Aliyah Miller helped first-year coach Meagan Price start her Tusculum coaching career in style Saturday. The senior guard erupted for 23 points en route to SAC Player of the Week in the PIoneers' 63-52 win over the Wingate Bulldogs. Miller was one of three starters to tally double figures as Maddie Sutton posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds while Jalia Arwine added 14 points. The 3-point line was a big reason for Tusculum's success. Price's club made 8-of-16 shots from beyond the arc while limiting Wingate to a 2-of-16 showing from distance.  The Pioneers played 10 players in the season-opening win but, four starters played 32 minutes or more, including guard Marta Rodrigues who handed out nine assists and grabbed eight rebound despite going 0-for-3 from the floor in a scoreless effort. A win would allow the defending SAC Tournament Champions to start 2-0 in league play for the first time since the 2017-2018 season.

Injuries derailed UVA Wise a year ago but, the injuries led to a plethora of players getting boosted playing time. Coach Jamie Cluesman hopes that pays dividends this winter as the Cavaliers return seven of the team's top eight leading scorers from last season. Leading the charge is Preseason First-Team All-SAC selection Caitlyn Ross who finished as the only player in NCAA Division II with 375 or more points, 160 or more assists, 140 or more rebounds and at least 60 steals as a freshman. A Second-Team All-SAC and All-Freshman pick last year, Ross posted just the second triple-double of the NCAA Division II era of the women's basketball program with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in an upset win over nationally ranked Catawba. Fellow sophomore Nia Vanzant is also a Preseason All-SAC selection. A second-team honoree, Vanzant led UVA Wise with 16.7 points per game in conference games. The guard finished with a flurry, scoring 25 or more points in three of the season's final five games. While Ross and Vanzant received preseason accolades, Cluesman's crew brings back a wealth of experience up-and-down the roster. Redshirt senior Kalee Johnson  tossed in 12.3 points per game while adding a team-high 26 blocks last winter, senior Hanna Oliver has led the Cavs in made 3-pointers each of the last three seasons and enters her senior campaign with 154 made triples, senior Ada Stanley has made 256 career field goals while shooting over 53 percent from the floor, junior Mackenzie King has turned into the team's drawn charge leader, having drawn six in one game in her career, while also being a capable inside-outside threat on offense, senior Catrina Wood hit 50 percent of her shots as a junior and 6-foot-3 redshirt junior Meg Crawford is now eligible after sitting out las season due to transfer rules. Leah Kestner and Makayla Richards will also be in the mix as returners while newcomers Aanyah Lambert, Peyton Sams, Erin Egerbrecth and Shalaya Fox join the fold for a team that was picked to finish ninth in the Preseason SAC Coaches' Poll.