Indiana State (8-7, 2-2 MVC)
at Valparaiso (4-11, 0-3 MVC) 

Game No. 16 – Friday, Jan. 18, 2019 – 7 p.m. CT
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) – Valparaiso, Ind.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University women’s basketball team will play on its home court for the first time in Missouri Valley Conference play this season as Indiana State comes to the Athletics-Recreation Center on Friday night. Valpo will welcome a return home after starting the league slate with three straight road contests for the first time in eight years. Valpo is the only Valley team that has not had a home game entering this weekend’s action. 

Last Time Out: Drake extended its MVC winning streak to 44 consecutive games behind a strong first quarter on Sunday in Des Moines. The Bulldogs led 31-7 after 10 minutes, but Valpo put in a quality effort for the game’s duration in an 84-53 defeat. Valpo made several second-half runs including bursts of 11-0 and 9-0. Grace Hales led the team with 18 points while also establishing new career bests in steals (4) and assists (4).

Following Valpo: Friday’s game will air on ESPN+, which is available on a subscription basis for $4.99 per month. Dave Huseman (play-by-play) and Jamie Stangel (color commentary) will have the call. The game can also be heard as always on 95.1 FM WVUR (and online via TuneIn) with Ben Ariano and Danny Dalenberg. For in-game updates, follow @ValpoWBB on Twitter. Links to live video, audio and stats are available on ValpoAthletics.com. 

Head Coach Mary Evans: Mary Evans is in her first year as the head coach of the Valparaiso University women’s basketball program in 2018-2019. Evans, who spent the last five seasons as an assistant coach at Ohio University, became the eighth head coach in program history on April 13, 2018. She brought 15 years of Division I experience with her to Valpo. During her time on Ohio’s staff under head coach Bob Boldon, Evans helped the Bobcats to three seasons of 22 wins or more, three postseason appearances and three Top 75 RPI finishes. The 2014-15 team established a school record with 27 wins, a 21-win improvement from two years earlier and an 18-win improvement from the previous season. The Bobcats won the 2014-15 MAC regular season and tournament titles and reached the NCAA Tournament. Evans has also coached at Youngstown State, Georgia Southern, South Carolina Aiken and Seton Hall.

Series Notes: This series resumed last year after it had been on hold since 2006-2007. The Sycamores have won seven of the nine meetings between the two teams with Valpo’s most recent win coming as part of the Hoosier Classic in Muncie during the 2001-02 season. Valpo lost 67-54 on Jan. 28 at the ARC and 64-48 on Feb. 23 in Terre Haute last season.

Getting it Done from Distance: Valpo has equaled or bettered its opponent in made 3-pointers in 12 of the last 13 games. The only time Valpo made fewer 3s than the opponent in the last 12 games was Jan. 6 at Loyola. Valpo has made eight 3s or more seven times this season, including 13 against Drake on Jan. 13. Valpo has already surpassed last year’s season total for number of games equaling or bettering the opposition’s number of made 3s. Valpo became just the second team to make 13 3-pointers in a game against Drake this season, joining Creighton (Nov. 28).

Swiping It Away: Three Valpo players reached career highs in steals on Jan. 13 at Drake. Ella Ellenson and Grace Hales had new personal bests by sharing the team lead with four steals apiece, while Ilysse Pitts tied a career high with three steals. The team had 13 steals, the most since Nov. 16 at Morehead State and the most steals by a Drake opponent in a game this season. The Valpo defense helped force Drake into 23 turnovers, the most the Bulldogs had committed since Nov. 15 and the second most by the Bulldogs this season. Valpo is averaging 9.3 steals per game, up from 6.9 per game last season. The last time Valpo finished a season with a steals per game average better than the team’s current mark was 2002-2003 (9.4 spg).

Hales Heats Up: Grace Hales scored 15 points in the second half on Jan. 13 at Drake, finishing with a team-high 18 points in the game. She matched a career high with seven made field goals while also setting personal bests in assists (4) and steals (4). The Valpo junior had her highest scoring output since a career-high 21 points on Dec. 2 vs. Eastern Illinois. Hales has reached double figures in four of the last five games after doing so just twice over the first 10 games of the season.

