ADRIAN, Mich. – The Siena Heights women's basketball team begins the 2021-22 regular season at home this Monday, November 1, against Grace Christian. The Saints will look to remain amongst the top three teams in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC).
SHU was chosen third in the WHAC Preseason Coaches Poll that was released earlier in October.
LAST SEASON
Last year, Siena Heights finished 13-6 with a 9-4 mark in league play to earn the number three seed in the conference tournament. The Saints advanced to the semifinals with a 59-38 win over Aquinas but were eliminated by second-seeded Indiana Tech in the semifinal round.
2021-22 SEASON
A complete, 30-game regular-season schedule awaits Siena Heights this campaign, starting with Grace Christian at home on Monday. The Saints have six home games in November, two in December, four in January, and three in February for a total of 15. All home games will be streamed on the SHU Saints YouTube page. Links for video feed, live stats, and tickets for these contests can be found on the team's schedule page.
Conference play begins early with a road trip to face Madonna in just the fourth game on Wednesday, November 10.
THE TEAM
The Saints return three regular starters from a year ago in NAIA All-American Peyton Banks, WHAC All-Freshman E'Anna Won, and Sha'kyia Parker. Allye Minor also returns after a 2020 season where she averaged 10.9 PPG before her year was cut short due to injury. In addition, guard Anaya Powell returns to the court for the Saints to give Siena Heights a strong core of experienced leadership to lean on for the 2021-22 campaign.
THE COACHING STAFF
Sue Syljebeck returns for her 18th season as the head coach of the team. Syljebeck is the program's all-time leader in wins with 311. She is 25th in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in wins among women's basketball active head coaches. In addition, long-time assistant coaches Debrah Ray and Sara Chrenko return to the bench this season for the Saints. They will be joined by Niesha Lowe, Mo Rammuny, and second-year graduate assistant Kiana Votava. Dan Brooks also enters his second season as a volunteer assistant coach.
