With the departure of three double-figure scorers and most of the front line from the team that went 15-14 the year before, the Lady Cougars knew that they would have their work cut out for them. However, the coaching staff was very optimistic since they returned their leading scorer (Katie Keller) and two other double-figure scorers (Amy Sebastian and Rachel Fiely). The biggest question marks going into the season revolved around the forward and center positions and the team’s depth.

As the start of the season drew nearer, questions continued to arise as Fiely, the team’s starting point guard, learned of a broken bone in her foot that she would eventually play through. Sebastian, who started at the wing position, was also having problems with a knee that had been repaired in high school, and another starting guard, Ashley Brown, discovered a degenerative neck/spinal cord condition that was very serious that she was going to attempt to play through. Fiely and Sebastian both ended up making it through the season, while Brown started the first 18 games before she had to end her season prematurely.

Despite these struggles, MVNU won its first four games to open the season before falling in overtime to Ohio Dominican University in the championship game of the Muskingum College Tournament.

After dropping six straight games including a pair to NAIA Division I schools on the team’s trip to California, the Lady Cougars bounced back to win three of its next five contests to improve to 7-8. MVNU also dropped an 88-86 triple-overtime decision to Urbana University at home during that span.

Following a convincing 90-68 victory over perennial power Shawnee State University, who eventually advanced to the AMC Tournament championship game, the Lady Cougars dropped five straight games with two coming in overtime.

With the team’s record standing at 8-15, MVNU won three of its final five games with victories over the University of Rio Grande, Walsh University, and Wilberforce University to finish the year with an 11-17 overall mark.

"I was very proud of this team’s resolve,” said MVNU head coach Steve Gregory. "It seems like every team every year is tested with some type of issues that you have to battle through and become better because of that adversity. By better, I mean better players and better people. We had a lot of concern at the beginning of the year with all the injury worries, but once the season got under way it had a calming effect on our team. We went out and played and played well early. We hit a tough stretch in our schedule and drop some hard-fought games. We got back on track, but we had not luck when it came to overtime games as we dropped four of them with one in double overtime and one in triple overtime. It was disappointing to be in those games and then lose them in overtime. Our kids continued to battle back from those setbacks, though, and won three of our final five games.”

Individually, several members of the team had outstanding seasons. Keller, a senior, became the program’s all-time leading scorer in the final game of her career as she finished with 1,726 points. She averaged 17.2 points and nailed a team-high 77 three-pointers. She also added 79 assists and 76 steals to finish third in school history in steals (255) and fifth in assists (302). Keller was named to the AMC South Division Second Team and the National Christian College Athletic Association East Region First Team.

"Katie became our all-time leading scorer this season after having yet another great offensive year,” said Gregory of Keller, who also finishes as the program’s career leader in three-pointers made with 260. "She has been a tremendous shooter with unlimited range from outside the three-point arc. It will be hard to replace a player of her caliber.”

Fiely, a sophomore, finished the year averaging 13.1 points and 5.1 rebounds. She led the team with 132 assists and 83 steals, and she shot a team-best 46.5 percent from three-point range (47-for-101). For her efforts, she was named to the AMC South Division Honorable Mention list and the NCCAA East Region Second Team.

"Rachel had another outstanding season as she bested her numbers from her freshman campaign that were already outstanding,” said Gregory. "She is a gifted player who is just as valuable on the defensive end of the floor as she is on the offensive end. She led our break and helped us get easy points in transition. She always thought pass first and shoot second, and that is something that we will have to change as we head into next year.”

Sophomore post Melissa Mastrodonato also had a breakout year as she averaged 13.1 points and a team-high 6.3 rebounds while shooting 54.2 percent from the field and 70.6 percent at the free throw line. She also registered a team-high 43 blocked shots. For her efforts, she was named to the AMC South Division Honorable Mention list.

"Melissa had a breakthrough year in the post for us,” said Gregory. "She shot well from the field and the foul line and led our team in rebounding. She developed a jump hook this year and coupled that with her up and under move and turn-around jump shot to become a lethal player on the low block. She was one of the top three post players in the conference this season.”

Sebastian, a junior, averaged 13.1 points and 5.6 rebounds to go with 48 assists and 39 steals. She was named to the NCCAA East Region Honorable Mention list and was an NAIA Division II and NCCAA Scholar-Athlete.

"Amy is a vital part of our team,” said Gregory. "She is so well-rounded. She is not outstanding in any one category, she is just really good in all of them. She won’t blow your mind with her athleticism, but her hard work and attitude is amazing. Her three-point shooting really improved this season and allowed her to make plays off the dribble. She passes the ball very well and is a lock-down defender. She was also one of our best rebounders this year.”

Brown, a sophomore, averaged 4.6 points and 3.7 rebounds while playing the first 18 games. Senior forward Miranda Capuano added 3.9 points and 2.2 rebounds, while sophomore guard Jessica Lynn added 3.1 points and 2.1 rebounds while starting nine games. Freshman guard Katy Childress, freshman post Julie Haumschild, sophomore guard Bethany Hughes, and sophomore forward Amanda Dickson all added depth to the Lady Cougars’ bench.

With the MVNU coaching staff hitting the recruiting trail in full force, the Lady Cougars will be looking to add to its experienced roster of returning players to see even more improvement next season.