The William Smith College basketball team will tip off its 10th season under Head Coach Lindsay Sharman (150-89, .619) on Saturday, Nov. 15, when the Herons make a short trip south to face Ithaca College at 2 p.m. Sharman returns 10 veterans, including three players with starting experience, from a team that went 19-7 and finished third in the Liberty League.
 
Led by a quartet of seniors, the 2013-14 William Smith team put together a 13-game winning streak midseason, dropped back-to-back-to-back road games, but then finished with a flourish, winning four of their final six contests. Sasha Borenstein (11.1 ppg), Molly Breen (4.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg), Jacqueline Murphy (7.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg), and Erin O'Brien (12.1 ppg, 4.3 apg) led the squad. Borenstein earned all-league honorable mention after breaking the Heron career record for 3-pointers made (264), Murphy was tabbed the conference's Defensive Player of the Year after finishing second on the school's career rebounds list (888), and O'Brien was second team all-league ranking fourth in career assists (352).
 
Their graduation leaves a void, but the returning Herons have embraced the opportunity to place their stamp on the program.
 
"Because we lost those seniors, there was a lot of motivation during the offseason." Sharman said. "I've never seen this level of individual improvement from one season to the next."
 
Seniors forward Chloe Hayter and guard Ali Pliszka will lead the 2014-15 Herons. Hayter is a two-time first team All-Liberty League selection who begins her final season 45 points away from becoming the 15th 1,000-point scorer in school history. She's averaged 14.5 ppg in each of the past two seasons and grabbed a career-high 218 boards last year. Pliszka produced 5.8 ppg and is the team's top returning 3-point shooter (21-of-68).
 
Junior forwards Lauren Brustein and Hailey Dietrich will also add leadership. Brustein started 16 of the 24 games she played last season, averaging 2.7 ppg and 2.6 rpg.
 
Sophomore guard Melanie Patterson shared the Liberty League Rookie of the Year award. She appeared in 26 games, starting three and produced 8.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, and 2.0 apg. Patterson will run the point for the Herons this year after learning the ropes from O'Brien as a first-year.
 
Fellow sophomores forwards Courtney Chase, Alyssa DiCampli, Mary Buck, Krista Anken, and Gabrielle Eure have shown they are poised for bigger roles this season. Of the five, Chase and DiCampli played the most minutes in 2013-14.
 
First-years guard Sarah Brophy and forward Kendra Quinn-Moultrie round out the roster. Brophy is a shooting guard, who could also play some point guard to spell Patterson. Quinn-Moultrie is fearless, fast and a tough defender.
 
William Smith will play a challenging schedule that includes seven road games in its first eight games. The Herons will visit Rochester on Nov. 18 then host Cortland on Nov. 25. William Smith will be tested by three games in five days in the annual Wendy's College Classic to close out the calendar year. The Herons' final tune up before starting Liberty League play will be a trip to New York City to face defending national champion FDU-Florham and NYU.