The Rookies: The freshman duo of Ilysse Pitts (8) and Shay Frederick (9) combined for 17 points in the Nov. 13 game at Drake. Pitts dished out a career-high six assists while Frederick knocked down three triples, the fourth time this year she’s made three 3s or more in a game. Pitts played 28 minutes in the contest against the Bulldogs, her season high in minutes played. Frederick also saw significant playing time in that game, spending 25 minutes on the court.

Lineup Tracker: Valpo has used the starting lineup of Hannah Schaub, Meredith Hamlet, Addison Stoller, Grace Hales and Ella Ellenson in each of the last seven games. Stoller, Hamlet and Schaub have been fixtures in the starting five for all 15 games this year. Schaub has started 75 of the 79 games she’s played in a Valpo uniform, while Hamlet has started 104 of her 106 career games. Ellenson has started 12 times this season, while Hales made her 10^th consecutive start on Jan. 13 at Drake after being used almost exclusively off the bench in her first two seasons and through the first five games of this year.

Rising the Scoring Ranks: For the third consecutive season, a Valpo player climbing the all-time scoring list is a continuous storyline. After two straight seasons of Dani Franklin moving up the Valpo ranks and eventually finishing second in program history in career points, it's Meredith Hamlet's turn. Hamlet’s career total currently stands at 1,138. She has usurped Tamra Braun (2003-2007) for 11th in program history. The next target is the Top 10 as Aimee Forsman (1988-1992) ranks 10^th at 1,195.

3-Point Watch: Meredith Hamlet has made 180 career 3-pointers and recently cracked the Top 5 in program history in that area. She needs three more to draw even with Dani Franklin (2014-2018), who is fourth at 183.

Ascending the Assist Chart: Redshirt junior point guard Hannah Schaub is up to 275 career assists after recently passing Lisa Winter (1998-2000) for 11^th in program history. The threshold to crack the Top 10 is 278 (Suzie Hammel, 2000-2004).  In addition, Meredith Hamlet is up to 222 career assists – two shy of joining the all-time Top 20. Stephanie Greer (1987-1991) is currently 20^th at 224.

Inside the Sycamores

• Coming off a 61-45 loss to Bradley on Jan. 13. Ashli O’Neil led the team in scoring with 15 points, but Indiana State shot only 22.4 percent from the floor. The Sycamores did force 22 Bradley turnovers in the defeat.
• Have Valley wins at Southern Illinois (61-58) and vs. Illinois State (59-44).
• Under the direction of first-year head coach Vicki Hall, who returns to Indiana this season after earning the state’s 1988 Miss Basketball honor. She spent six seasons as the associate head coach at Toledo, so both Hall and Valpo head coach Mary Evans are first-year Valley head coaches who previously served as assistants in the MAC.
• Led in scoring by O’Neal at 14.5 points per game, while Tamara Lee has 10.4 points per contest. O’Neal ranks ninth in The Valley in scoring while leading the league in steals with 2.7 per game.
• Rank second in the league in scoring defense, allowing 61.5 points per game.
• Lead the league in steals with 10.6 per game with Valpo second in that area.

Who’s Next: Coopersville (Mich.) High School senior Cara VanKempen has signed her National Letter of Intent to play for Valpo next season. The two-time all-conference performer has also garnered all-area first team and all-state honorable mention recognition. As a junior last season, VanKempen averaged 14 points, six rebounds and three assists per game. The daughter of a coach who has played for her father from a young age, VanKempen became the first high school recruit to sign with Valpo under first-year head coach Mary Evans’ watch.

