The Alfred State women's basketball team has high hopes as it tips off 2018-19 season

Posted: Nov 08, 2018

Pioneers Set to Open Season

The Alfred State women's baseketball team tips off the 2018-19 season today with a battle versus Bluefield State (WV) at the USCAA tip-off classic hosted by Penn State Fayette.

The roster for head coach Gina Boyd (29th year - 412-302 overall record) features six returning players, Rayanna Anderson (Wellsville), Kelsey Shaulis (Ovid/South Seneca), Janae Gibson (Bronx/Pelham Prep), and AP Acosta (Bronx/Evander Childs), Michayla Salatel (Geneseo), and Emily Benes (Buffalo/Mount Mercy). The returners experience and continued growth will be key to the success of the team.

Anderson, a junior guard, averaged 9.2 points per game last year and passed out 106 assists in 19 games.
Shaulis, a sophomore guard, averaged 8.8 points per game last year and grabbed 108 boards and passed out 53 assists.
Gibson, a senior forward, averaged 10.1 points per game and 9.1 reobunds last year in 22 games.
Acosta, a junior guard, averaged 4.5 points and passed out 31 assissts last year in 13 games.
Salatel, a senior guard coming off a solid soccer season in which she was named the ACAA co-Player of the Year, averaged 4.8 points per game and passed out 83 assists in 22 games last year.
Benes, a senior guard, averaged 2.3 points and pulled down 49 boards last year in 21 games off the bench for the Pioneers.

Skylar Shaulis (Ovid/South Seneca) and Emily Kelley (Wellsville) are a pair of the six newcomers on the roster that Boyd will expect to make an immediate impact.

Boyd expects her team to be fun to watch. "We have an athletic team that will play an up-tempo brand of basketball. We will need to keep developing our style of play to gain success. How much we can grow as a team will determine how far we can go."

The 2018-19 schedule features 10 games in the 2018 portion of the season and 14 games in 2019. The team will battle competition from the Empire 8, the NEAC, the SUNYAC, and various USCAA schools. The schedule also features match-ups with future conference foes from the AMCC. The season concludes with Alfred State hosting the 2019 American Collegiate Athletic Association Championships, February 23-24.