Sports
Positional Breakdown: Marietta Welcomes Seven Freshmen To Roster
By: Austin Carpenter
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Two seniors, seven juniors and seven freshmen make up the Marietta 2013-14 women's basketball roster, and the young Pioneer squad is excited to get the season rolling.
With 10 players listed as guards, second-year coach Stacia Shrider has a plethora of lineups from which to choose. The Marietta lineup also consists of three junior forwards and three centers, all of which are freshmen.
With the season starting on Friday, Nov. 15, the Pioneers are looking to turn some heads this year. To do so, they will look to their upperclassmen to provide some leadership.
Guards:
Paige Lamb (Senior/ Marietta, Ohio)
The 5-foot-6-inch hometown player is one of two seniors on this year’s squad. A varsity letterman since her freshman year, Lamb will be one to give this team some heart.
Tori Dixon (Senior/Londonderry, Ohio)
She may be the shortest player on the team, but this 5-foot-5 guard is arguably the Pioneers’ best player. Dixon averaged 11.1 points and 2.0 assists a game last year, earning All-Ohio Athletic Conference honorable mention honors. Dixon will play a vital role in Marietta's success this season.
Tristin Toman (Freshman/ Pennsboro, W.Va.)
Toman was a force to be reckoned with as a high school senior, as she averaged 23.4 points and 2.3 assists a game while leading Ritchie County to a 13-10 record. The West Virginia native will be a key factor off the bench for the Pioneers.
Emily Sabatino (Freshman/Morgantown, W.Va.)
Sabatino played a vital role in leading Morgantown High School to a 20-6 record and to finish fourth in the state of West Virginia. Shrider will look for the freshman to have a positive impact on the team this year.
Shelby Maloney (Junior/Beavercreek, Ohio)
Appearing in 18 games and averaging just over three points a season ago, Maloney will be an asset for the Pioneers this year. The junior will use her experience to help Marietta make a run this year.
Haley Mathes (Junior/Lancaster, Ohio)
The junior point guard does not have much varsity experience under her belt, but she does bring a sense of leadership. She hopes to give Marietta a spark off the bench.
Bailey Topf (Junior/Sugar Grove, Ohio)
Playing in 41 games in her first two seasons, Topf has averaged over four points and will look to continue eating up minutes for Shrider and the Pioneers this season.
Jordanna Rauch (Freshman/Fleming, Ohio)
The Washington County native won't be too far from Warren High School, where she tore it up on the hardwood her senior year. She led Warren to a 13-9 record, which included an upset of powerhouse Jackson High School. The All-Ohio honorable mention will look to give Marietta some life off the bench and ignite that fire that is needed.
Morgan Liedtke (Freshman/Lowell, Ohio)
Liedtke is a 3-point specialist that the Pioneers need. In her senior season of high school, she averaged 10 points and four rebounds, and was also a career 42 percent 3-point shooter, which put her 10th in the state record books. Morgan was selected to the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference All-Star Team, as well as being named Division III All-Ohio honorable mention. Shrider will look for Liedtke to heat up from behind the arc early.
Jessica Brogan (Junior/Cincinnati, Ohio)
The junior from Cincinnati has 24 career starts in her first two seasons. Sure to get more starts this season, Brogan will look to provide some scoring behind Lamb and Dixon.
Forwards:
Sierra Sigman (Junior/Chillicothe, Ohio)
This 5-foot-8-inch junior has been a workhorse for the Pioneers in her first two seasons. With 24 career starts, Sigman has averaged just under 10 points. She will be a vital piece for Shrider, as the head coach puts this puzzle together.
Candice Alexander (Junior/ Fairborn, Ohio)
Alexander is one of four returning starters for the Pioneers this season. Coming off a season where she averaged 10.5 points, seven rebounds and earned All-OAC honorable mention honors, Alexander has that ‘star’ ability that Marietta needs.
Heather Booth (Junior/Newport, Ky.)
Being a low-post partner with Alexander, Booth is a very solid presence in the paint. The 5-foot-9 forward was the Pioneers’ leading rebounder, averaging nearly six boards last year. She will be that post player that will put up solid numbers all year long.
Centers:
Lindsey Eckstein (Freshman/Cincinnati, Ohio)
This 6-foot freshman from Oak Hills High School was third in the Greater Miami Conference in rebounding with 9.6 a game. She also added six points a contest. With the starting center position still up for grabs, Eckstein has a very good chance of grabbing it.
Mackenzie Kiser (Freshman/Windham, Ohio)
Kiser won the Trumall County Coaches Association’s Player of the Year award last year as a high school senior, averaging 20 points and 14 rebounds. She was unstoppable in high school and Shrider hopes Kiser will be the same way at Marietta. She is in the same boat as Eckstein, a 6-foot freshman fighting for the starting center spot.
Erin Fair (Freshman/Wilmington, Ohio)
Standing 6-foot-2, Fair seems to be the front-runner from a physical standpoint to be the starting center for the Pioneers. Averaging 6.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and just over one block a game her senior season, Fair has an obvious presence down low. She will give Marietta and Shrider that big body down low to get key rebounds and putbacks.