BUFFALO, N.Y. – The D'Youville University women's basketball team begins their 2024-25 campaign on Friday when they face American International College at the STAC Basketball Challenge.
 
The Saints finished 9-18 (7-9 ECC) last season and clinched the program's first ECC tournament berth before falling to St. Thomas Aquinas College in the quarterfinals. Taking over at the helm this season is Kelly Broderick, who comes to D'Youville after a two-year stint at Muskingum University, where she led the program to their winningest season since 2010-11. "Our goals for this season will be to make playoffs again," says Broderick on her expectations for this year's squad. "We have a solid mix of returners and newcomers who will be big contributors for us this year and are really excited to see it all come together for us."
 
The Saints return seven players from last season's team, key among them being senior Anna Jankovic (Averill Park, N.Y.), who was named to the ECC All-Conference Second Team last season after averaging 13.5 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game, and 2.4 steals per game. "Anna has been a major part of this team for the past 3 years and she knows what the definition of hard work is," says Broderick. "Her work ethic is unmatched, and she has really done a great job of leading by example for our freshmen."
 
Also returning for DYU is senior Sofie Fuglsang (Oberanven, Luxembourg), who scored 5.7 points per game and grabbed 2.5 rebounds per game in 2023-24. "Sofie will have a great impact on us," says Broderick. "Her ability to be a threat from both the perimeter and the paint, at a forward position, will make it difficult for other teams to guard."
 
The Saints also bring in five fresh faces to this year's team. "Our newcomers have done a great job so far," says Broderick. "They are picking the defense and offense up quickly and have really bought into what we are doing." One freshman who has made a strong impression at the outset is freshman Aliviya Vallone Russell (Buffalo, N.Y.). "We've had some injuries and she's done a great job of stepping into those roles and she embraces the pressures of the game well," says Broderick when asked about Vallone Russell. Another newcomer expected to play a big role is redshirt junior Megan Fedor (Elmira, N.Y.), who comes to DYU from ECC rival St. Thomas Aquinas College.
 
The Saints gets their season underway with a pair of games at the STAC Basketball Challenge this weekend and will play their home opener on November 16^th against St. Michael's College.