With the women’s basketball team ending their season with an overall 10-15 record and an 8-12 record in the conference, it is safe to say that this is the best season the program has seen in years. Led by head coach Jim Phillips and assistant coaches Sarah Otey and Wes Blessard, the team barely missed making it into the ODAC conference tournament, being part of a 3-way tie to get in.
Unfortunately, they came out last in the tie. The team ended their season strongly with a huge win against Randolph-Macon, one of the top-ranked teams in the conference.
Sophomore post player Chanci Wright stated, “We had our struggles throughout the season but we came together as a team and accomplished a lot.” Coming together as a team certainly worked for these ladies because this is the most success Hollins basketball has seen in recent history.
The team is very close, and this bond can be seen on the court. Coming together through the struggles has made this basketball season one of the most successful in the history of the program. The basketball program is still young, graduating no seniors and having three juniors leading the way. This paves the way for an even better season next year, returning all of the players, plus a new recruiting class coming in.
This year, the basketball team is losing a vital member to graduation, Elizabeth Dodd. She has been the manager for all four years and the glue that holds the team together. She will be greatly missed by every member of the team. Coach Jim Phillips gave a good summary of the season, saying, “This season was a tremendous success on and off the court. We are the hardest working team in the ODAC and next season, the sky is the limit.” With one great season coming to a close, Hollins basketball is looking forward to another next year.