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THE MATCHUP: Mount Holyoke opens the 2017-18 regular season on Wednesday, welcoming the Lancers of Worcester State University to the Mildred S. Howard Gymnasium. The game marks the 12th all-time meeting between the two programs, dating back to the first contest in 2005-06 - a 70-58 Lyons victory. Worcester State owns the series advantage though by a 10-1 margin, having won each of the last 10 matches versus the Lyons.
THE LYONS: Mount Holyoke (0-0) takes to the court for the first time in 2017-18, following a season in which it posted victories over Green Mountain College and the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. The Lyons return three veterans from last year's squad, including junior captain and guard Leah Hodges, who averaged 6.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest in 2016-17. Sophomore guard Katlyn Grover is the second-leading returning scorer, having averaged 6.2 points per contest, including 31 three-pointers a season ago.
THE LANCERS: Worcester State (0-0) is coming off a 2016-17 season in which it went 12-14 overall and 8-4 in MASCAC play. The Lancers, who played in the opening round of the MASCAC Tournament, return a number of their top performers from a season ago, including junior center Britt Herring, who led the squad in points (12.2) and rebounds (7.8) per contest. Classmate and forward Kaitlyn Berkel ranked second a season ago in points per game (7.8), while sophomore guard Catherine Sweeney is the top returning assist maker, having averaged 3.9 per contest last year.
NEXT UP: Mount Holyoke is back in action on Saturday when it travels to Milton, Mass., to compete in the Curry College Tip-Off Tournament. The Lyons open against Maine Maritime at 1pm and will play either Pine Manor or Curry on Sunday in the consolation (1pm) or championship (3pm) game. Worcester State is also back in action this weekend at the Worcester City Tournament. The Lancers will face off against Clark at 5:30pm on Friday and will play in the consolation/championship on Saturday.