Champions in Classroom: The Valpo women’s basketball team has developed a tradition of having players thrive academically. The 2017-2018 season saw Valpo have 11 players finish the spring semester with a GPA of 3.0 or better. Two players were named MVC Scholar-Athletes of the Week during the season and two were recognized as part of either the MVC Scholar-Athlete team or MVC Scholar-Athlete honorable mention. The 2018-2019 team has players with the following majors: biology, biomedical engineering, communications, public relations, marketing, healthcare leadership, health sciences, exercise science, psychology, finance, elementary education, business management and secondary/physical education.

Champions in Community: The program also has a commitment to serving the community. During their time on campus, players have visited elementary school students and wrote letters back and forth to encourage and promote healthy lifestyles as pen pals. In addition, Valpo women’s basketball players assembled over 1,000 informational packages for runners and spectators at the Chicago Marathon as part of the team’s annual Pack-a-thon. Athletes on the team engaged the greater Valparaiso community by volunteering and organizing supervision of the Valparaiso Popcorn Fest’s Little Kernel Puff Run. Valpo players ran with children to the finish line of the event and helped set up the race. Valparaiso was the hometown of Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn company. Numerous Valpo players have also volunteered their time at the Valpo Boys & Girls Club.

#RingTheBell

• Shortly after Valpo’s new coaching staff was assembled, the group sat down to discuss a program hashtag. Despite being new to Valpo, the staff members were well educated on the University’s history and tradition. That’s how #RingTheBell was born.
• Head Coach Mary Evans: “Ringing the bell here at Valpo is something you do when you graduate, so the concept speaks to our goal of being successful both on the court and in the classroom. We want to be one of the best programs in our conference and continue to have great success academically and in our personal lives. My message to our players is that whatever they do in life, it’s important to put in the time and effort to be very good at it. That’s what #RingTheBell has become to us.”
• Senior Allison Schofield: “I love the idea by our coaching staff and think it’s a tremendous concept. Ringing the bell is synonymous with Valparaiso University as a whole and has been for quite some time. This allows us to become closely associated with something that is University wide rather than separating ourselves as women’s basketball. To me, #RingTheBell means victory and finishing the close games that we’ve struggled to finish in the past.”
• Senior Meredith Hamlet: “To me, #RingTheBell is about winning games. That’s our goal. We have confidence that we can win the games on our schedule and we have a fair shot to beat every team we play. The team that works the hardest is going to win.”
• Redshirt Sophomore Addison Stoller: “#RingTheBell gives us a consistent message and establishes a trend that we want to continue. As a program, we want to be consistent in everything we do, from our messaging to our play on the court. We’ve seen our coaches get excited about ringing the bell and that’s allowed us to dedicate ourselves to it as well.”

A Look Back at 2017-18

• Valpo won a league tournament game for the sixth time in the last seven years by topping Loyola in the first round of Hoops in the Heartland before falling to eventual conference champion Drake in the second round.
• The program finished with 13 wins, the team’s highest win total since 2008-09, when it won 16 games. The team also equaled its highest conference win total since 2009-10 and had the most road wins in a single season since the 2011-2012 campaign.
• Valpo finished with the second-best free-throw percentage in program history at 76.0 and had its highest scoring average (65.1) since 2007-2008 (66.3).
• Senior Dani Franklin closed out her noteworthy career and was named to the 2017-18 All-MVC First Team and Scholar-Athlete First Team following the season. She finished second in program history in career points.

