The year got off to a great start for MVNU as the Lady Cougars won 10 of their first 11 games with the only loss coming in a 66-64 setback to Daemen (N.Y.) College, who was ranked in the NAIA Division II poll most of the season and advanced to the NAIA Division II national tournament.

As MVNU entered conference play in the rugged American Mideast Conference South Division, the Lady Cougars knew that they would be in for a challenge as the conference schedule always proves a tough assignment. This season was no different as MVNU finished 5-9 in conference play. However, the biggest difference was the fact that the Lady Cougars were right in nearly every game all the way to the end as five of their conference losses came by six points or less with three of them coming on the final possession of the game.

MVNU closed out the regular season with an exciting 66-63 victory at Ohio Dominican University, another team that qualified for the NAIA Division II national tournament, and then upset Geneva (Pa.) College 67-57 in the National Christian College Athletic Association East Region Tournament semifinals. The Lady Cougars’ season came to an end in their next game, though, as MVNU fell 65-62 in overtime at Roberts Wesleyan (N.Y.) College in the NCCAA East Region Tournament championship game with a berth in the NCCAA national tournament on the line.

“Our team made a lot of progress when you compare the 2006-2007 team (11-17) and the 2007-2008 team (18-12),” said MVNU head coach Steve Gregory, who completed his tenth season at his alma mater. “Going from 11 wins to 18 wins is a nice leap, and with only one player graduating from this team the future is very bright.”

Senior forward Amy Sebastian wrapped up her four-year career with the Lady Cougars. Unfortunately for Sebastian and the team, her season ended prematurely when she tore her ACL in the team’s tenth game of the season - a 78-75 win at Kenyon College. Sebastian averaged 9.3 points and 5.6 rebounds and shot a career-best 40.0 percent from three-point range (10-for-25). She finishes eighth on MVNU’s career scoring list with 1,158 points and fourth in career free throws made (325).

“When Amy went down, we knew that some of the young players on our team would be tested,” said Gregory. “You never want to see one of your players, especially a senior, go down, but fortunately we had one of the deepest teams that we have ever had. Some of our young players were thrown into more playing time, and they responded.”

Junior guard Rachel Fiely posted another outstanding season as she averaged 13.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists to earn a spot on the AMC South Division Second Team and the NCCAA Honorable Mention All-American Team. She became the 19th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark, and she now ranks second in career assists (405), fifth in career steals (222), seventh in career three-pointers made (125), and seventh in career free throws made (284).

“Rachel had an amazing year for us at both the point and shooting guard positions,” said Gregory. “She is so mentally and physically tough. She comes to compete every night, and I truly believe that she is the best at whatever position we put her at on any given night. She is only six assists shy of becoming our all-time assist leader, but she also shot 38.6 percent from three-point range (59-for-153). She was also one of our steals leaders (60) and our most consistent free throw shooter (77.2 percent). My only complaint with her would be that she is too unselfish.”

Freshman post Amanda Himes and junior center Melissa Mastrodonato packed a solid one-two inside punch for the Lady Cougars this season. Himes led the Lady Cougars in scoring (16.8) and rebounding (8.3), while Mastrodonato averaged 8.6 points and 4.9 rebounds as they also blocked 28 and 13 shots respectively. Himes, who was named the AMC South Division Freshman of the Year and was selected to the AMC South Division First Team and the NCCAA All-American Second Team, set a school record by making 201 field goals and came within four points of tying the single-season school record for most points in a year.

“We have talent and depth in the post position and this will really help us as we look ahead to next season,” said Gregory. “Amanda put together an amazing rookie campaign that saw her lead our team in both scoring and rebounding. Melissa has been a great mentor to her and added to her own skills with a lethal left hand this season.”

Junior guards Ashley Brown, Jessica Lynn, and Bethany Hughes each contributed to the team’s success in 2007-2008. Brown returned to the lineup in December after rehabbing a neck injury and cracked the starting lineup by January. She ended up averaging 4.2 points and 4.1 rebounds. Lynn started all 28 games in which she played and averaged 5.9 points and 2.7 rebounds to go with 59 steals, while Hughes averaged 2.4 points and 2.2 rebounds.

“Ashley had her ups and downs, but she really had an amazing season after being off for 11 months with the neck injury,” said Gregory. “Jessica and Bethany also stepped into different roles this year and really excelled. They both knocked down perimeter jump shots, and Jessica was considered our lock-down defender as she consistently drew our opponents’ best offensive player night in and night out.”

In addition to Himes, the Lady Cougars had several other talented freshmen who were able to step in and contribute in their first collegiate season. Forward Kellie Jokela started all 30 games and averaged 5.6 points and 6.3 rebounds, while guard Lauren Johnson came off the bench in all 30 games and led the team with 71 steals while averaging 5.7 points and 1.2 rebounds and ranking second on the squad with 72 assists. Kelli Pollock, a wing, also played in 29 games with eight starts and averaged 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds while nailing 40 three-pointers.

“Kellie (Jokela) really had an outstanding freshman season,” said Gregory. “She doesn’t stand out in any particular area - she is just very good in all the areas and does a lot of the little things that don’t make the headlines in the newspaper like taking charges, setting physical screens, and getting timely rebounds.”

“Lauren and Kelli (Pollock) also played critical roles for us,” Gregory added. “Kelli got some starts and saw a lot of playing time. She is a strong and consistent three-point threat every time she gets on the floor. Lauren played in the back-up point guard role and really excelled. She led our team in steals as a back-up and knocked down some timely three-pointers throughout the season. She is definitely a playmaker.”

Freshmen guards Kassy Workinger and Kim BeVier, along with sophomores Lindsay Stein and Amanda Thorne also saw action for the Lady Cougars and contributed to the team’s depth. “Our kids competed hard every single day in practice and it made us better because of our talent level,” said Gregory. “I am looking forward to our open gyms and to see the games of these individuals continue to blossom over the course of our off-season.”

“I’ve always heard the saying that the good news about freshmen is that they become sophomores,” Gregory continued. “I am really looking forward to that with this talented class. We knew going into this season that we would be depending on a very young cast of characters to be playing some major minutes. However, we did not fear that as this was probably the most decorated freshman class we have ever brought in. They didn’t disappoint us.”

“As we turn the page on this season, we truly look forward to next year with great enthusiasm and excitement,” Gregory concluded. “We have some talented recruits coming in and joining what is already a strong group of returning players. The future is indeed bright for this group.”