Pace’s women’s basketball team has the foundation of success in place in Goldstein Gym. The only thing the Setters need to do is build wins upon that base.
The Setters received 191 points in the NE-10 preseason poll which is good enough to be ranked third in the conference. Pace finished with a record of 20-9 last season and advanced all the way to the semifinal round in the NE-10 championship tournament.
Pace will have to overcome the losses of two students who entered the real world over the summer. Forward Maral Javadifar and guard Carol Johnson were two of the Setters key players who graduated at the end of last season. Johnson averaged 10 points per game a year ago while Javadifar grabbed 122 total rebounds in her four-year career.
However, head coach Carrie Seymour will not worry about the students who graduated over the summer. The six-time Division II Coach of the Year will try to add a first NE-10 title to her trophy case. Seymour’s 385 career as Pace’s head coach is already the highest mark in school history.
This year the Setters will enter the season with a balanced roster of upperclassmen and underclassmen
The Setters will be anchored by graduate political science major Brittany Shields, who posted 17.2 points per game in last year’s campaign. Only three other players in the NE-10 put up more points per game last season than Shields did.
Even a player as productive as Shields will need a little help from her friends. Senior psychology major Allison Cleary, senior criminal justice major Kera Bretney, and graduate media and communications major Jessica Scannell have to provide statistical support for the Setters to get back to the postseason
For the Setters to continue their recent run of playoff berths, a handful of things need to happen. First, the Setters need to continue to clean the glass like they did a year ago. In 2011-2012, Pace averaged 37 rebounds per game as a team. Also, Pace has to take care of the ball like a precious family heirloom. The Setters had 15 turnovers a game a year ago, which left them tied with Stonehill College for the fewest turnovers per game in the conference.
The Setters’ first game of the year will be on Nov. 14 against the Dolphins of Le Moyne College.