UIndy Greyhounds at Wright State
Wednesday, Nov. 1, 7 p.m. ET, Dayton, OH

ON TAP
The Greyhounds kick off the 2017-18 season with an exhibition game at Division I Wright State Wednesday night. UIndy last faced the Raiders exactly five years ago, falling 66-57 in exhibition play on Nov. 1, 2012.

A NEW ERA
Head Coach Kristin (Drabyn) Wodrich completed a successful rookie campaign in 2016-17. After the program endured back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1999, UIndy hired the first-time head coach in March of 2016, and she promptly went to work on improving the program. The result was a 17-win season – seven more than the previous year – that was capped by an appearance in the GLVC Tournament semifinals.

Wodrich, who got married over the summer, returns seven players that started at least five games last season, including leading-scorer Martha Burse – one of five seniors on the roster.

LEAGUE LAURELS
Burse led the Greyhounds with 16.4 points, 3.4 assists and 1.8 steals per contest last season, while also chipping in 4.7 rebounds per game. The Kankakee, Ill., native and IUPUI transfer was rewarded with All-GLVC First Team accolades.

Forwards Sydney Brackemyre and Nicole Anderson were both named to the All-GLVC Second Team. Brackemyre, who played just 19 games due to injury, posted 15.3 points per game and a .477 FG percentage, both ranking second on the team. Anderson, meanwhile, led the squad in rebounding (7.9 rpg) and ranked third in scoring (12.9 ppg).

ROSTER MATTERS
Though Brackemyre and Anderson have moved on, Burse won't be to only veteran returner to the year's roster. Senior guards Sarah Costello (10.9 ppg last season) and Devin Ferguson (4.5 ppg) bring a wealth of experience to the UIndy backcourt, as the duo has combined to start 135 games in a Greyhound uniform. Other seniors include forward Ashley Montanez (2.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and guard Tina Negoescu (1.4 ppg, 1.4 rpg), while  junior Jordan Cole (4.0 ppg, eight starts) and sophomores Taylor Foster (1.6 ppg, five starts), Claire Carlton (2.4 ppg) and  Tristan Philpot (1.8 ppg) are also back in the fold.

Junior-transfer Alexa Bailey comes to UIndy from crosstown Butler where she started a total of 41 games and averaged 2.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per over two seasons. Another DI-transfer, Erin Wood, hopes to make her Greyhound debut this season. The 6-2 forward came to UIndy from St. Bonaventure last year but missed the entire 2016-17 season due to injury.

Other newcomers include a trio of freshman guards in 5-11 Taylor Drury, 5-9 Skyla Baird and 5-9 Shira Sasson, as well as first-year sophomore Rosemary Skripsky (5-8 guard).

POSTSEASON PUSH
Despite earning the No. 9 seed in the GLVC Tournament, the Greyhounds advanced all the way to the conference semifinals with a pair of decisive wins over higher-seeded squads. First, the Hounds went on the road and handed William Jewell a 66-48 defeat, only to deliver an identical 66-48 win versus 21st-ranked and second-seeded Southern Indiana in the neutral-site quarterfinals. The Greyhounds shot a combined 56 percent from the field in the two wins, while Burse averaged 23 points.

The season finally came to an end in the comference semis versus No. 3-seed Lewis in a 69-50 final.

DEFENSE, DEFENSE
One key to the Hounds' turnaround last season was their defensive effort. UIndy ranked second in the GLVC in field goal percentage defense (.374) and third in scoring defense (30.1 ppg).

MONEY IN THE BANK
The Greyhounds kept one of the longest streaks in the country going through the entire 2016-17 campaign. UIndy knocked down at least one triple in every contest last year, upping its active streak to 315 consecutive games with at least one made 3-pointer. The run started more than a decade ago, way back on Jan. 13, 2007.

SCORING BURS(T)E
Martha Burse poured in 31 points at Truman State University last February, good for one of two 30-point outbursts for the Greyhounds last season (Anderson, 30 pts vs Rockhurst). The point guard finished 13-for-26 from the field while hitting three triples and adding five rebounds.