No. 6 Lady Blues to open 2006-07 season at Kansas . . .
The No. 6 ranked Washburn Lady Blues will open the 2006-07 season with a pair of exhibition games against Division I schools when they travel to Lawrence to take on Kansas on Nov. 5. The Lady Blues will then travel to Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium to battle the Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 7. The Lady Blues have not played the Jayhawks since a 62-59 win over the Jayhawks in a regular season game on Dec. 2, 2004. The Jayhawks played fellow MIAA member Fort Hays State last time out on Nov. 1 and topped the Tigers 80-55.

Lady Blues on radio . . .
Lady Blues games will be broadcast on 106.9 FM Country Legends radio with former Washburn quarterback Mark Elliott calling all the action. Bruce Steinbrock will provide color analysis for the games. The games will also be streamed live online at http://images.radcity.net/5089/1543578.asx.

2006-07 Season preview . . .
One year removed from winning their first NCAA Championship in school history, the Lady Blues looked strong to repeat after holding down the No. 1 spot all season in the WBCA Coaches Poll. However a heartbreaking overtime loss in the regional final ended those dreams and the Lady Blues’ NCAA Division II record 51-game winning streak. Despite the loss, Washburn won its fourth straight MIAA regular season championship and its second straight MIAA Postseason Tournament championship in Kansas City, finishing the season with a 32-1 record.
The Lady Blues are primed to continue last season’s success with three returning starters and eight letterwinners back from a year ago and the addition of six newcomers who will have the drive to try and become the first MIAA team in conference history to win five straight regular season championships.
Guard
The Lady Blues’ biggest hit will come at the guard position this season as Washburn bids farewell to the division II consensus player of the year in Jennifer Harris, who led the nation with a 24.2 points per game average, and April Roadhouse, the MIAA’s defensive player of the year, who was a mainstay at the point guard position for the last four seasons.
Senior Cindy Keeley returns at one guard position after starting all 33 games last season and averaging 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. She scored a career-high 19 points against Southwest Baptist as a junior. Keeley was also named to the MIAA’s All-Defensive team after drawing the assignment of guarding the opposing team’s best scorer much of the year.
Looking to fill the hole left Roadhouse at the point will be senior Jessica Aebi. Aebi saw time at both the point and at the shooting guard spots after transferring from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M by way of Southeast Missouri State. She averaged 4.8 points per game hitting 23 of 54 3-point attempts on the season playing in all 33 games.
After watching her playing time through the season increase, sophomore Jessica Mainz saw action in 22 games running some point and averaged 2.5 points per game after joining the team after finishing her duty on the Lady Blues soccer team.
Also returning is senior point guard Holly Henrichs and sophomore shooting guard Stephanie Wittman. Both played in 19 games last season off the bench for the Lady Blues.
The Lady Blues have four transfer and one high school guard who will look to make an impact in the Washburn backcourt with both scoring and defense.
Junior Sequorhea Stiger was a Kodak/WBCA All-American after leading Trinity Valley Community College with 17.1 points per game en route to first team all-region and player of the year regional awards.
Senior Nikki Holmes, a transfer from Tyler Junior College, averaged 15.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists as a freshman at Tyler and 12.2 points per game as a sophomore.
Junior KG Hellen joins the Lady Blues after playing at Barton County where she scored 9.4 points with 3.3 rebounds per game starting 18 as a sophomore.
Junior point guard Karla Tailele returns to the court after missing the second half of the season at Hutchinson Community College with a knee injury. Before the injury, she was averaging 9.3 points per game as a sophomore, increasing her scoring output from 8.6 points per game as a freshman.
The lone prep signing in the backcourt for Washburn is Hope Gregory. Gregory was a two-time all-state pick and the Class 3A player of the year at Cheney High School.
Forwards/Post
The Lady Blues have the most experience returning in the front court as three different Lady Blues had starting time last season. Off the bench, Washburn lost four-year Lady Blue Dani McHenry, who played in 133 games – the second most in school history – and senior transfer Bojana Samardziska, who recorded 46 blocks with a school-record nine of those coming against Benedictine.
Headlining the group is senior forward Brooke Ubelaker. Ubelaker was an honorable mention All-America pick after scoring 16.6 points per game. Ubelaker hit a school-record 71 3-pointers last season and needs one more to become the school’s all-time leader in 3-point baskets. She enters her senior season eighth on the all-time scoring chart with 1,344 career points after starting all 101 games of her Washburn career.
Fellow senior Megan Sullivan returns to the court after missing the final six games of the season with a knee injury after starting the first 27. Sullivan was averaging 9.4 points per game and a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game. She hit 52 percent of her shots from the field connecting on 106 of 203 attempts.
Junior Amanda Holmes started the final six games of the season after coming off the bench to begin the year after Sullivan’s injury. Holmes averaged 5.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for the season and averaged nearly 8.0 points per game as a starter.
Adding to the mix will be sophomore transfer Renata Germano from Southeastern Illinois College. The 6-foot-2 Rio de Janero, Brazil, native averaged 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game playing all 33 as a freshman.
Preseason
The Lady Blues were picked No. 11 in the nation in the preseason Women’s Division II Bulletin Preseason Top 25 poll that was released. MIAA foe Emporia State, who ended the Lady Blues 51-game winning streak in the regional final, was picked No. 3 in the nation behind North Dakota and defending national champion Grand Valley State. The Lady Blues were picked No. 2 in the MIAA Coaches Poll that was released on Wednesday.
Schedule
The Lady Blues will open the 2006-07 schedule with a pair of NCAA Division I exhibition games within two days of each other. On Nov. 5, the Lady Blues will travel to Lawrence to battle the Kansas Jayhawks and on Nov. 7, Washburn will return to the site of the MIAA Tournament in Municipal Auditorium to take on Missouri-Kansas City. During the run to their 2005 championship, the Lady Blues beat the Jayhawks 62-59 after overcoming a 21-point deficit and the Lady Blues have topped the Kangaroos in three straight exhibition games. Last season, Washburn scored the final 12 points of the game to beat UMKC 51-45.
Washburn will travel to Emporia State for a weekend classic taking on Southwestern Oklahoma and Cameron and then battle Cameron for the second time in six days as the Lady Aggies come to town for the WIBW Radio/Premier Mortgage Holiday Classic. Washburn will take on Lynn to second night. After a non-conference game against Southwestern (Kan.), the Lady Blues will begin the defense of their MIAA title as the open conference play with Missouri Western on Dec. 9 in Lee Arena.
The Lady Blues will wrap up non-conference play with four more games, including another trip to Hawaii before returning to MIAA play at Central Missouri.
The conference schedule will see Washburn play only three of its final nine MIAA games at home.

