Pride women's basketball moves up to No. 18 in latest NAIA Coaches' Poll
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Seven games into the 2021-22 season, the Clarke University women's basketball was able to move a single spot in the first in-season NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll of the season as they come in at No. 18 after starting the year at No. 19.
The voting took place with the Pride sitting at 4-2 on the season prior to their 77-42 win over Judson University on Tuesday night as they moved to 5-2 on the year. Fourof those five wins have come away from the Kehl Center with their lone home coming against Dakota State, who was ranked No. 13 at the time of competition and has now moved to No. 19 right behind Clarke.
CU's two losses have come to teams ranked in the top 25 as well in the new No. 3 team in the rankings in Wayland Baptist University and the No. 13 team Indiana Wesleyan as those two teams have combined for just one loss and that was Indiana Wesleyan falling to fellow Heart of America team Central Methodist, who has moved up to No. 11 from No. 17 after starting the year 3-0.
So far on the season, the Pride are averaging 80.7 points per game while shooting 45.3 percent as a team while grabbing 42.1 rebounds per game and shooting 30.4 percent from three point range.
Individually, Clarke has four scorers averaging double figures in points led by a pair of posts in Emma Kelchen's 14.7 points per game and Taylor Haase's 14.3 points per game. Both Kelchen and Haase earned Heart Player of the Week honors in the first three weeks of voting as Kelchen earned the honor on Nov. 1 and Haase nabbed the recognition this past Monday, Nov. 15.
Guards Giana Michels and Nicole McDermott as both at scoring averages in the 11s with Michels at 11.6 points per game and McDermott lifting her average to 11.0 after back-to-back games of 29 points and 13 points in her last two games.
Next up for the Pride will be their return to the Kehl Center for the first time since Oct. 30 when they host another team mentioned in the top 25 poll in University of St. Francis on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. CT. The Fighting Saints are the top team in the Receiving Votes category of the poll as the de facto No. 26 ranked team in the poll.