Sports
By Rieley McDonnell, Newswire Intern
Seven games into the season, the Xavier women’s basketball team already has four wins under their belt, making this their most successful start to a season since the 2018-2019 season. This year’s team has also secured three more wins than during the entirety of last season.
The success this year can be attributed to the numerous new faces. Half of the roster consists of international students, and six of them are first-years. These players are showing to be serious powerhouses. Finnish first-year guard Meri Kanerva has accumulated 79 points so far and English graduate forward Loren Christie has 78 points so far. Their points combined to make up almost 40% of the teams total points.
First-year guard Meri Kanerva is the leading point scorer on the team so far this season with 79 points. Graduate forward Loren Christie is right behind her with 78 points so far.
Kanerva has the most assists on the team with 20 so far, which is about 20% of the team’s 98 total rebounds. Christie has the most rebounds on the team with 44 total so far; 38 of those rebounds were defensive and six were offensive. She averages about six rebounds a game.
Billi Chambers, who was named head coach in 2023, also has had a hand in the team’s success. Despite overseeing last year’s lackluster season, this year she seems to have turned it around.
The success of the team isn’t just due to Chambers, as the assistant coaches and support staff also play a vital role for the team. Associate coach Ashlee Kelly came to Xavier in 2023 alongside Chambers after they worked at Iona University together. The two women have proved to be a good pair, and there is hope that they can replicate that success at Xavier.
Myia Johnson came to Xavier in May of 2023 and is the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Musketeers. Johnson played a large role in recruiting all the new players to Xavier’s roster.
Statistically, Xavier has a total of 128 turnovers compared to the 153 of their competitors. They also have had three more blocks than their opponents, with 24 compared to 21. Their total number of steals is also higher with Xavier having 75 to 66.
If this trend continues, the Xavier women’s basketball team has bright prospects. Their true tests will begin when conference play starts up as they will need to showcase their teamwork and skills in order to achieve wins against their very skilled competitors. If they continue to work in tandem with each other, this season will prove to be one to watch closely for Musketeer fans.
