Women’s Basketball Opens Practice For 2017-18 Campaign

Head coach JD Gravina enters his seventh season at the helm of the program.

ROSTER | SCHEDULE | TICKETS | RECORD BOOK | @WIUWBB

MACOMB, Ill. — The Western Illinois women's basketball program officially opened practice Monday (Oct. 2), and looks to defend its Summit League Regular Season and Tournament crown under seventh-year head coach JD Gravina.

ROSTER BREAKDOWN:
The defending champions return eight total players and four starters from last season's roster, which includes four all-league players in Emily Clemens, Morgan Blumer, Taylor Higginbotham and Olivia Braun, and welcome back seniors Michelle Farrow and Taylor Hanneman.

The sophomore class includes Olivia Kaufmann and Sam Pryor, who both provided depth for the Leathernecks last season. The newcomers consist of freshmen Grace Gilmore and Danni Nichols, along with transfer Annabel Graettinger and senior Krishna Merriman.

Gilmore joins the Purple and Gold from Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wis., while Nichols hails from Columbia, Mo. from David H. Hickman High School. Graettinger, a former high school teammate with Clemens, comes to the Leathernecks from South Dakota State as a redshirt and Merriman previously played four years of collegiate volleyball at Western.

2017-18 SCHEDULE NOTES:
The Leathernecks have six weeks of preparation before their season-opener inside Western Hall against Kansas City (Nov. 11). Following the first game of the season, the Leathernecks have three more at home before entering the bulk of the non-league season, which consists of marquee matchups against Illinois (Nov. 21), Stanford (Dec. 18) and Gonzaga (Dec. 21). The Summit League campaign officially opens Dec. 30 at Fort Wayne, followed by the league home matchup against South Dakota (Jan. 4).

To view the full schedule, click HERE.

HEAD COACH JD GRAVINA:
On the opening week of practice...
"This opening week of practice really helps with the younger kids, especially when it comes to getting them up to speed," said Gravina. "I think it helped set the tone for the year, because we were able to get far ahead of where we've been in previous years because we have so many veterans. That also brings a new challenge of keeping things intense and working towards getting better every single day. We're not having to start from scratch and the older kids are doing a good job of setting that example. Every single day we are competing against the other teams in our conference, and not just ourselves."

On the veterans returning...
"It's helped a ton, especially those veterans who have set an example for it means to be part of our team, with the culture and work ethic we want to set. We have that leadership and kids have really embraced their role, not just as a basketball player but as a teammate. I think having all of those veterans help keep our intensity high and our enthusiasm is probably higher than it's been, and I credit that to having so many returners.

On key areas…
"We are really focusing on being scrappy, because we need to make a habit of chasing long rebounds, being able to fight for a rebound and not have it taken away from you. Also going and focusing on catching a ball when you cut as opposed to letting the defense tip it away, and vise versa. Those little things are what's going to make the difference in a lot of games. We played a lot of close games last year and won 26 of those games. It wasn't that we were a physically and athletically overpowering team. We did the little things right, so we want to even get better at that."

TICKET INFORMATION:
Single-game tickets will be on sale beginning Monday, Oct. 20. Leatherneck Club members will have the opportunity to purchase single game tickets on Oct. 13, 2017. Click here to learn more about the Leatherneck Club. For more ticketing information, fans can also visit LeatherneckTickets.com.

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Players Mentioned

#12 Morgan Blumer: G; 5' 11"; Senior; Milton / Florida Gulf Coast

#3 Olivia Braun: F; 6' 1"; Senior; St. Catherine's / Toledo

#2 Emily Clemens: G; 5' 4"; Senior; Muscatine

#22 Michelle Farrow: G; 5' 10"; Senior; Waukesha West

#14 Taylor Hanneman: G; 5' 10"; Senior; Illini Bluffs / Mercer

#24 Taylor Higginbotham: G; 5' 10"; Junior; Germantown

#13 Olivia Kaufmann: G; 5' 8"; Sophomore; Jacksonville

#34 Samantha Pryor: G; 6' 0"; Sophomore; Burlington Central

#21 Grace Gilmore: G; 5' 10"; Freshman; Arrowhead

#1 Annabel Graettinger: G; 5' 10"; Junior; Muscatine / South Dakota State

#4 Danni Nichols: G; 5' 10"; Freshman; David H. Hickman

#23 Krishna Merriman: F; 6' 1"; Senior; Pierce City / Missouri Southern State

Players Mentioned

#12 Morgan Blumer
: 5' 11"; Senior; Milton / Florida Gulf Coast
: G

#3 Olivia Braun
: 6' 1"; Senior; St. Catherine's / Toledo
: F

#2 Emily Clemens
: 5' 4"; Senior; Muscatine
: G

#22 Michelle Farrow
: 5' 10"; Senior; Waukesha West
: G

#14 Taylor Hanneman
: 5' 10"; Senior; Illini Bluffs / Mercer
: G

#24 Taylor Higginbotham
: 5' 10"; Junior; Germantown
: G

#13 Olivia Kaufmann
: 5' 8"; Sophomore; Jacksonville
: G

#34 Samantha Pryor
: 6' 0"; Sophomore; Burlington Central
: G

#21 Grace Gilmore
: 5' 10"; Freshman; Arrowhead
: G

#1 Annabel Graettinger
: 5' 10"; Junior; Muscatine / South Dakota State
: G

#4 Danni Nichols
: 5' 10"; Freshman; David H. Hickman
: G

#23 Krishna Merriman
: 6' 1"; Senior; Pierce City / Missouri Southern State
: F