The coaches . . .
Washburn head coach Ron McHenry has posted a 159-32 (.832) record overall and 83-23 (.781) record in the MIAA with four consecutive MIAA regular season championships and the 2005 NCAA National Championship. He was named the Lady Blues head coach prior to the 2000-01 season. He is fourth among active women's NCAA Division II Coaches in winning percentage and has the 10th most wins in MIAA history. McHenry was named the MIAA’s Coach of the Year in 2005 and in 2006 and the Division II Bulletin National Coach of the Year in 2005. (complete bio on page 2 of notes.)
Kansas head coach Bonnie Hendrickson 29-29 beginning her third season at Kansas. She is 187-81 entering her 10th season of coaching. She is 0-1 against the Lady Blues.

Kansas / Washburn Series notes . . .
The Lady Blues are 1-7 all-time against the University of Kansas. The Lady Blues won the last meeting 62-59 on Dec. 4, 2004 in Lawrence in a regular season game.

Last time out vs the Jayhawks . . .
(Dec. 2 , 2004) LAWRENCE, Kan. - The No. 9 Washburn Lady Blues rallied from an 18-point deficit in the second half to beat Kansas 62-59 in Allen Fieldhouse Wednesday night. The win was Washburn’s first ever against Kansas and their 29th regular season win in a row.
Washburn fell behind 21-3 in the first nine minutes before Juwanna Rivers made the team’s first field goal with 11:03 left in the opening half. KU took a 35-19 halftime advantage by hitting 10 of 20 field goals, while WU went 5 of 19 from the field.
Kansas stretched the lead to 39-21 with 17:47 left before the Lady Blues went on a scored 12 straight to pull within 39-33 on a 3-point play by Jennifer Harris. Harris, who had a career high 21 points which were all in the second half, kept the Lady Blues run going by scoring 12 straight points in one stretch.
Rivers tied the game at 40 with two free throws and Brooke Ubelaker gave the Lady Blues the lead for good at 43-42 with 10:47 left on a 3-pointer. Harris later added another 3-pointer to give Washburn its biggest lead at 54-44 to cap a 33-5 run over an 11 minute span.
Kansas fought back and pulled within 60-59 with 20 seconds left on a putback by Aquanita Burras, before Washburn added a final basket on a layup by Megan Sullivan from Harris off a broken press. Erica Hallman missed a potential tying 3-pointer for KU with two seconds left.
Along with Harris’ game-high 21, Rivers finished with 12 points and Ubelaker 11 points and eight rebounds for Washburn. Hallman and Burras were the only Kansas players in double figures with 18 and 16 points respectively.

