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Experience, new blood expected
to make Lady Pilots competitive

Click here for 2004-05 Lady Pilots Roster

With eight returning players and seven newcomers, the Lady Pilots expect to fare significantly better than their eight-win season last year. A junior, a sophomore and 11 freshmen improved dramatically throughout the season last year as they stunned No. 15-ranked Dillard University and the University of Mobile, which had beaten the Lady Pilots by 30 earlier in the season.

All-Conference selection Renalda Stafford returns for her sophomore season, along with Dyamond Hogg, Saige Cooper, Abby Sellers, Bethany Hicks and Kaki Neck, who had ACL surgery in April and should be ready for practice in November. Junior Marsha Spyhalski, and senior Kendera Monette, who was fifth in the conference in rebounding, round out the returning players from 2003-04. With a year of experience, they should be ready to take this young program to new heights.

The Lady Pilots will have more depth in their roster with the addition of transfers Trish Phillips, who holds the national junior college 3-point record with a dozen 3-pointers in one game, and Amanda Lacaze, a transfer from East Central Community College. The women should get some help in the post with the addition of 5’11” Abbeville freshman Kacie Cryer. Priscilla Pena and Shanie Cardinal, two freshman point guards from the Houston area, should push each other for the starting point guard position. Houma’s Amanda Castle, another freshman, will help with rebounding and athleticism at small forward. The roster rounds out with the addition of walk-on transfer Chrissi Chiri from Slidell.

Non-conference games with NCAA Division I schools Northwestern State University, Nicholls State University, and Southeastern Louisiana University, along with Division II’s Texas A&M-Commerce should provide the Lady Pilots with experience to battle conference foes.

“Night in and night out, our conference can compete with the best teams in the NAIA,” Lady Pilots Head Coach Ronnie Howell said. “Dillard and Xavier were in the national tournament last year with several more teams that very easily could have done the same.”

The Lady Pilots will play Wiley College, Paul Quinn College, Louisiana College, Millsaps College, Rhema College, and UT-Tyler to finish out their non-conference season.