Meredith Hamlet

On the court…

• Held the outright team lead in rebounding for the first time since Jan. 14, 2017 (10 at Youngstown State) on Dec. 19 at Purdue Fort Wayne, pulling down six boards.
• Led all scorers with 15 points and pulled down a season-high eight rebounds on Dec. 16 vs. North Dakota State.
• Played in her 100^th career game and made her 98^th career start on Dec. 8 vs. Miami (Ohio).
• Was named the MVC Player of the Week on Dec. 3 after averaging 22.7 points per game over three games the previous week. She became the first Valpo basketball player – men’s or women’s – to earn a Valley Player of the Week distinction. She was the first Valpo women’s player to win a conference player of the week award since 2013.
• Upped her season high to 28 points on Nov. 29 at Chicago State while also racking up five assists, four steals and draining five 3-pointers.
• Turned in a then season-high 26 points on Nov. 26 vs. Toledo, three points shy of a career high that she has reached on three occasions.
• Became the 15^th player in program history to reach the 1,000 point milestone on Nov. 17 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn. Her milestone point came on a made layup with 9:22 remaining in the third quarter. She finished the game with 18 points.
• Scored 12 of her game-high 15 points in the fourth quarter in the home opener on Nov. 11 against North Dakota.
• Started the season opener for the fourth consecutive year on Nov. 7 at UIC and swished in a career-high 12 free throws while scoring a team-high 19 points in that contest.
• Set the school record for made 3-pointers by a freshman in a single season in 2015-16 with 69, a mark that ranked fifth overall in program history.
• Named to the 2015-16 Horizon League All-Freshman Team and received 2017-18 MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention.
• Has enjoyed numerous notable single-game performances, including reaching 29 points on three occasions – Dec. 15, 2017 vs. IU Northwest, Jan. 14, 2017 at Youngstown State and Dec. 30, 2015 at Northern Kentucky. Perhaps her most memorable game, however, was Feb. 11 of last season at Loyola, when she exploded for 19 points in the fourth quarter to help Valpo to a comeback victory after being held scoreless for the first three quarters.

Beyond basketball…

• Was featured as part of the MVC Scholar-Athlete Spotlight on Nov. 21.
• Comes from a Valpo family as the third of three sisters to play women’s basketball at Valpo. Oldest sister Elizabeth graduate transferred to Valpo for the 2013-2014 season after starting her career at Oakland. Middle sister Annemarie also went from Oakland to Valpo for the 2013-14 season but sat out that year due to transfer rules. Annemarie played the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, the second of which was Meredith’s freshman year.
• The Valpo legacy within the family goes beyond the sister trio as both of her sisters have married former Valpo athletes. Elizabeth is married to former Valpo men’s basketball player Bobby Capobianco, who closed out his collegiate career with the 2013-14 season. This past summer, Annemarie married Jake Hanson, who played baseball at Valpo as recently as 2017.
• Serves as the co-President of Valpo’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes and is a member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSSA) on campus.
• Traveled to Ethiopia this past summer as part of Athletes in Action, a 10-day trip that sends a team of collegiate women’s basketball players from across the country to compete and train alongside Ethiopian university and professional teams. Athletes in Action is a faith-based group and the goal of the trip was to teach people about the glory of God. The players did missionary work, played against the Ethiopian national team, visited schools, attended church and shared their testimony during the 10-day stay in Africa.
• Majoring in public relations with minors in sports management and professional writing.

Allison Schofield

On the court…

• Tied a career high with four made 3s on Jan. 11 at UNI, sharing the team lead with 13 points.
• Saw her first action since Nov. 17 on Jan. 6 at Loyola after being sidelined by an injury. Had three points in 16 minutes in her return to the court.
• Went off for a career-high 16 points on six made field goals, also a career watermark, on Nov. 14 at Illinois. Drained four 3-pointers, matching a career high.
• Made her first career start on Nov. 7 at UIC and played a career-high 29 minutes, going 2-for-2 both from the field and from 3-point range.
• Notched a career-high 15 points and led the team in scoring in the final game of the 2016-17 season, a Horizon League Tournament matchup with Green Bay. She went 4-for-4 from 3-point range in that contest.
• Appeared in 62 games over her first three seasons.

Beyond basketball…

• Graduated on Sunday, Dec. 9 with a major in biology and minor in business. Has begun her Master of Business Administration.
• Has garnered experience in her field by doing job shadows for pharmaceutical and medical device sale companies during her time on campus. She shadowed with Eli Lilly two summers ago and Stryker this past summer.