about the Jayhawks . . .
The Kansas Jayhawks are coming off a 17-13 season where they finished 5-10 in the Big 12 for 10th place. They return seven letter winners and return two starters. The University of Kansas was tabbed 10th in the preseason poll voted on by the league’s head coaches. Defending conference champion Oklahoma was picked to win its second consecutive Big 12 Conference women’s basketball title. The Sooners received all 11 possible first place votes for a total of 121 points. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.
The Jayhawks enter the 2006-07 season with a wealth of young athletic players mixed with two returning starters in Taylor McIntosh and Ivana Catic. Marked as the 20th best recruiting class by All-Star Girls Report, the Jayhawks will have several new faces on the court with seven freshmen on the roster.
Against Fort Hays State, the Kansas women’s basketball team tipped off the 2006-07 season with an, 80-55, exhibition win against Fort Hays State Wednesday night at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas connected on its first eight possessions and welcomed the debut of seven freshmen.
Junior forward Taylor McIntosh led the Jayhawks with 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor. The Wichita, Kan., native added six rebounds and two blocks. Senior Shaquina Mosley dished out a game-high 10 assists while also pulling down five rebounds. Kansas out-rebounded the Lady Tigers, 45-28.
Three freshmen finished in double figures, as Sade Morris led the newcomers with 14 points. Fellow freshmen Danielle McCray poured in 13 points while LaChelda Jacobs chipped in 10.
Kansas had its biggest lead of the game at the 15:25 mark in the second half with a 34-point margin. The Jayhawks bench outscored the Fort Hays, 44-25, and pounded 44 points in the paint. Kansas shot a blistering 65.5 percent from the field.
Fort Hays was led by Naomi Bancroft, who scored 11 points. The Jayhawks jumped out to a 46-18 halftime lead.

Lady Blues notes . . .
#3 Cindy Keeley - Named to MIAA’s all-defensive team as a junior … has been part of three MIAA regular season championships and two straight MIAA tournament championships.
#4 Amanda Holmes - Averaged 7.4 points as a starter for the Lady Blues in the final six games of the 2005-06 season after transferring from Texas Christian University.
#5 KG Hellen - Averaged 9.4 points and 3.3 rebounds as sophomore at Barton County starting 18 of 29 games.
#10 Jessica Aebi - Enters senior season 25th on WU all-time 3-point chart with 23 after one season.
#11 Renata Germano - Played in 33 games as a freshman at Southeastern Illinois College averaging 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.
#13 Jessica Mainz - A two-sport star at Washburn … a unanimous first team all-MIAA forward on the soccer team leading the MIAA in goals with 12, has not practiced with Lady Blues as team is playing in NCAA Regionals this weekend. She was named the Most Valuable Player of the MIAA in soccer in 2006 as a sophomore.
#15 Nikki Holmes - Was an honorable mention all-American at Tyler Junior College as a sophomore after averaging 12.2 points.
#20 Holly Henrichs - Has played in 55 games at Washburn and scored 27 points … has three MIAA regular season championships.
#21 Sequorhea Stiger - Named WBCA/Kodak All-American after leading Trinity Valley in scoring with 17.1 points per game.
#23 Stephanie Wittman - Played in 19 games as a freshman at shooting guard.
#24 Karla Tailele - Was averaging 9.3 points in 16 games at Hutchinson Community College before suffering season-ending knee injury.
#25 Megan Sullivan - Returns to starting line up after missing final six games of the season after suffering knee injury … led Lady Blues with 6.9 rebounds per game as a junior.
#32 Brooke Ubelaker - Needs one 3-pointer to become all-time leader with her 145th of her career … set school record with 71 3-pointers as a junior … ranks in top 20 of 18 offensive categories.
#33 Hope Gregory - Only true freshman on the squad … was named honorable mention all-state and Class 3A player of the Year in Kansas.

Lady Blues in Lee Arena . . .
In their 23rd season in Lee Arena, the Lady Blues are 275-54 (.836) overall at home. The longest winning streak was 44 games from Dec. 1, 1990 to March 20, 1993.
The Lady Blues were 15-0 in Lee Arena last season, out scoring opponents by a 78.2-49.9 average. The Lady Blues were 13-1 in Lee Arena in 2003-04, 16-1 in 2002-03 and 15-1 in 2001-02.
Washburn is 83-9 (.910) in home games under Ron McHenry. The Lady Blues have won 37 straight regular season games.

Lady Blues history . . .
Washburn is 640-316 (.666 in 956 games) in its 38th season of intercollegiate action. Entering this season, the Lady Blues were 24th in Division II winning percentage and 18th in Division II wins.

Lady Blues in the national poll . . .
(O ct. 30, 2006): The Washburn Lady Blues basketball team was ranked preseason No. 6 in the WBCA/USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll that was released Oct. 30. The Lady Blues were ranked No. 7 in the final WBCA poll of the 2005-06 season.
It was also the 61st straight WBCA National Poll that the Lady Blues have been ranked in the top 25 after being ranked in each poll the last three seasons, plus the last 15 of the 2002-03 season entering the poll on Dec. 11, 2002.

Washburn tip-ins. . .
• Lady Blues head coach Ron McHenry played the 1981-82 season at Kansas before transferring to Washburn.