Seton Hill women's basketball gets early start on 2021-22 season

When the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference coaches cast their ballots this year for the league’s preseason women’s basketball poll, Seton Hill’s Mark Katarski again was among those with a vote.

Not swayed by the predictions that landed Seton Hill fifth among nine teams in the PSAC West Division, Katarski instead preferred to let the scenario play out.

“It’s a unique season after not having one a year ago,” he said. “I respect everyone’s opinion and the effort they’ve put into it. Polls are challenging, let alone with this one.

“I think we’ve been consistent in our conference all along, and that’s something we can be proud of. Our league looks to be very deep this year.”

Gannon, the PSAC West favorite, was ranked No. 9 in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association NCAA Division II preseason poll. IUP, which was predicted to finish second in the division, appeared just below the top 25 teams nationally, having received the third-highest total among the remaining ones to receive votes.

Both attracted four first-place votes in the league’s preseason balloting.

Incidentally, WBCA guidelines require teams to receive at least two ballots to be recognized as vote-getters in the national poll. A total of 16 teams were mentioned each on only one ballot, but the league did not reveal their identities.

Cal (Pa.) was predicted to finish third in the PSAC West, and Mercyhurst, which received one first-place vote, was fourth, ahead of Seton Hill, Edinboro, Pitt-Johnstown, Slippery Rock and Clarion.

In the PSAC East, Shippensburg, with five first-place votes, and Shepherd, with four, finished 1-2 in voting.

Seton Hill’s Katarski hopes his team’s unusually early start with last week’s trip to the D2CCA Tipoff Classic at the Trailhead in Billings, Mont., will serve as a springboard to another successful year for the Griffins, who have won at least 12 games in each of the previous seven seasons in which the team has competed.

Seton Hill (3-2) opened its ninth official year under Katarski — last year’s schedule was wiped out by the covid-19 pandemic — against No. 11 Tampa in an opening-round loss at the tournament at Montana-Billings, that, nonetheless, at times offered him some encouragement.

Tampa’s roster included nine transfers from Division I. The Spartans pulled away to a 75-48 victory over the Griffins, who followed up tournament play with a 71-67 loss to Simon Fraser and a 74-59 victory over the University of Mary.

“We played high-level competition and got to do it sooner than most in Division II,” Katarski said. “It gives us a good barometer.”

Katie Nolan, a 6-foot-1 grad student from Yorkville, Ill., led Seton Hill in scoring (18.0 ppg.) and rebounding (6.7 rpg.) at the tournament and shot 58% with five blocks.

A total of 12 players on the Griffins roster are products of WPIAL and City League schools, including one from Westmoreland County, 5-6 freshman guard Maria Brush (Franklin Regional).

Seton Hill defeated Livingstone, 84-40, and Virginia State, 63-46, at the PSAC/CIAA Challenge last weekend at IUP and will host the Tri-State Thanksgiving Classic at McKenna Center on Nov. 20-21, where the Griffins will match up against Tiffin and Salem.

“Playing these types of games early against unique teams — some unfamiliar teams and styles — can give us a sense of who we really are and in some instances maybe who we can become,” Katarski said.

Seton Hill has won at least 12 games each season since Katarski’s arrival, reaching the PSAC quarterfinals six times. The Griffins, off the court, consistently have ranked among the national leaders in academic team GPA, finishing second a year ago in Division II behind another PSAC school, East Division opponent Kutztown.