division II All-Independent teams released today. Lane, a 5'9" forward from Xenia, Ohio, earned the First Team nod after leading the Blue Knights in points (12.3 ppg), rebounds (7.1), and steals (2.1). Lane led the Blue Knights with 5 double-doubles on the season, playing in all 27 games. Her 49.5% field goal shooting was good for 2nd on the squad, and 6th all-time at UU. Lane reached double digit scoring 22 times, including in 19 of the Blue Knight's final 21 games, and she shot 82.8% from the charity stripe, which is 4th all-time at UU.
Behind Lane and a very balanced attack, the Blue Knights finished 2nd amongst the NCAA D-II Independents at 17-10. After an 0-5 start, Urbana won 17 of their final 22 games. Unfortunately, a pair of losses to Lake Erie College (18-9) over that stretch cost them the Independent title.
Lake Erie Head Coach Bob Booher earned Independent Coach of the Year honors after capturing the title and leading the Storm to the most successful season in Lake Erie history. The University of the District of Columbia's Lillian McGill took Player of the Year honors after averaging 15.2 points and 12.2 rebounds per contest for the 4th place Firebirds (12-13). Freshman of the Year went to Urbana's Andrea Vogel (Bluffton, Indiana/Norwell HS). Vogel finished right behind Lane in both points and rebounds for the Blue Knights. The 6'2" center scored 10.0 points and pulled down 6.8 rebounds per game. In her first collegiate season, she dominated on the defensive side of the ball, swatting away a team-high 44 shots, including a school-record 7 against fellow D-II Independent Central State. Vogel led the team in FG%, hitting 52.8% of her attempts, placing her 3rd all-time at UU in that category. Her 17-rebound game against Marygrove was the 6th best single-game rebounding performance in UU's history. Vogel excelled as the season wore on, reaching double digit scoring in 15 of the final 22 contests. The Blue Knights were 17-5 during that impressive stretch.
Rounding out Urbana's selections were repeat picks sophomore Haley Ducey (Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glandorf HS) and senior Jalyssa Jackson (Fairborn, Ohio/Fairborn HS). Ducey was an All-Freshman Team selection last year, and this season, she made the All-Independent Second Team as a second-year standout. The 6'0" guard finished 2nd on the team in minutes, assists and blocks. Her 28 blocks were the most ever by a Blue Knight guard. On 7 different occasions, Ducey was UU's top scorer, averaging 9.8 ppg, which was good for 3rd on the team. She also notched a double-double against Ohio Dominican, and she was the team's leading 3-point shooter. Ducey is currently 4th all-time at UU in 3-point shooting percentage and 1st all-time in FT% (89.4%). In her final bucket of the season, she reached 500 career points.
Jackson also enjoyed a stellar second season in a Blue Knight uniform. The 5'10" senior guard often ran the point and directed an efficient Urbana offense that outscored its opponents by almost 6 points per game. Starting all 27 games, Jackson averaged 8.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.0 steals per game. A constant threat for a triple-double, Jackson reached double digits 11 times, while leading the team in assists on 16 different occasions. Jackson was a repeat selection on the All-Independent teams after making the Third Team last year as a junior. In a career that spanned just 2 seasons at UU after transferring from Charleston, Jackson finished 11th in career assists (202).
The rest of the All-Independent Teams, along with the final season standings are below. The All-Independent Teams were selected and voted upon by the Athletics Communications department at the University of Dayton.
Final Season Standings
1. Lake Erie (18-9)
2. Urbana University (17-10)
3. North Greenville (15-15)
4. District of Columbia (12-13)
5. Oakland City (9-15)
6. Central State (9-16)
7. Palm Beach Atlantic (6-18)
8. Washington Adventist (1-23)
NCAA DIVISION II ALL-INDEPENDENT TEAMS
Coach of the Year: Bob Booher, Lake Erie
Player of the Year: Lillian McGill, District of Columbia
Freshman of the Year: Andrea Vogel, Urbana
FIRST TEAM
Lillian McGill, District of Columbia
Alyssa Wagers, Lake Erie
Unique Lane, Urbana
Renese Ames, Lake Erie
Whitney Smith, North Greenville
SECOND TEAM
Samantha Stahl, Oakland City
Jen Caiola, Lake Erie
Haley Ducey, Urbana
Karly Stache, North Greenville
Brooklyn Morrow, Central State
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Andrea Vogel, Urbana
Ashley Dolberry
Palm Beach Atlantic
Krisceda Cotton, North Greenville
Sarah Roth, Oakland City
Deshundra Gober, Central State
HONORABLE MENTION
Stephanie Rogers, Lake Erie; Jalyssa Jackson, Urbana; Nicole Cooper, District of Columbia; Kristi McVey, Oakland City; Ashley McGee, Central State; Erin Duffie, Washington Adventist; Selethia Jackson, Palm Beach Atlantic
Blue Knights Announce 2010 Recruiting Class
URBANA, Ohio (April 19, 2010) - After back-to-back winning season in its new home in NCAA Division II, the Urbana University women's basketball program begins the process of reloading for the future. In his 16th season at the helm of the program, Head Coach Rob Phillips posted a decade-best 17 wins. Phillips' teams reached the 17-win plateau 4 times from 2000-2010 and a total of 8 times in his first 16 seasons. If the Blue Knights are going to break through that plateau and qualify for the NCAA National Tournament in 2011, it may start with a strong incoming class of true freshman and talented transfers.
This week, Coach Phillips began announcing his committments for the 2010-11 school year. Click on the student-athletes' names below to learn more about the newest Blue Knights, including comments on each player from Coach Phillips, and be sure to check back regularly for additions and updates!
DeVonyea Johnson, 5'8" Guard, Ypsilanti, Michigan (Ann Arbor Huron HS)
Tiffany Parks, 6'0" Post, Franklin, Ohio (Middletown HS; Northern Kentucky University)
Bethaine Caldwell, 5'6" Guard, Piqua, Ohio (Piqua HS)
Jackie Cousineau, 5'4" Guard, Olivet, Michigan (Olivet HS)
Chloe Cottrell, 5'10" Guard, Chillicothe, Ohio (Unioto HS)
Jessica Saffold, 5'9" Guard, Bedford, Ohio (Bedford HS; Cuyahoga Community College)
Alicia Ware, 6'3" Center, Springfield, Ohio (Kenton Ridge HS)
Brinae Ellis, 5'5" Guard, Dayton, Ohio (Ponitz HS)