October 19, 2017-For the first time in four years the Emporia State Lady Hornets will not start the season as the favorites to capture the MIAA Regular Season Championship. The Lady Hornets were slated for third according to the 2017-18 Preseason MIAA Coaches Poll. The Lady Hornets have finished in the top three of the MIAA or advanced to the MIAA Tournament Championship in each of the last 15 years and 19 of the past 20 seasons.
Emporia State returns three senior starters along with five other players that saw action in at least 14 games last season.
All-MIAA selection Addie Lackey will go into her senior year ranked 25th in career scoring with 1,114 points and eighth with 156 career three-pointers at Emporia State. The MIAA Freshman of the Year in 2014-15, Lackey averaged 12.9 points per game last season.
Fellow senior Kyrstie Miller is tenth in Lady Hornet history with 95 career blocks. She was fifth in the MIAA a year ago in blocked shots, sixth in steals and ninth in offensive rebounding while averaging 9.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.
Jacee Kramer rounds out the returning seniors. She is the MIAA Tournament record holder for consecutive free throws made and has a streak of 22 straight makes from the line dating back to last season.
The three seniors are joined by returners Tiana Moala, Tatum Graves, Brittany Kramer, Jessica Wayne and Morgan Laudan. Necomers Tyra Jones, Emily Miller, Daley Handy, Madison Ralston and Kali Martin round out the roster.
Moala started ten games last year with an average of 3.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game. She scored a career high 22 points against Tabor and had 15 rebounds against Southwestern Oklahoma State.
As freshmen Wayne was the Lady Hornets leading scorer off the bench at 4.9 points per game and was third on the team with 37 steals, while Laudan contributed 4.0 points and 3.2 boards last season.
Graves will join the team at the conclusion of the Hornet volleyball season. She had 14 blocks in 18 games as a sophomore last year. Brittany Kramer averaged 0.5 made three pointers in limited action last season.
The newcomers are led by Labette CC transfer Tyra Jones. She averaged 17.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game to go along with 2.1 assists as she earned First-Team NJCAA Division II All-American honors.
Emily Miller averaged 5.5 points on .607 shooting from the field with 2.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game in 18 contests with Drury last season.
Handy played in ten games for Wyoming last year after sitting out her freshman season with a knee injury. She was a three-time All-League selection, while being named First Team All-State and Honorable Mention All-State during her career at Maize HS.
Martin earned second-team All-State honors after averaging 14.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals per game for Circle HS. Ralston was a three-star recruit according to ESPN and was the District 9-4A Offensive Player of the Year for Argyle (Texas) HS.
The Lady Hornets were 29-5 last season and won their fifth straight MIAA Tournament Championship while advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the sixth straight year.
2017-18 MIAA Preseason Women's Basketball Coaches Poll
1. Central Missouri (7) 158 points
2. Pittsburg State (4) 157 points
3. Emporia State (2) 150 points
4. Central Oklahoma (1) 138 points
5. Fort Hays State 110 points
6. Missouri Western 106 points
7. Lindenwood 96 points
8. Washburn 88 points
9. Southwest Baptist 78 points
10. Nebraska Kearney 62 points
11. Missouri Southern 49 points
12. Northwest Missouri 43 points
13. Northeastern State 21 points
14. Lincoln 18 points
