ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College women's basketball team is set to tip-off the 2016-17 season, as the Purple and Gold will trek to Hamburg, New York, to face the Hawks of Hilbert College tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. With a team headlined by back-to-back Empire 8 Conference Rookie of the Year Award winners, the Soaring Eagles will look to rebound from an eight-win season and make a return trip to the conference tournament.

After winning double-digit games in each of the two previous seasons, including a 16-win campaign in 2012-13, EC concluded last season with an 8-17 overall record, marking the program's fewest victories in five years. At their best, the Soaring Eagles could do a little bit of everything, but inconsistency, especially handling the ball, proved to be detrimental. Elmira went 6-5 in games with less than 20 turnovers, but a mere 2-12 with 20-plus giveaways.

However, play at the guard positions looks to be the strength of this year's squad, led by the starting backcourt combo of Danielle Cleary '18 and Lindsey Heaton '19, the two reigning E8 Rookies of the Year. Given slew of returning talent, the lineup employed by head coach Shannon Howley will be guard-heavy. According to Coach Howley, that will allow Elmira to play an entertaining, fast-paced brand of basketball.

"We're going to be playing a little different style than we have in the past," Howley said. "I think we're going to be playing a fun brand of basketball that everyone is going to enjoy watching. We're going to want to run, get up-and-down, shoot the three and be aggressive."

This year's convocation of Soaring Eagles also features a youthful lineup, as the Purple and Gold will dress only one senior and two juniors this winter. The lone member of the Class of 2017 is returning team captain Marissa Silverman '17. Albeit young, Cleary and Heaton have proven that lack of experience isn't a deterrent from success.

"In the beginning of the preseason, you saw the young team, but in the last week or so, we've seen things start to click," Howley said. "You're not going to be able to go from A-to-Z and skip all of the steps in between, but they have grown a lot. Their roles will continue to grow this year as they gain more experience."

Key Returners
MARISSA SILVERMAN '17
After serving as EC's sixth woman in 2015-16, the aforementioned captain will be relied upon heavily during her senior campaign. Versatility is the name of Silverman's game; she shot 35.5-percent from the floor and 85.0-percent from the line, hauled in 1.8 rebounds, and recorded 18 assists and 18 steals in slightly less than 17 minutes per game last year. Although her workload will increase considerably, Coach Howley said she hasn't asked Silverman to do anything other than to "be herself."

"She's a returning captain and she's comfortable in that role," Howley said. "She's going to be versatile for us. Depending on how we roll out in the opener on Tuesday, she'll probably start at the four. But she can play the two, a little bit at the one, and the three. She's probably going to play all of those positions at some point this season."

DANIELLE CLEARY '18
Throughout her first two seasons donning the Purple and Gold, Cleary, the 2014-15 E8 Rookie of the Year, has established herself as a force to be reckoned with inside the conference. After one of the most successful rookie seasons in program history, the Rochester, New York, native turned in a dominate sophomore campaign, as she ranked  third in the league in scoring  with 16.1 points per game. Cleary then added rebounding to her repertoire, which turned the lethal shooter into the league's eighth-best rebounder with 6.7 boards per game. Heading into her junior season, all eyes will be on Cleary, to see if the third-year guard can not only continue to ascend the program's all-time leaderboards, but translate her individual accolades into team success.

"I think she has put in a lot of work, and so far in our preseason, she has grown her game a little bit and taken on more responsibility," Howley stated. "She's going to be out there a fair amount and she might even be asked to slide over to point guard for a few minutes. We need her to do what she's been capable of doing over the last two years and be able to continue to rebound. My expectation for her is to play her game and be a little more consistent with it."

LINDSEY HEATON '19
As a freshman, Heaton was tasked with filling the pivotal role as the starting point guard, and she didn't shy away from the pressure. The New Milford, Connecticut, native burst onto the scene with a career-best 19 points in the second game of the year against Mount Union. She then capped off her debut season with double-digit points in four of the last seven games. As a result, Heaton followed in the footsteps of Cleary by becoming Elmira's second consecutive recipient of the E8 Rookie of the Year Award with 8.0 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.9 boards per game. Now a year wiser, Coach Howley hopes to see Heaton's game evolve in the same fashion Cleary's did following her award-winning year.

"As a freshman I expected her to compete for that Rookie of the Year Award," Howley said. "I think her ability as a leader has grown, as has her decision-making, like when to be offensive herself and when to include her teammates. She can be more than just a player that sets people up, and we're going to need her to score. Her overall growth, having been in the program for a year, is going to pay big dividends."

EMILY GREEN '18
Green transferred to Elmira for her sophomore season following a brief tenure at Francis Marion University in Florence, South Carolina. The Virginia native is a tremendous shooter, but Green is at her best when clicking from beyond the arc. That was evidenced by her outings against Hilbert (11/24), Houghton (1/19), and Ithaca (1/27). She made a trio of 3-pointers in each of those contests, resulting in her three highest-scoring performances from her debut season at EC.

