By Rachel Levy, Sports Editor

The Hornets Women’s Basketball team started their season strong this week with a win at their home opener against Goucher College.

Although the team has a history of losing to Goucher, the ladies came out on top with a score of 64-59.

Herself “being here three years,” said Head Coach Melissa Smeltzer-Kraft, “we have been building and trying to better and evolve.”

“Their goal this year continued to evolve,” she said, “and they want to make it to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) playoffs in Salem, Va.”

The seniors this year are the last class that made it to Salem and plan on going back.

(Design by Jenna Wheeler)

The team has added 10 freshmen this year that have added a new level of competitiveness to the team.

“Last year [the team] lacked competitiveness during practice, [but] with the bigger deeper teams there is more competition,” said Smeltzer-Kraft. “The freshman are able to push the girls that have been on the team a while harder than before.”

“They are excited and competitive which is good for the team,” she continued. “It is a great start to the season.”  

With 24 games, including a whopping 17 conference matches left in the season, the ladies still have a long way to go before they clinch a spot in the championships. Their season will go through February 2017.

The women will be back in action on Nov. 19, at Drew University. Their next home game will be Nov. 22 against Elmira University, with ODAC games soon to follow.