Hannah Schaub

On the court…

• Knocked down four triples on her way to a season-high 13 points on Dec. 21 vs. Bowling Green. Also dished out five assists to equal a season watermark.
• Turned in a balanced stat line of eight points, four assists, five rebounds and two steals in a win at Purdue Fort Wayne on Dec. 19.
• Equaled a career best with a game-high four steals on Nov. 26 vs. Toledo.
• Had a season-high 11 points to go along with four assists, no turnovers, two steals and two made 3s on Nov. 16 at Morehead State. Led her team in scoring for the first time since the fourth game of her collegiate career. In addition, her four assists allowed her to reach the 250-assist mark for her collegiate career, becoming just the 14^th player in program history to do so.
• Had a team-high five assists on Nov. 14 at Illinois to crack to Top 15 in program history for career assists.
• Hauled in a team-high six rebounds in the season opener on Nov. 7 at UIC, leading the team in boards for the first time since March 11, 2016, when she had seven in a Horizon League Tournament game against Northern Kentucky. Started the season opener for the fourth straight season.
• Has returned to the court after suffering a season-ending injury in the second game of the 2017-2018 season.
• Enters Friday ranked tied for 15^th in program history in career assists with 246, equaling former teammate Lexi Miller (2012-2016). Megan Newcomer (1996-2000) sits in 14^th at 247.
• Had 134 assists during the 2016-2017 season, the seventh-most in a single season in program history.
• Has twice knocked down five 3-pointers in a single game, doing so on Nov. 28, 2015 vs. Northern Colorado and March 10, 2016 vs. Detroit.

Beyond basketball…

• Member of Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
• Older sister Nicole played basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Stout and younger sister Danielle is a sophomore on the basketball team at Concordia University, St. Paul.
• Is majoring in marketing with minors in business analytics and communication.

Grace Hales

On the court…

• Finished three points shy of a career high with 18 on Jan. 13 at Drake. She scored 15 of those points in the second half on her way to equaling a career watermark with seven made field goals. She also set career bests in assists (4) and steals (4) in a game against a team receiving votes nationally.
• Buried five 3s on Dec. 21 vs. Bowling Green to lead the team and contribute to the team’s total of 17, which equaled a school record. That matched a career high and marked the third time in her career Hales hit five 3s in a game.
• Hit a key 3-pointer in the final minute of a four-point win at Purdue Fort Wayne on Dec. 19 to cap a 17-point output.
• Had her best day in a Valpo uniform on Dec. 2 vs. Eastern Illinois with 21 points, seven made field goals, three made 3s, seven rebounds, two assists and one turnover.
• Made her first start of the season on Nov. 26 against Toledo, marking the third straight year she has started exactly one game.
• Scored all 12 of her points in the second half to become one of four Valpo players in double figures on Nov. 14 at Illinois.
• Has been named the team’s Sixth Player of the Year each of the last two seasons.
• Appeared in all 31 games last season.
• Ranked second on the team in free-throw percentage last year at .863 and is first among returnees.
• Averaged 8.0 points per game last season, third on the team and second among returnees.

Beyond basketball…

• Father Ross played football and basketball at Indiana University. He played for the Hoosiers during the 1993-1994 season, a team that was under the direction of coach Bob Knight.
• In high school, was a four-time all-conference performer in three different sports – basketball, volleyball and track and field.
• Participated in a spring tournament with the Valpo volleyball team during her freshman year when the volleyball squad was plagued by injuries and did not have enough healthy bodies to compete.
• Is on track to finish her undergraduate degree in just three years and graduate in May. Plans to remain at Valpo to play her senior season and pursue a master’s degree.
• Majoring in communications with a journalism concentration and sport management minor. Is interning in Valpo’s sports information department and has aspirations of a career in sports media or athletic communications.