"Her role is going to be critical this year," explained Howley. "Last year, defensively, was a huge adjustment for her. With the minutes that we needed from her on offense, she had to grow quickly on the defensive end. She has settled in defensively, and I think you are going to see a far more aggressive player on offense. She can shoot the ball, she's a flat-out shooter. I expect to see good things from her."

RACHEL VESPUCCI '19
Despite her status as a sophomore, Vespucci is the most experienced of the post players on Elmira's roster. As a freshman, she played in 24 games and made starts in nine of the last 12. Vespucci earned her first career start on January 27th against Ithaca and scored a career-high 16 points on the Bombers. Perhaps more important than her scoring will be her work on the glass this year; Vespucci was third on the team with 4.3 rebounds per game as a rookie but will need to help replace the production lost by the graduated Class of 2016.

"She put in a lot of work over the summer and it was evident when she returned to campus," said Howley of Vespucci. "She is playing at a high level and we need that. She has grown immensely since the end of last year and it has been great to watch. The work that she has put in will allow her to be on the floor a lot more this year."

Top Newcomers
EMILY BREHENY '20
Of the three freshmen on this year's roster, the performance of Breheny this season may be the most vital to Elmira's success. The rookie forward will be immediately thrust into the mix in the post due the losses of forwards Meghan Loya '16 and Ashley Heiman '16. Standing at six feet tall, Breheny is the tallest Soaring Eagle on the team this winter, and she'll be asked to use that size to defend in the paint and gather rebounds.

"We expect her to continue to get better, continue to grow, and continue to get stronger throughout the course of the year so she can battle with the kids she is going to have to battle with," Howley said. "Her focus right now is defending and rebounding, and I think she is going to make an immediate impact going forward."

LAUREN FRANKLIN '20
Originally from nearby Binghamton, New York, Franklin attended Holy Cross High School in Dunmore, Pennsylvania. There she led the Crusaders to a berth in the District 2 Class AA Championship Game, while earning a spot in the Lackawanna League All-Star Game and on the All-League Second Team. When Coach Howley gives Cleary, Green, or Silverman a break, she'll turn to the 5-foot 8-inch Franklin for valuable minutes off of the bench.

"She's physical, strong and likes to play defense," said Howley of Franklin. "She can also shoot the three and give us some scoring on the offensive side. She's going to add some versatility and can play the two, three, or four for us."

ISABELLA DELISANTI '20
Like her classmate Franklin, Delisanti comes from a successful program at Penfield High School. She was a part of a Patriots team that captured a Section V Class AA Championship during her senior year. Penfield advanced all the way to state quarterfinals, and Coach Howley hopes to see Delisanti can bring that will to win with her to Elmira.

"You can't teach that winning mentality, so it's always great when you can recruit student-athletes who come from that," explained Howley. "She can knock down shots when she's open and she is willing to step in and take a charge."

General Outlook
Among the now-graduated Class of 2016 were forwards Heiman, Loya, and Karli Pochkar '16, leaving big shoes for the 2016-17 Soaring Eagles to fill in the post. In Loya, the Purple and Gold lost one of the best rebounders in program history, as the 5-foot 10-inch forward finished fourth all-time with 597 career rebounds. Although Howley plans on utilizing her strengths at the guard positions, she'll need her young trio in the post to make significant strides.

"We're going to need all of our bigs to play: Emily Breheny, Rachel Gamache, and obviously Rachel Vespucci," Howley stated. "Those three can do the job, it's just going to take some time and some reps. It's tough to replace Meg's minutes and her experience, but I have all the confidence in the world in the three of them."

Elmira's non-conference schedule features several new faces and should present a variety of unique challenges to help prepare the Soaring Eagles for the rigors of the Empire 8. For the first time in program history, EC will take on Guilford College (N.C.) and Shenandoah University (Pa.), while playing Gallaudet University (Washington, D.C.) and Bridgewater College (Va.) each for just the second time. In addition, Elmira will square off against the Express of Wells College for just the third time and the first since the 2012-13 season.

"We want to play different kinds of teams and we want different experiences," Howley said. "Bridgewater, Guilford, and Shenandoah are trips we will take over Thanksgiving Break, and it gives us the opportunity to play different, competitive teams. These games will hopefully get us ready for play inside the conference and get us some confidence early in the year."

Season Opener
For the third consecutive season, the Soaring Eagles will face-off against Hilbert College. EC picked up a 68-57 win over the Hawks in the 2015-16 home opener at Speidel Gymnasium, with a combined 45 points coming from Cleary and Green. Although Elmira has won both previous matchups, Howley isn't taking the Hawks lightly.

"They're not going to be the same Hilbert that you've seen in the past," she simply stated.