Photo courtesy of Mark Campbell

NEWARK, Del. –The University of Delaware women’s basketball team is set to debut its 2009-10 campaign on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pa.

Delaware will travel to DeGol Arena for a 7 p.m. tip-off. The Blue Hens will play seven consecutive road games prior to their home opener on Dec. 11 against Navy at the Bob Carpenter Center.

The Hens, led by veteran head coach Tina Martin, are coming off a 15-15 season in 2008-09 when Delaware finished ninth in the Colonial Athletic Association with a 7-11 league mark.

Delaware, ranked fourth out of 12 teams in the CAA Preseason poll, returns each of its five consistent starters and a total of nine letterwinners after only graduating one senior.

Delaware will be led by junior guard Tesia Harris, a Preseason All-CAA Second Team honoree who led the team with 13.6 points per game, a 76.6 free throw percentage, and 51 three-pointers made a year ago. A third team All-CAA selection in 2008-09, Harris (at right) ranked sixth in the league with a 76.6 free throw percentage, eighth with 13.6 points per game, and 10th with 32.3 minutes played per game.

The player with the most experience is senior Corinthia Benison, who will again start the season at the Blue Hens’ point guard. A natural shooting guard, Benison was thrust into the point guard role last season, when she led Delaware with 77 assists, 77 steals and 32.8 minutes played per game. Benison will hopefully be joined in the backcourt by junior Vanessa Kabongo, who could miss the beginning of the season with knee problems.

Kabongo was the only Delaware player to start all 30 games a year ago, when she ranked second on the team with 10.8 points per game, 65 steals and 37 assists. She ranked sixth in the conference in steals per game and 15th in scoring, while her 16 games of scoring in double figures were second most on the squad.

The Blue Hen backcourt will get a boost in mid-December when sophomore point guard Kayla Miller becomes eligible. Miller played in seven games for George Washington last season before transferring to Delaware following the 2008 fall semester.

Sophomore Jocelyn Bailey will also be in the mix for a starting position at either the two or three positions after a solid freshman campaign. Bailey appeared in all but one game while making one start as a rookie, averaging 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds on the season.

Fellow sophomore Meghan McLean will also compete for playing time after appearing in all 30 games and making two starts a year ago. McLean, who ranked second on the team with 10 three-pointers made and was fourth with 28 assists, scored six points three times on the year.

The Delaware frontcourt will be anchored by junior forward Ariene Jenkins, who appeared in 27 games while starting 25 during the 2008-09 season.
Jenkins, who led the Blue Hens with 8.1 rebounds per game and was fourth with 8.6 points per contest, recorded six double-doubles on the year. One of the top rebounders in the CAA, she reached double figures in points 12 times and posted 11 double figure rebounding efforts.

Junior Eva Riddick will also be in the mix for a starting spot after playing all 30 games while starting 27 a year ago. Riddick, who earned the team’s Most Improved Player Award, tied for third on the squad with 4.7 rebounds per game and added 3.1 points per contest. Riddick led the team with 35 blocks and was ninth in the conference in that category.

Redshirt freshman Danielle Parker, who suffered an ACL injury during a practice last December, will also see plenty of playing time for the Blue Hens. Parker appeared in eight games while starting three during the 2008-09 season, averaging 7.4 points and 6.0 rebounds in over 30 minutes of action per game.

Sophomore Jasmine Gibson, who averaged 2.0 points and 1.2 rebounds last season, and senior Farrah Ferguson, who appeared in six games, will also look to contribute to the Blue Hen frontcourt.

Delaware will get a huge boost from the addition of redshirt freshman Elena Delle Donne, who joins the basketball team this season after playing volleyball for the Blue Hens last year. Delle Donne, who will play both the guard and forward positions, was the nation’s top senior during the 2007-08 season. Without having played a collegiate basketball game, Delle Donne joined Harris on the Preseason All-CAA Second Team.

Fellow newcomer Jaquetta May will look to contribute in the backcourt after earning first team All-State honors in 2009 when she led nearby Delcastle Tech to the state championship, while freshman Lauren Carra is also expected to have an immediate impact in the Blue Hen backcourt. Carra, who could move into the starting lineup at the one or two spots, was a first team All-State selection last season at Dunmore (Pa.) High School.In addition, freshman Chelsea Craig, a first team All-Montgomery County selection last year at Thomas S. Wootton (Md.) High School, should challenge for playing time in the UD frontcourt.

With a group of newcomers added to an experienced core of returners, the Hens look to start strong at Saint Francis.

The Red Flash went 15-17 overall and 11-7 in the Northeast Conference a season ago, to earn themselves a second-place ranking in the NEC preseason poll, only behind defending conference champion, Sacred Heart.

Saint Francis will be led by junior guard Samantha Leach who was named to the All-NEC Preseason Team after earning a spot on the NEC’s All-Conference Second Team in 2008-09. Leach averaged 12.7 points per game last season.

The Red Flash defeated Slippery Rock, 106-59, in an exhibition game on November 6. SFU will officially kick of the season on Saturday, Nov. 14 with a 2 p.m. contest at Marquette.

Delaware leads the series against Saint Francis, 2-0, having most recently defeated the Red Flash, 87-83, in Loretto on Dec. 20, 2000. Trailing 40-33 at the half, UD outscored SFU, 54-43, in the second frame to improve its series lead to 2-0. Delaware first defeated the Red Flash, 87-68, in the 1999-00 season at the Bob Carpenter Center.