COMPLETE GAME NOTES | TICKETS

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — The Slippery Rock women's basketball team will open its regular season 12 p.m. Saturday by hosting Ursuline College before taking on its second Division I opponent in an exhibition 7 p.m. Monday at Wright State University.
 
The Rock, who have previously contested just one exhibition at Youngstown State University, enter with a blank slate against the 3-0 Ursuline Arrows.

EXHIBITION GAME 2
Opponent: Wright State
Date: Monday - 7 p.m.
Location: Dayton, Ohio
Venue: Nutter Center
Live Video ($$): ESPN+
Live Stats: Wright State Athletic Communication
 
THE ROCK BY THE NUMBERS
2022-23 Overall Record: 15-13
2022-23 PSAC Record: 10-12
2022-23 PSAC West Standings: 7^th of 9
2022-23 Home Record: 7-6
2022-23 Away Record: 7-6
Last Five Games: 3-2
Streak: L2
Head Coach: Ryenn Micaletti | First season at SRU (0-0)

LAST TIME OUT
Slippery Rock fell in its preseason exhibition contest Nov. 11 at Youngstown State, 78-32. Kaylin Venick led The Rock with nine points while newcomer Endya Robinson impressed with seven points, three rebounds, one block and one steal. The Penguins shot an impressive 57.8 percent from the hardwood, led by Emily Saunders' contribution of 22 points and nine rebounds. 
 
KICKING THINGS OFF
Slippery Rock is 29-21 all-time in season-openers, winning five of the last eight. The Rock has not opened up their season at Morrow Field House since 2015, defeating Virginia State University, 68-59. When beginning the year at home, Slippery Rock is 3-0 in its last trio of occurrences, not having lost a season-opener at home since 2010.
 
A NEW ERA OF ROCK BASKETBALL
The 2023-24 season marks a new era of Slippery Rock University women's basketball as head coach Ryenn Micaletti enters her first season in charge of the program. Micaletti was officially hired as the 17th head coach in program history on May 12, 2023.
 
Micaletti, a former SRU assistant coach from 2013-16, embarks on her first head coaching assignment boasting 12 years of collegiate experience - including seven years at the Division I level with the U.S. Navy Academy, Longwood University and St. Louis University.
 
A proven winner, teams with Micaletti on their coaching staffs has compiled an overall record of 209-156 with 11 postseason appearances and four conference titles.
 
Most recently, Micaletti served as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at St. Louis University where she helped to quickly turn the program around as the Billikens won their first Atlantic 10 Tournament title and earned their first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
 
Micaletti is also uniquely familiar with Division II basketball and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference in particular, having spent time both as a player and as a coach in the PSAC Western Division. In addition to being an alumna, and student-athlete, at Seton Hill University, Micaletti was also formerly an assistant at both The Rock and Indiana University (Pa.).

ROCK PICKED EIGHTH IN PSAC WEST
Slippery Rock was picked to finish eighth in the PSAC West this season, the league office announced recently with the unveiling of its annual preseason coaches' poll.
 
Reigning PSAC Tournament champions California (Pa.) topped the PSAC West in the poll, receiving five first-place votes. In second, Gannon University received two first-place votes while Indiana University (Pa.) received one first-place vote in third place. Edinboro slotted into fourth in front of Pitt-Johnstown, the final team in the PSAC West to receive a first-place vote.

VENICK NAMED CAPTAIN FOR 2023-24
Junior guard Kaylin Venick will serve as The Rock's lone captain for the 2023-24 season, head coach Micaletti recently announced. One of the most experienced returners on the team, Venick is a veteran of 53 career games played in a Rock uniform.
 
A season ago, Venick started 22 of 27 games played and averaged 2.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and just under an one assist and one steal per game over 20.6 minutes a contest.

A FULL SEASON OF DONZA
After being limited to just seven games in her first full season with The Rock a year ago, junior guard Kristina Donza is now fully healthy. A transfer from the United States Naval Academy where she started 20 of 41 games between 2020 and 2022,
 
Donza averaged 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game while converting six of her 10 3-point attempts over her final two appearances for The Rock last year against Shepherd and Shippensburg.
 
VETERANS IN THE FRONT COURT
Three of The Rock's returners from a year ago come up front in the form of forwards Kelley McKnight, Hallie Raabe and Alyssa Gillin.
 
• No Rock player has played more collegiate games for SRU than McKnight. Over the beginning of her collegiate career the junior has taken the court in 54 games. McKnight set career-highs in virtually every statistical category a season ago including scoring (3.4 ppg), rebounds (3.4 rpg), blocks (3), minutes (15.1 mpg), field goal percentage (.356) and free throw percentage (.833).
 
• Raabe returns after redshirting a year ago. As a freshman in 2021-22 she appeared in 11 games with one start.
 
• Gillin enjoyed a solid rookie year for The Rock in which she played in 21 games, scored 3.1 points per game while pulling in 2.1 rebounds a night and ranking second on the team in total blocks (10).
 
ROUNDING OUT THE RETURNERS
Rounding out the returners is the guard trio of junior Emily Venick, sophomore Tori Johnson and sophomore Deryn Moye.
 
• Along with McKnight and her sister Kaylin, Venick is one of the few members of the roster that have logged extensive minutes on the Division II level as the Rices Landing, Pennsylvania native has played in 47 games for SRU, 26 of which came a year ago and included 13 starts.
 
