GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith College basketball team will begin its 2015-16 season at home when the University of Rochester visits Bristol Gym at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 17.
 
Head Coach Lindsay Sharman begins her 11th season with the Herons with a record of 154-107, which includes three Liberty League regular season titles and two NCAA tournament appearances. She returns nine players from the 2014-15 squad and welcomes five members of the Class of 2019.
 
William Smith will have to replace graduates Chloe Hayter and Ali Pliszka. A three-time all-league selection, Hayter finished her career with 1,280 points (7th all-time) and 797 rebounds (5th). Pliszka provided the Herons with a solid scoring punch and was the team's top playmaker last year.
 
Juniors forward Gabrielle Eure, guard Melanie Patterson, and guard Courtney Chase return to the starting lineup. Eure is William Smith's top returning scorer and rebounder after producing 10.4 ppg and 7.6 rpg. She shot 56 percent from the floor and posted six double-doubles in her first season as a starter. Patterson is a two-year starter and followed up her Liberty League Rookie of the Year season by producing 9.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, and 3.1 apg. Chase is a versatile guard who shot a team best .333 from behind the 3-point arc while averaging 7.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.1 apg, and 0.9 blocked shots per game.
 
Senior forward Lauren Brustein and juniors forward Krista Anken and guard Alyssa DiCampli give William Smith experience in the starting lineup. Junior forward Mary Buck also adds depth to the frontcourt.
 
Sophomore guards Sarah Brophy and Kendra Quinn-Moultrie played quality minutes as first-years. Brophy averaged more than 15 minutes per game and 2.3 ppg, 1.9 rpg, and 1.0 apg. Quinn-Moultrie played 9.0 minutes per game and logged 1.8 ppg and 1.3 rpg.
 
Added to the mix of veterans will be five talented first-years. Finger Lakes Times Co-Player of the Year and three-time All-Greater Rochester selection forward Mia Morrison (Geneva) and three-time All-Monroe County selection guard Mara Sindoni (Canandaigua) give the Herons a local flavor. Guard Cassidy Carrafiello was a two-time all-league selection at Briarcliff Manor and is a two-sport athlete for the Herons, who also plays soccer. Olivia Hughes and Adrienne Torea both stand 5-foot-9 and are versatile enough to play guard or forward.
 
The Herons will be tested by an eight-game non-conference schedule that includes traditional rivals Cortland, Ithaca, and Rochester, as well as the Wendy's College Classic, and a trip to the Boston area to compete in the Bridgewater State Cave Classic.
 
William Smith, picked to finish eighth in the Liberty League in the coaches preseason poll, will have a four-game road trip to start conference play. If the Herons can weather life on the road, they will have the benefit of playing on their home floor for eight of their final 12 games.