HIRAM, Ohio - November 5, 2021 – With an experienced squad headlined by a pair of fifth-year seniors in Madison Branch and TT Wright, Hiram women's basketball looks to reach new heights in their fifth year under Head Coach Alexandra Dellas `10.
 
Dellas, in her fifth year at the helm of the women's basketball program, will once again be joined by a pair of assistants in Amari Stafford and Andrew White. Stafford enters her second season with the Terriers, having joined the program after a four-year career at Dominican University in River Forest, Ill., while White enters his fifth season with the team.
 
"We are thrilled to be tipping off this week and are excited about the opportunity to have a regular season of 25-games, barring everyone staying healthy post-pandemic!" Dellas said.
 
Coming off a 2-2 COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 season that included a pair of conference wins over Wooster, the Terriers return 12 student-athletes that saw action in 2020-21, including four starters: fifth-year guards Wright (16.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG) and Branch (8.0 PPG), junior forward Haley Thompson (6.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG) and sophomore forward Alex Lichner (8.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG).
 
Wright, a two-time First-Team All-NCAC selection, will look to continue to etch her name into the Hiram women's basketball record books, with 1,138 career points (14.0 PPG), sixth-most in program history, heading into the season.
 
Junior Taylor Valaitis and sophomore Maddie Rakestraw also return having seen significant action during the Terriers' COVID-19 shortened 2021-22 season, with Valaitis seeing action and starting three out of Hiram's four contests, averaging 6.5 points per game and Rakestraw scoring 4.3 points per game.
 
Also back for the 2021-22 season are seniors Cici Bright, Ella Dukarm and Sam Cain, juniors Ashley Cameron and Iyana Smith and sophomores Kelsie Gaiser, Selena Vargas and Anastasia Lawler. Bright, Cain, Cameron and Smith all saw significant action during the 2019-20 season, giving the Terriers some experience off the bench this year.
 
"Our team has a well-rounded mix of returning players and youth (in our sophomores and freshmen)," Dellas said, "It'll be awesome to see that combination competing and playing gritty this season."
 
The Terriers welcome three incoming freshmen to the 2021-22 squad in a pair of forwards in Kassie Stanko and Lyndsey Stocks and guard Claire Frazier.
 
"This group of athletes is a fun group to coach when we get onto the court," Dellas said, "And we are chasing big goals, we cannot wait to be playing again!"
 
Hiram opens the season at home on Friday, Nov. 5 with a non-conference matchup against Waynesburg. The Terriers will play a 25-game slate in 2021-22 that features 11 home games, a pair of non-conference tournaments in the Renie Amoss Memorial Tip-off Classic in Baltimore, Md. and the Alfred Tip-off Classic in Alfred, N.Y. and eight home-and-home matchups against NCAC opponents.
 
Following their opener against the Yellow Jackets, Hiram will play six more non-conference games before their NCAC opener on Wednesday, Dec. 1 vs. Allegheny.
 
The Terriers were picked to finish sixth in the NCAC Women's Basketball Coaches' poll, receiving 25 votes. DePauw, the reigning 2019-20 NCAC champion, received six of eight first place votes to lead the 2021-22 poll.
 
And after wrapping up their non-conference schedule on New Year's Eve at home vs. John Carroll, the Terriers face 11-straight conference foes, finishing the regular season at Kenyon on Feb. 19.
 
Should the Terriers reach it, the NCAC Conference Tournament is scheduled for the week of Feb. 21.
 
Hiram opens the 2021-22 season at home on Friday, Nov. 5 against Waynesburg at 7 p.m. in Price Gymnasium. Be sure to keep up to date with Hiram Terriers women's basketball online at HiramTerriers.com and by following the Terriers on Facebook at Hiram College Athletics and on Twitter and Instagram at @Hiram_Athletics.