Norfolk, VA – The Old Dominion University women’s basketball team will play their one and only exhibition game this Sunday against Davis & Elkins. The game will take place at the Ted Constant Center with tip-off slated for 2 p.m. Tickets are $16 for the general public while all ODU students will be admitted free of charge. Sunday’s contest will be video streamed live through Monarch Media on ODUSports.com.
The Lady Monarchs are poised to begin their first season of Conference USA play and their third season under the direction of head coach Karen Barefoot. Under her tutelage, ODU racked up 19 wins en route to a WNIT berth during the 2012-13 season after going 11-21 in 2011-12. This impressive turnaround also saw the Lady Monarchs capture a respectable fourth place finish in the CAA while defeating eventual WNIT champion Drexel. The Lady Monarchs were picked to finish No. 6 overall in the 2013-14 Conference USA Coaches’ Preseason Poll. Newcomer Middle Tennessee was named the favorite to claim this year’s C-USA crown.
This year’s squad is headlined by junior forward Shae Kelley, who led the team in points per game (13.5), field goal percentage (.497) and rebounds (8.5) in 2012-13. Kelley was selected as one of only eight members to the 2013-14 Conference USA Preseason Team. The Lady Monarchs also return three other starters from last season and boast seven returning letterwinners. Highly touted redshirt junior forward Chelisa Painter, who transferred from George Washington, leads a band of four newcomers who will look to contribute to the Lady Monarchs’ continued success into the 2013-14 season.
The Davis & Elkins Senators, who hail from Elkins, W. Va., are an NCAA Division II program and are beginning their first season as a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). Last season, the Senators went 15-12 and 14-8 in conference play en route to a fourth place finish in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) under the direction of head coach Jason Asbell. Now entering his sixth season, Asbell has led the Senators to three .500 or better seasons. This year, the Senators will look to returning all-league honoree Jorden Lykes to take the squad to new heights.
After Sunday’s contest, the Lady Monarchs will be back in action in their regular season home opener on Saturday, Nov. 9 when they take on Delaware State at 2 p.m. at the Ted Constant Center. Additionally, ODU will round out November’s home schedule with Virginia Tech on Monday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. and Radford (Girl Scout Day) on Sunday, Nov. 17 for a 2 p.m. tip-off.
Be sure to follow ODU Women’s Basketball at @ODUWBB on Twitter and ‘Like’ the ODU Lady Monarch Basketball page by clicking HERE to stay up to date with the latest news and coverage.