POUGHKEEPSIE, New York - The Marist women's basketball team is heading into the 2021-22 season as defending champions of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season title and conference tournament. The Red Foxes won their conference-record 11^th MAAC championship and are headed into their 20^th season under the leadership of head coach Brian Giorgis.

Marist opens the 2021-22 season on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Drexel.
 

Game Information

• Geoff Brault will have the call on the Red Fox Network (free audio) and Varsity Network app starting at 4:45.
• Follow at @MaristWBB for Twitter updates.
• Video will be available through FloHoops for a subscription fee.

 

Preview

As a team, the Red Foxes were selected to finish fourth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, the same spot they were chosen to finish last year before winning the regular season title and conference tournament title.

The Red Foxes are returning eight players from last year's championship team, and had a pair of Preseason Second Team All-MAAC honorees in Sarah Barcello and Trinasia Kennedy. Last year for Marist, Barcello was the Red Foxes' leading scorer, and Kennedy ranked sixth in the MAAC in three-point percentage (.376). Marist is also returning senior guard Kendall Krick (4.7 ppg in 2020-21), sophomore forward Zaria DeMember-Shazer (5.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg), both of whom were key members of last season's rotation. Krick stepped in to start five games last season, and DeMember-Shazer started three. The Red Foxes' returners are bolstered by junior forward Samantha Bailey, junior guard Julianna Bonilla, sophomore guard Anabel Ellison, sophomore forward Erin Fox, and sophomore guard Emma Wax.

Coach Giorgis looked to the transfer portal to boost the Red Foxes' guard play this season, bringing in Syracuse guard Kiara Fisher. In her freshman season with the Orange, Fisher appeared in 10 games, knocking down 7-of-11 threes, including three triples and a career-high 11 points against North Carolina. Fisher will contend for a significant role immediately.

Giorgis will also be looking for three freshmen to contribute on the court this season to defend the Red Foxes' MAAC title. Guards Siobhan Boylan and Catie Cunningham will be joining Marist, as well as 6'3" forward McKenna Rife. In high school, Boylan was named to the All-Delaware County Second Team her junior year before having her senior season canceled due to the pandemic. Cunningham was a standout scorer at West Genesee High School, averaging 25.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Rife was named to the 2020-21 WCAA Girls Private School First Team after averaging 10.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game as a senior.
 

Staff

Giorgis was named the MAAC Coach of the Year for the eighth time in 2021, while also adding his 13^th regular season MAAC championship, and 11^th MAAC Tournament title. His entire staff remains intact for the third straight year, with associate head coach Erin Doughty (17^th season), assistant coach Brittany Parker (third season), assistant coach Maggie Gallagher (sixth season), and director of women's basketball operations Elyse Schlump (fourth season).
 

Schedule

Marist non-conference schedule consists of nine games, with four at home and five on the road.
 
The Red Foxes will play opponents from six different conferences: Colonial (Drexel, road, Nov. 9), Patriot (American, home, Nov. 12; Lafayette, road, Dec. 1), America East (Vermont, home, Nov. 14; Stony Brook, road, Dec. 7), Pac-12 (Arizona, road, Nov. 19; Arizona State, road, Nov. 21), Mid-American (Central Michigan, home, Nov. 28), and Ivy (Columbia, home, Dec. 5).
 
Arizona, which reached last year's national championship game, is ranked 15^th in the Preseason Coaches' Poll and 22^nd in the Preseason Associated Press Poll.
 
Three Marist foes are ranked in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25: Drexel (13^th), Central Michigan (14^th), and Stony Brook (18^th). Marist is receiving votes (69 total points) in the poll, as are opponents Lafayette (six points) and Columbia (one point).
 
Marist will play 20 games against MAAC foes, as the Red Foxes will return to playing each school at home and on the road. The MAAC schedule starts on Saturday, Dec. 18 at Fairfield.
 
This year's MAAC Championships will once again be held in Atlantic City, New Jersey from March 8-12.