Pride women's basketball holds firm at No. 4 in NAIA Coaches' Poll

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - In the second in-season rankings of the 2023-24 season, the Clarke University women's basketball team was voted at the No. 4 spot for the second NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll in a row.

The Pride currently sit at a 6-0 overall record with a 3-0 start in the Heart of America Athletic Conference with their most notable victory being a 101-74 performance over then No. 8 Central Methodist University as each of the top four teams all hold wins against teams that were also ranked in the top 10 at the time of competition.

Campbellsville University still holds the top spot as the unanimous No. 1 team in the rankings, holding all 21 first place votes for the second-straight poll as Dordt University and Indiana Wesleyan University hold the No. 2 and No. 3 spots with Carroll University rounding out the top five at No. 5.

Full Rankings Here: https://www.naia.org/sports/wbkb/2023-24/Releases/2_national 

So far on the season, Clarke is averaging 80.7 points pger game and allowing just 63.5 points per game against while shooting 44.7 percent from the field, 41.5 percent from three point range, sixth-best in the NAIA, and 71.0 percent from the free throw line. The Pride also rank in the top 25 in the NAIA in rebounding at 14th overall with 47.7 rebounds per game and they are 25th in offensive efficiency at 1.064.

CU currently has three players averaging 16 points or more on the season led by Taylor Haase's 16.7 points per game as she is the two-time reigning Heart Player of the Week as the senior post player is also averaging 9.0 rebounds per game, 2.2 blocked shots per game, and 1.5 assists per game.

The other member of the Pride with a Heart Player of the Week nod is senior guard Nicole McDermott as she's currently averaging a double-double at 16.5 points per game and 11.2 rebounds per game, good for 16th in the NAIA, while adding 3.3 assists per game and 2.0 steals per game. 

Mya Merschman (16.0), Maci Kuchta (13.2), and Taylor Norris (10.2) all add over 10 points per game for the Pride with Merschman shooting 58.1 percent from three point range, which is the second best mark in the NAIA of anyone who has taken over 15 threes on the season so far, Kuchta is shooting 53.4 percent from the field, as both she and Norris are shotting over 90 percent from the free throw line on the season.

Clarke women's basketball will continue on to Heart play starting on Thursday afternoon when they travel to Lamoni, Iowa to take on Graceland University for a 2:00 p.m. CT tip against the Yellowjackets before returning home this Saturday to host Baker University at 12:00 p.m. CT in the Kehl Center.