Addison Stoller

On the court…

• Scored in double figures for the seventh time in an eight-game span by sharing the team lead with 13 points on Jan. 11 at UNI.
• Posted a career-high 20 points to lead all scorers in a 68-64 win on Dec. 19 at Purdue Fort Wayne. She also had a game-high four steals.
• After coming close on several prior occasions, enjoyed her first career double-double on Dec. 16 vs. North Dakota State with 11 points and 10 rebounds, equaling a career best on the boards.
• Made 10 free throws on her way to a career-high 18 points on Nov. 29 at Chicago State. Finished one rebound shy of a double-double.
• Was on double-double watch in both games at the Vinewood Farm Classic, first turning in nine points and a career-high 10 rebounds on Nov. 16 at Morehead State before accumulating nine points and pulling down eight boards on Nov. 17 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn. Her 10-rebound game allowed her to become the first Valpo player with a double-figure rebounding effort this season.
• Continued her early-season surge with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting in front of numerous family members and friends while playing close to her hometown of Cissna Park on Nov. 14 at Illinois.
• Filled the stat sheet with nine points and a career-high eight rebounds in the first home start of her career on Nov. 11 vs. North Dakota.
• Poured in a career-high 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting while making her second career start on Nov. 7 at UIC. Also pulled down five rebounds and achieved a personal best in steals with four.
• Is back this season after being limited to five games in 2016-17 and 17 games in 2017-18 due to injuries.
• Received the team’s Hardest Worker Award each of the last two seasons.

Beyond basketball…

• Is involved in several organizations on campus including Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Kinesiology Club and FMS research team.
• Had an internship this past summer at a gym called Elite Sport and Fitness in Gibson City, Ill.
• Has helped with her parents’ business, Illiana Insulation, a foam and coating insulation business in Cissna Park, Ill.
• Older sister Samantha played volleyball at Trinity International University and is currently an executive assistant in athletics at UMKC, where she oversees office management, student-athlete scholarships and the distribution of sponsorships and trade.
• Father Sam participated in rugby at Purdue and mother Sue played a year of basketball at Biola University in California.
• Younger sister Olivia is attending cosmetology school and younger brother Penn is a junior in high school and is into football and basketball.
• Enjoys water sports and the outdoors. Family goes camping and boating frequently over the summer. Will ski, slalom, surf and tube and also loves hiking, four wheeling and other outdoor activities.
• Made it to state in volleyball as a junior and senior in high school.
• Growing up, her favorite sport was soccer. She played travel soccer in junior high, but stopped because her high school didn’t offer soccer.
• Majoring in exercise science with plans of getting a master’s in athletic training. Minoring in human biology.

Shay Frederick

            On the court…

• Knocked down four 3-pointers and shared the team lead with 15 points on Dec. 21 vs. Bowling Green.
• Dished out a game-high six assists on Nov. 26 vs. Toledo, setting a career watermark.
• Became just the fourth Valpo player since the 2001-02 season to average double figures over the first five games of her freshman year by turning in 10.2 points per game through the first five games this season. Joined good company in a group that also includes Meredith Hamlet (10.6 ppg, 2015), Dani Franklin (2014, 13.2) and Jamie Gutowski (Stangel) (11.2, 2002).
• After scoring 10 points on Nov. 16 at Morehead State, finished in double figures for the third time in four games on Nov. 17 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn. She racked up career highs in points (19), assists (5), made 3s (4), made field goals (5) and made free throws (5) while committing just one turnover.
• Had the first double-figure output of her collegiate career in her first home appearance, turning in 11 points while racking up six rebounds on Nov. 11 vs. North Dakota.
• Had a strong showing in her collegiate debut on Nov. 7 at UIC, racking up seven points, three steals and a team-high four assists.
• Was a four-year letter winner and a captain as a junior and senior at Hortonville High School.
• Led Hortonville to its first state tournament final four appearances in 30 years as a junior and senior.
• Won regional titles all four years of high school.
• Fab Five (Preseason Top 5 Players for Northeast Wisconsin) as a sophomore, junior and senior. All-Area First-Team selection all four years, WBCA D2 All-State First Team as a junior and senior and honorable mention as a sophomore, Associated Press Third Team All-State as a senior and honorable mention as a junior, McDonald’s All-American nominee.
• Finished as her school’s all-time leader in points, assists, steals and 3-pointers (boys and girls).

