COLUMBUS, Ohio –  The prospect of a full 2021-2022 season for the Capital University women's basketball team is surely going to energize the team to return to form as competition begins to return to normal this season. Under the tutelage of longtime head coach Dixie Jeffers in her 36th season at the helm, the team is eager to hit the court and embark on another quality season of Cap women's basketball. 

Last Season in a Nutshell
Capital bowed out of the OAC Tournament a year ago in the quarterfinals as they were defeated at Baldwin Wallace. Prior to the postseason, Cap finished the regular season with a 5-5 mark during the disrupted and challenging COVID impacted season. 

The team started the season with a pair of games scratched due to protocol, and then dropped their first game of the season vs. Heidelberg. After the loss, Capital rebounded with a 68-53 win in Tiffin and then split a pair with Wilmington the next weekend. After falling to BW twice, Capital swept two games off of Ohio Northern with scores of 48-45 and 61-54. The Comets then finished the regular season with a split with Marietta. The final win over the Pioneers was Capital's largest offensive burst of the season as they poured in 79 points, led by a trio of double-digit scorers in Allison Roach, Emma Burns, and Brooke Ommert. 

Top Returners
A healthy sized roster of 20 women will hit the floor this season. Of those on the team, 13 return after having a role last season. Leading the lines will be three key starters who were in the starting lineup for 10 or more games last season. Emma Burns led the team in scoring with 9.7 points-per-game and also contributed a decent 4.4 rebounds-per-game. Burns was also second on the team in both assists (17) and steals (11). 

Ommert started all 11 games and was second on the team in scoring (8.6 ppg) and tied for the team lead in rebounding (4.5 rpg). Ommert was also great from the free throw line knocking down nearly 83% of her freebies. Kaylee Cyphers is the other returning starter, having been named in the five 10 times last season. She finished the season averaging 7.7 ppg and shared the team lead in boards with 4.5 per contest. 

Additional returners from a season ago include Erika Linder, Maddie Dougoud, Gabby Ledbetter, Demi Brewer, Katie Burke, Carrie Wyman, Maddy Reese, Mimi Berete and Erin Burns. 

Dougoud, Linder, Brewer, Burke, and Ledbetter all served as reliable reserves, coming off the bench to feature in at least nine games last year. All nine reserve players combined for an even 200 points (18.2 ppg) off the bench during their time on the floor. 

New Faces in the Crowd
Despite the healthy bunch of returners, Coach Jeffers will be adding seven new freshmen, all of whom have the ability to compete early and often for court time. It has been and will continue to be a competitive preseason as the coaching staff irons out the lineup. 

In addition to the new players on the court, Coach Jeffers' staff will have a new face on the sidelines this season. Camille McPherson will serve as a top assistant coach for the Comets this season. McPherson joins the coaching staff after most recently assisting Allegheny College where she mentored the 2020 NCAC Newcomer of the Year and three All-Conference players. 

Returning Coaching Staff
Coach Jeffers returns to the Capital Center sidelines for the 36th season. During her time as head coach, Capital has won two National Championships and numerous OAC titles. Jeffers boasts 741 career wins as a head coach. 

Returning beside Jeffers is Jason Wright, who will begin his 21st season coaching the Purple and White. Wight immediately began as an assistant coach after serving as a student coach during his undergraduate tenure at Capital. Wright primarily works with the Capital guards and aids with other administrative tasks. 

In the Polls
The Comets were slated to finish seventh in the preseason polls with 35 points. John Carroll University, who is entering the season with a preseason ranking of No. 8 by D3Hoops.com, was picked first with 81 points and nine first place votes. Baldwin Wallace was slotted second with 73 points and one first place vote. FULL OAC RELEASE

Season Schedule
The Comets are chomping at the bit ready to roll on another season, which will tip off in just under a week. Capital will begin the season with two home games, first on Wednesday, November 10th against Wooster and then on Saturday, November 13th against Illinois Wesleyan. Capital will then play four more non-conference games during November before tipping off OAC play on December 4th vs. Otterbein. 

Other conference opponents before the Holidays are Muskingum, John Carroll, and Ohio Northern. After these OAC contests, the team will travel to Lexington, Kentucky to take part in the Transylvania Holiday Classic where they will play their final two non-conference games of the season. 

Capital will then return from a holiday break on January 5th with a home game vs. Wilmington before concluding the season with 13 more conference games.