ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The Northwestern College women’s basketball team tips off a new era for the program this season this upcoming Friday, October 29 as they play host to Tabor College (Kan.) under the direction of first-year head coach Kristin Rotert. Rotert will take the reins of the program from Chris Yaw after ten seasons at the helm.
“We are excited to be returning a core group of players from last year’s team,” said head coach Kristin Rotert. “Led by our senior class in Taylor VanderVelde, Jada Cunningham, and Devyn Kemble.”
2021-22 Season Outlook
Last week the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) office announced the preseason coaches’ poll which picked the Raiders to finish fourth in the league this upcoming season. The 2021-22 NAIA Preseason Coaches’ Poll is set to drop on Wednesday, October 27.
“There’s a lot of excitement and anticipation surrounding the start of the season,” said Rotert. “Our team has been preparing for a long time and is ready to start the season.”
Northwestern returns multiple All-Conference performers from last season in first team selection Molly Schany (So., Emmetsburg, Iowa/Emmetsburg) and honorable mention honorees Taylor VanderVelde (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington) and Devyn Kemble (Sr., Panora, Iowa/Panorama). Schany averaged a team’s second-best 12.6 points per game along with 6.3 rebounds per game in her freshman campaign. She also finished the season leading the GPAC in field goal percentage at 58%. VanderVelde was a nightly stat filler for the Raiders a season ago, finishing second on the team in rebounds (169) and steals (38), and leading the team in assists with 89. Kemble averaged 9.7 points per game for the Raiders, and was a definite threat from behind the arc finishing fifth in the GPAC in 3-point field goals made and 3-point percentage. She was the GPAC’s Emil S. Liston award winner in addition to her on-court accomplishments.
“We are excited to watch the development of many young players in our program throughout the season. Returners Maddie Jones, Emilee Danner, Hannah Nerem, Zoe Heemstra, and Kylie Morrison will all step into bigger roles this season. While a trio of freshmen in Maren Nerem, Lexie Van Kekerix, and Hali Anderson will all compete for playing time.”
Returning point guards Jada Cunningham (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington) and Maddie Jones (Jr., Twin Lakes, Iowa/South Central Calhoun) finished second and third respectively in the GPAC in assist to turnover ratio and will look to guide the Raiders offense this upcoming season. Emilee Danner (Jr., Westside, Iowa/Ar-We-Va) averaged 8.2 points a game and led the team in blocks (32) a season ago. Hannah Nerem (Jr., Edgerton, Minn./Southwest Minnesota Christian) is another returner with a lot of game experience and will look to make her mark along with Schany on the interior.
Key Dates
October 29: vs Tabor College (Kan.) – season & home opener
November 12-13: Northwestern/Pizza Ranch Classic
December 8: at Dordt (6:00 PM)
December 11: vs Morningside (2:00 PM)
January 22: vs Concordia (2:00 PM)
January 26: at Morningside (6:00 PM)
February 16: vs Dordt (6:00 PM)
February 23: GPAC Quarterfinals
February 26: GPAC Semifinals
March 1: GPAC Tournament Championship
“As with any successful team, leadership and connectedness play a major role in the outcome of your season,” stated Rotert. “This group possesses both those qualities and is committed to supporting each other on and off the court. We are excited to begin the journey of this season. It will no doubt be filled with its share of challenges but we are ready to embrace whatever comes our way and compete at a high level every night.”
2020-21 Season-in-Review
The Raider women will look to build off of a third-place GPAC finish during the 2020-21 season. After a rough 0-6 start to the season the Raiders won five in a row before the Thanksgiving break. After losing two tough games to Morningside and Concordia (Neb.), they were able to rattle off 11 straight victories entering the conference tournament as the hottest team in the league. A semifinal appearance in the GPAC tournament after a 16-6 conference record earned the Raiders an at-large berth to the NAIA National Tournament.
The GPAC saw three teams earn berths to the NAIA National Tournament in a condensed field last season. The Morningside Mustangs (29-3, 21-1 GPAC) advanced the furthest earning a Semifinal appearance defeating Concordia (Neb.) (22-9, 15-5 GPAC) in the Quarterfinals. The Raiders won their first-round matchup with College of the Ozarks (Mo.) before falling to Clarke University (Iowa) in the second round.
The Raiders will be without two starters this upcoming season, including 2020 NAIA Honorable Mention All-American Sammy Blum (Rock Valley, Iowa/Rock Valley). Blum earned first team All-Conference honors her senior year while averaging 13.5 points per game, and shooting 43% from three-point land. Alexis Toering (Sioux Center, Iowa/Sioux Center) started all 29 games for the Raiders. She averaged the team’s third-best in rebounds per game with 4.5 and was second on the team in total blocks (15). She also contributed 5.8 points per game.
GPAC Outlook
The GPAC is yet again one of the stronger conferences in the women’s basketball landscape. “Our focus is on improving each and every day while preparing to compete at a high level in both our non-conference and conference season,” said Rotert.
GPAC play is set to begin on Wednesday, November 13, when the Raiders travel to Omaha, Neb. to take on the College of Saint Mary Flames with a 6:00 p.m. tip-off. The GPAC home-opener is on Saturday, November 20, when the Doane University Tigers come to take on the Raiders in the newly renovated Bultman Center at 2:00 p.m.