Beyond basketball…

• Involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes on campus.
• Majoring in business marketing with a minor in sports management.
• Is close friends and former AAU teammates with two other Missouri Valley Conference freshmen – Drake’s Maggie Negaard and Illinois State’s Ally Gietzel.

Ella Ellenson

On the court…

• Hit double figures for the second time this season with 10 points on Jan. 13 at Drake. She also led the team in rebounds with five and had a career-high four steals.
• Achieved a career high with 15 points while also blocking two shots on Dec. 19 in a win at Purdue Fort Wayne.
• Came within one rebound of a career high and set a season best on Dec. 16 vs. North Dakota State, corralling eight caroms. She also chipped in five points.
• Set a season high with eight points and matched a career best with five rebounds on Dec. 8 vs. Miami (Ohio).
• Made her first career start in the season opener on Nov. 7 at UIC, going 2-of-3 from the field for five points.
• Played in 30 games as a true freshman at Valpo.
• Scored a career-high 13 points on Jan. 26, 2018 vs. Evansville.

Beyond basketball…

• Brother Wally played basketball in the NBL of Canada in 2016-17 and made the all-rookie team.
• Brother Ellwood was a captain of the basketball team and a track athlete at Valley City State University, N.D.
• Brother Henry is a Detroit Pistons forward and former Marquette standout.
• One of the most competitive sports in Ella’s home area of Northern Wisconsin is curling. Her mother is a P.E. teacher and taught curling.

Ilysse Pitts

On the court…

• Dished out a career-high six assists while scoring eight points and matching a career best with three steals on Jan. 13 at Drake.
• Matched a career high with 10 points while establishing a personal best with eight rebounds on Dec. 16 vs. North Dakota State.
• Was a key contributor in both of Valpo’s games at the Vinewood Farm Classic, reaching double figures for the first time in her career with 10 points on Nov. 16 at Morehead State before tossing in seven on Nov. 17 vs. St. Francis Brooklyn.
• Made her collegiate debut on Nov. 11 vs. North Dakota.
• Four-year letter winner in high school.
• Averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 3.5 steals as a senior.
• Led her team to a state runner-up finish in 2018. Helped Montini Catholic to a 33-2 overall record as the Broncos finished in third place in the 2017 IHSA 4A state tournament.
• Team also finished third in the 3A state tournament in 2015.

Beyond basketball…

• Majoring in exercise science.

Maya Meredith

On the court…

• Hit a buzzer-beater from nearly half court to send the Feb. 16, 2018 game against Southern Illinois to overtime. That shot was No. 9 on the next morning’s SportsCenter Top 10.
• Shattered a program-record that had stood since 1992 in her first career start by dishing out 16 assists on Dec. 15, 2017 against IU Northwest. She became the 10^th player in Missouri Valley Conference history to reach 16 assists, a mark that ranks tied for sixth in the conference’s prestigious history. She also became the second player in the nation with a 16+ assist game that season.

Beyond basketball…

• Loves to buy sneakers and has over 50 pairs.
• Enjoys adrenaline rush activities such as bungee jumping, free falls and parasailing.
• Uncle Kevin “Coach K” Lee is the founder of Quality Control Music, which has produced artists such as Migos, Lil Yatchy and Cardi B.
• Younger brother Donyell Meredith II is a freshman on the IU South Bend men’s basketball team.
• Majoring in healthcare leadership.

Nicole Johanson

On the court…

• Made her collegiate debut on Nov. 26 vs. Toledo.
• Sat out her first season on campus as a redshirt.
• Helped Herscher High School finish with a 25-2 record in her senior season.
• Played for Example Sports AAU under the direction of coach Barry Bradford, the father of Valpo men’s basketball player Micah Bradford.

Beyond basketball…

• Majoring in biology with a minor in chemistry.
• Planning to go to veterinary school after finishing at Valpo with hopes of becoming a large animal vet.
• Lives on a farm.

