EDISON, NJ (Oct. 19, 2021) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) has unveiled the 2021-22 Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll and Preseason All-MAAC Teams. The announcement was made tonight during the MAAC Preseason Awards Show on ESPN3 that Quinnipiac University was selected as the favorites to claim the MAAC title in 2021-22, as voted on by the league’s 11 head coaches.
The Quinnipiac University Bobcats garnered six of the 11 possible first-place votes and finished with 115 points. Led by the all-time winningest coach in Quinnipiac history Tricia Fabbri, the Bobcats finished second during the MAAC Regular Season in 2020-21. Last season, they paced the conference in scoring and posted the second-best scoring margin. Since joining the MAAC in 2013-14, Fabbri has led the Bobcats to six MAAC Championship finals, winning four total conference championships.
The Manhattan College Jaspers were voted to finish second in the preseason poll. The Jaspers earned two first-place votes and finished with 105 total points. Manhattan is led by Heather Vulin, who enters her sixth season at the helm of the Jaspers. A top-three defensive unit, the team finished 11-9 overall and 9-3 during MAAC play in 2020-21.
Fairfield University was chosen as the third team in the conference entering the 2021-22 season, earning two first-place votes and 99 points. Under the direction of 15-year head coach Joe Frager, the Stags finished 11-5 overall and 9-3 in the MAAC last season while pacing the conference in three-point field goal percentage and posting the second-best field goal percentage.
Defending MAAC Regular Season and Tournament Champions in 2020-21, the Marist Red Foxes finished fourth in this season’s Coaches’ Poll earning one first-place vote and 93 points. The Red Foxes and head coach Brian Giorgis had the best scoring margin in the MAAC, scoring 62.6 points per game, while allowing an average of 51.1 points per contest. Marist finished last season with a conference-best 18-4 overall record and a 13-3 MAAC record, also the best mark in the league.
Closing out the top-five was the Rider University Broncs picking up 66 points. Iona College was chosen sixth (55 points), Niagara University was slotted in seventh (51 points), last season’s MAAC Championship finalist Saint Peter’s University was voted eighth in the poll (50 points). Rounding out the poll is Siena College (44 points) in ninth, Monmouth University (33 points) in 10
th and Canisius College (15 points) in 11
th.
Fairfield’s Lou Lopez-Senechal was voted the 2021-22 MAAC Preseason Player of the Year. Last season, Lopez-Senechal earned All-MAAC First Team honors for the second consecutive season after finishing second in both scoring average (16.9 PPG) and three-point field goal percentage (.407). The Grenoble, France native is six career points shy of scoring her 1000
th career point and is on pace to crack Fairfield’s top-10 leaderboard in career three-point field goals made. The recipient of the 2018-19 MAAC Rookie of the Year award, Lopez-Senechal is averaging 14.6 PPG during her stellar career.
Joining Lopez-Senechal on the Preseason All-MAAC First Team were Mikala Morris from Quinnipiac and Mackenzie DeWees of Quinnipiac who were unanimous first-team selections as well as Courtney Warley from Manhattan, and Angel Parker of Niagara.
The Preseason All-MAAC Second Team includes Manhattan’s Dee Dee Davis, Marist’s Sarah Barcello and Trinasia Kennedy, Rider’s Makayla Firebaugh, Iona’s Juana Camilion, and Saint Peter’s’ Kendrea Williams.
The Preseason All-MAAC Third Team features Quinnipiac’s Rose Caverly, Monmouth’s Belle Kranbuhl, Siena’s Rayshel Brown, Fairfield’s Andrea Hernangomez, Manhattan’s Emily LaPointe, and Raphaela Toussaint of Rider.
Below is the full poll and preseason honors list:
| Preseason Coaches’ Poll |
| 1 |
Quinnipiac (6) |
115 |
| 2 |
Manhattan (2) |
105 |
| 3 |
Fairfield (2) |
99 |
| 4 |
Marist (1) |
93 |
| 5 |
Rider |
66 |
| 6 |
Iona |
55 |
| 7 |
Niagara |
51 |
| 8 |
Saint Peter’s |
50 |
| 9 |
Siena |
44 |
| 10 |
Monmouth |
33 |
| 11 |
Canisius |
15 |
| Preseason Player of the Year |
| Lou Lopez Senechal - Fairfield |
| Preseason All-MAAC First Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Lou Lopez-Senechal* |
Forward |
Sr. |
Fairfield |
| Mikala Morris* |
Forward/Center |
Jr. |
Quinnipiac |
| Mackenzie DeWees* |
Guard |
Sr. |
Quinnipiac |
| Courtney Warley |
Center |
Gr. |
Manhattan |
| Angel Parker |
Guard |
Jr. |
Niagara |
| Preseason All-MAAC Second Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Dee Dee Davis |
Guard |
Jr. |
Manhattan |
| Sarah Barcello |
Guard |
Sr. |
Marist |
| Trinasia Kennedy |
Guard |
Jr. |
Marist |
| Makayla Firebaugh |
Guard |
So. |
Rider |
| Juana Camilion |
Guard |
Jr. |
Iona |
| Kendrea Williams |
Guard |
Gr. |
Saint Peter’s |
| Preseason All-MAAC Third Team |
| Player |
Position |
Year |
Institution |
| Rose Caverly |
Guard |
Sr. |
Quinnipiac |
| Belle Kranbuhl |
Center |
So. |
Monmouth |
| Rayshel Brown |
Guard |
5th |
Siena |
| Andrea Hernangomez |
Forward |
Sr. |
Fairfield |
| Emily LaPointe |
Guard |
Jr. |
Manhattan |
| Raphaela Toussaint |
Forward |
So. |
Rider |
*Denotes Unanimous Selection
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 41st year of competition during the 2021-22 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
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