• Johnson will look to earn an extended role as a sophomore following a freshman year in which she played in five games.
 
• Moye was with the program a year ago, but not rostered.
 
NOT AFRAID OF A CHALLENGE
Monday's game will serve as the second of two exhibitions for The Rock this year against Division I opponents. In addition to the Wright State contest, Slippery Rock also traveled to Youngstown State University for an exhibition on Nov. 11.
 
This year's schedule is nothing new for Slippery Rock as SRU has routinely played Division I schools when afforded the opportunity. Over the last 10 seasons, Slippery Rock has played games against Ohio State (2021-22), Akron (2021-22), Cincinnati (2017-18), Pittsburgh (2016-17), North Carolina A&T (2016-17) and Indiana (2015-16).
 
An upset by The Rock against Wright State would mark the program's first against a Division I opponent – exhibition or regular season.
 
FRESHMEN ORIENTATION
As part of her first recruiting class at Slippery Rock, head coach Micaletti brought in four true freshmen who will be making their collegiate debuts this season in guard Regan Atkins, guard Sophia Hook, forward Hannah Artley and guard Anye Washington.
 
• Artley, whose father Rick played quarterback for The Rock in two games against Youngstown State in 1995 and 1996, comes to SRU from River Valley High School where the Blairsville, Pennsylvania native was a two-time All-Heritage Conference honoree.
 
• Atkins, a local product from Laurel High School, enjoyed a stellar prep career that saw her score over 1,000 points to break the Laurel school record while being chosen as a four-time All-WPIAL honoree.
 
• Hook was a 1,500-point scorer in high school at Brookfield where she was named the 2022-23 Trumbull County Player of the Year all the while earning multiple All-Ohio accolades and being tabbed a two-time Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Athlete of the Year.
 
• Washington graduated MaST Community Charter in Philadelphia as the school's all-time leader in steals and having scored 1,200 points to earn Bicentennial League MVP honors twice while being a four-time first team all-division selection.
 
A FULL COMPLIMENT OF HELP
One thing head coach Micaletti won't be this season is lonely as the first-year head coach has assembled an extensive staff to help in guiding the program in 2023-24. Joining Micaletti on the sidelines this year is lead assistant Christian Harbaugh, volunteer assistant Courtney Haines and graduate assistant Gibson.
 
• Harbaugh moves back over to the women's game after being the top assistant on the Butler County Community College men's team that went 20-4 and finished 2022-23 ranked seventh in NJCAA.
 
• A former All-American at Penn State Fayette, Haines comes to SRU following two years as an assistant coach at West Virginia Wesleyan.
 
• Gibson embarks on her first season as a collegiate coach following a great playing career that included stops at both Youngstown State and The Rock. After appearing in 55 games over two years for the Penguins, Gibson transferred to Slippery Rock for the remainder of her career where she starred as a two-year starter and All-PSAC West athlete.
 
INTERNATIONAL FLAIR
A native of Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, junior guard Duda Raimundo is just the sixth international athlete to play for The Rock in program history. Alex Beatty of Canada was the last international student to play for The Rock in 2009-11. Prior to that, Slippery Rock's roster featured student-athletes from Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland and Serbia, at different times from 2000-06.
 
THE ARROWS BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 3-0
Home Record: 0-0
Away Record: 2-0
Last Five Games: 3-2
Streak: W3
Head Coach: Shannon Sword | 12^th season at Ursuline (145-162, .472)

SERIES HISTORY vs. WRIGHT STATE
Slippery Rock and Wright State have met in the regular season just one time, coming in a 75-68 loss in 1985 on the road.
 
THE RAIDERS BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 1-2
Home Record: 1-0
Away Record: 0-2
Last Five Games: 2-3
Streak: W1
Head Coach: Kari Hoffman | Third season at Wright State (13-45, .224)
 
WRIGHT STATE SCOUTING REPORT
The Raiders have seen a variety of opponents this season, most recently picking up their first win over NAIA Mount Vernon Nazarene University and previously falling to fellow Division I foes in the University of Southern Indiana and Michigan State University.
 
As a team, the Raiders have put up 68.7 points per game, a statistic aided in large part after their 88-64 win over Mount Vernon Nazarene.
 
Graduate student Alexis Hutchison has led the Raiders with 13.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, while junior Kacee Baumhower has aided with 12.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per outing.
 
6'2" Layne Ferrell, a redshirt senior who plays at guard, has posted nine points per game while tallying a team-high six steals.
 
Slippery Rock will be the second Division II opponent that Wright State has seen this year. The Raiders opened their preseason with an 80-43 exhibition win over Tiffin University.
 
Last season, Wright State went 8-24 overall and 6-14 in conference, falling in the second round of the Horizon League Tournament to eventual runners-up University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

LOOKING AHEAD
Slippery Rock will enjoy a week of preparation after its final exhibition game of the season, looking next to a 5:30 p.m. tipoff Nov. 28 at Malone University. The Rock defeated the Pioneers at home last year, 60-58.



To stay up to date with all that happens at The Rock, follow our official athletic communication accounts on 'X' (formerly Twitter, @Rock_Athletics), Facebook (RockAthletics) and Instagram (RockAthletics).