Katherine Carlson

• Made her collegiate basketball debut on Dec. 19 at Purdue Fort Wayne.
• Joined the team as a walk-on on Dec. 18.
• Finished a successful four-year career on the volleyball court by earning second team all-MVC this season.
• Helped volleyball team make a run to the NIVC quarterfinals and garner the first postseason victories in program history this season.
• Accumulated 1,273 kills over her four years to rank sixth in Valpo history.

Nicole Konieczny

On the court…

• Out for the season with an injury.
• Appeared in 22 games and made 30 starts as a true freshman.
• Ranked fourth in The Valley in assists per game at 3.2 and second in assist to turnover ratio at 1.6 in 2017-18.
• Beyond basketball…
• Was originally a Northwest Indiana local and started her prep career with two seasons at LaPorte before moving to South Bend and playing her final two seasons at Saint Joseph, where she led her team to the 2016-17 Indiana Class 3A state title.
• Is a rare Valpo basketball player to participate in Greek Life on campus as a Chi Omega.
• Member of Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
• Majoring in business management.

Taylor Richards

On the court…

• Expected to be out for the season due to an injury.
• Played in 14 games as a freshman in 2017-18 while battling injuries.
• Had a season-high seven points and went 3-for-3 shooting on Dec. 15, 2017 vs. IU Northwest.

Beyond basketball…

• Mother Jennie ran track at Akron and father Tom ran track at Bowling Green. Brother Trent is currently a student at Akron.
• Majoring in health sciences with a minor in health care leadership.
• Was a straight “A” student from kindergarten through her senior year of high school.

Caitlin Morrison

On the court…

• Expected to be out for the season due to an injury.
• Is Valpo’s leading returning rebounder for 2018-19 at 4.5 per game.
• Ranked fourth in The Valley in blocks per game as a junior at 1.3 per contest.
• Led the team in points (11) and rebounds (7) in the final game of the season on March 9 in an MVC quarterfinal against Drake. Matched her career high in scoring in that game, and both 11-point outputs have come in conference tournament contests.

Beyond basketball…  

• Father Scott Morrison is a former Valparaiso men’s basketball player and played under Homer Drew from 1990-1992.
• Is majoring in finance with a minor in business analytics.
• Volunteers for an organization called CAAEL, which participates in events held for special education and at-risk students around Illinois.

Marlee Profitt

On the court…

• Expected to be out for the season due to an injury.
• Played in two games in 2016-17 before missing the remainder of the season with an injury, but returned to the court to play in 28 games in 2017-18.
• Shattered her previous career high in rebounding prior to halftime and had nine boards (eight in the first half) to lead the team on Jan. 21, 2018 at Southern Illinois.

Beyond basketball…

• Is involved in Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCS), Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Bioengineering Club.
• Majoring in biomedical engineering with a minor in Spanish.
• In a human movement research lab.
• Interned with her knee surgeon this past summer, shadowing ACL surgeries and seeing patients in the office.
• Attended the annual American Society of Biomechanics Meeting this past summer and presented research.
• Volunteers at dog shelters.
• Her mother played volleyball at Youngstown State and her aunt did so at Cleveland State. Profitt, her mother and her aunt have all played in the Horizon League at one point in their careers.
• Brother is a junior in high school and plays varsity football and basketball. He broke the school’s single-season record for receiving touchdowns this fall.

Carie Weinman

On the court…

• Started her college career at Denver, where she shot 44 percent from 3-point range and averaged 6.4 points per game in 2017-2018.
• Has to sit out this season due to transfer rules.
• Poured in 34 points on Dec. 3, 2017, helping Denver to an 80-73 victory over Northern Arizona. The 34-point output ranked tied for fourth in program history and was the highest single-game total by a Pioneer in 17 years.

Beyond basketball…

• Was prep and AAU teammates with Valpo’s Caitlin Morrison.
• Majoring in psychology.
• Father played football at Grand Valley State.
• Was able to share a season of varsity basketball with her sisters Carly and Catie when she was a freshman in high school.