COMPLETE D3HOOPS.COM TOP 25 POLL
Carroll University's Women's Basketball team is ranked 13th in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, which is up eight spots from their preseason ranking. Ranked in the preseason for the first time in program history, their current ranking matches the highest ranking in program history, which occurred last season. This is the 10th consecutive week the Pioneers have appeared in the Top 25, which is also a program record.
The Pioneers received 240 points in the latest pll, which is 99 shy of the 12th-ranked team, Gettysburg College. The D3hoops.com Top 25 is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, Sports Information Directors, and media members across the country and is published weekly, beginning Monday, November 25. Points are awarded on a 25-24-23-22-etc. basis.
The Pios currently have a 4-1 record, which is their best start to a season in three years, and are coming off an 80-75 win at then-#12 Hope College, handing the Dutch just the 12th loss in 272 career games at their home venue, Devos Arena. Carroll's only blemish this season was a 62-60 loss to #4 UW-Whitewater.
Carroll currently ranks 19th in all of Division-III with a conference-best field goal percentage of .462. Carroll is also tops in the CCIW in scoring defense (52.6 ppg), steals per game (15.2), turnovers forced per game (25.0), all of which ranks among the top 50 teams in D-III. They also rank in the top 50 in scoring margin (+22.2), turnover margin (+8.0), assists per game (16.8), and free throw percentage (.762).
Junior
Natalie Gricius leads the Pioneers with 16 points per game, while shooting 51.6 percent from the field and 85.7 percent from the free throw line. Senior
Olivia Rangel is second on the team with 15.4 points per game, while leading the squad in rebounds (5.8 rpg) and assists (5.0 apg), which ranks 19th among all players in D-III. Senior
Chloe Halverson and Rangel both rank in the top 75 in the country in steals per game with 3.4 and 3.2, respectively.
The Pios will play a pair of road games this week, beginning with Tuesday night's game at University of Chicago. They will follow that up with another non-conference contest Saturday at Ripon College.
