A tumultuous 2021-22 season full of injuries and limited roster players left a sour taste in the 10 players returning for the 2022-23 season. A 5-24 record does not correctly reflect the growth and valuable on-court opportunities the squad had received as a result of the trials of last season.
Now, an experienced core has added a number of weapons via a dynamic incoming recruiting class. Click HERE to read all about the incoming class.
With a young and energetic backcourt, players like redshirt freshman guards Izzy Boring and Tori Younker, who both are coming off season ending injuries in 2021-22, mixed with transfer junior guards Maddie Godwin and Kirsten Koehnke look to improve the offense in 2022-23.
Among the returners are two-time First Team Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) All-Conference senior forward Holly Golenor, along with sophomore guard Gemma LaVergne, a double-digit average scorer. With an experienced group of front court players in senior forwards Kaci Paffhausen and Josie Beaton, the Warriors are ready to battle.
To view the team's 2022-23 roster, click HERE.
Corban kicks off their redemption season on the road with a cross-town battle against NCAA DIII Willamette University at 2 p.m. at the Cone Field House on the Bearcats' campus. Corban lost to Willamette University last year 47-56 on the Warriors' home court.
Fans can follow along with live stats for Sunday's 'Battle for Salem' by clicking HERE.
"We have had a very good preseason and it is time to test this team against other competition," Warriors' Head Coach Bill Pilgeram stated. "I love how hard this team is working and coming together. Our non-conference schedule will give us a great idea of where we are and prepare us for a very competitive CCC slate."
This weekend's matchup will kick off an eight-game non-conference slate for Corban, which will wrap up with an exhibition game against Western Oregon University on December 9th at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.
Conference play will officially begin on November 22nd, when the Warriors head down the I-5 corridor to Bushnell University in a must-watch early season duel. Corban will then have a six-game homestand, spending nearly all of December playing on Tim Hills Court, before wrapping up 2022 on the road against Northwest University and The Evergreen State College on New Year's Eve.
In total, the Navy and Gold will have 22 conference games this winter; the winner of the conference regular season will earn the grouping's first automatic berth to the NAIA Tournament.
The second CCC bid will go to the winner of the conference tournament (or tournament runner-up, if the regular-season champion also wins the tournament), which is slated to take place on February 22-28.
Click HERE to see the squad's complete schedule for the upcoming season.
Golenor, the two-time CCC First Team All-Conference forward, looks to build upon her already impressive career donning the Navy and Gold. Last season, Golenor was a double-double machine, nabbing 11 on the year and finished the season with a per game average of 15.9 points and 10.0 rebounds.
Meanwhile, LaVergne continued to show she is a capable scorer when provided with opportunities. Following a strong rookie year in a condensed COVID season in 2020-21, LaVergne averaged 14.3 ppg while shooting 33% from beyond three-point line in 2021-22.
Younker and Boring have their own sights set on a redemption season following a freshman year cut short by injury. While Younker missed all of 2021-22 and Boring played in only four games, they both gained valuable experience from the bench and look to take those lessons with them to the hardwood in 2022-23. Expect these two to mesh well with the veterans of Godwin, Koehnke, Paffhausen, and Beaton.
Participating in the hyper-competitive CCC calls for no easy contests, and combined with talented additions and a motivated core, the Warriors feel capable of exceeding preseason expectations in the conference where they were selected to finish eighth in the CCC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
The squad's goal is to make a return trip once again to the NAIA National Tournament, something they last accomplished in the 2018-19 season. The NAIA Championships will take place in Sioux City, Iowa from March 13th to 18th.
Original source can be found here.
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