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Courtnay's Column (Blog)

VERMONT WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
The Vermont Catamounts, the defending America East Champions, host Franklin Pierce on Saturday (Nov. 7) at 4:30 p.m. at Patrick Gymnasium in the final preseason game before the regular season starts on November 13.

The game can be heard on WVMT-620 AM and on the Internet at SportsJuice.com. Live video of the game will also be available on a pay-per-view basis ($7) via B2 Networks.

The game is part of a basketball doubleheader on Saturday as the UVM men's team is hosting Saint Michael's College at 1 p.m. in their final exhibition game.

LAST TIME OUT
Box Score | Highlights: Catamounts TV | YouTube
Vermont rolled past Laval, 72-43, in the first preseason game on October 31. Senior Courtnay Pilypaitis led all scorers with 27 points and classmate May Kotsopoulos added 14 points. Senior Sofia Iwobi and freshman Lauren Buschmann combined for 27 rebounds as Vermont out rebounded Laval 55-39 on the boards.

ABOUT FRANKLIN PIERCE | Website
Franklin Pierce is a Division II school located in Rindge, N.H. The Ravens play in the Northeast-10 Conference, the same league as Saint Michael's.

Franklin Pierce went 29-6 last season and advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the second straight year in 2008-09. Franklin Pierce won two games in the Elite Eight to move onto the NCAA Division II National Championship game where it fell to Minnesota State-Mankato, 103-94.

The Ravens return three starters, including two-time All-American Johanna Leedham, who has been tabbed as the 2009 WDIIB Preseason National Player of the Year. Leedham ranks second all-time in scoring at Franklin Pierce with over 2,100 career points and is also in the top-10 in rebounding. She averaged 23.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last season as a junior.

Franklin Pierce also features former BFA-St. Albans standout Tiffany Johnson, who is a freshman on the team this season.

The Ravens were picked to finish third in the NE-10 Preseason Coaches' Poll.

PRESEASON ACCOLADES | More Info
Vermont senior guard Courtnay Pilypaitis has been named to the Full Court Press Preseason Mid-Major Top-25 Honorable Mention team. The Full Court Press Mid-Major Top-25 team honors outstanding student-athletes that are in Division I programs outside of the six major conferences. The players were chosen from 25 different conferences and from approximately 258 institutions.

Pilypaitis and teammate May Kotsopoulos were also named to the 2009 America East Preseason All-Conference Team. Pilypaitis was a unanimous choice for the team for the third straight year, while Kotsopoulos earned the preseason nod for the first time in her career.

CATAMOUNTS ARE AMERICA EAST FAVORITE IN 2009-10
For the second straight year, the University of Vermont women's basketball team has been selected as the preseason choice of the league's coaches to win the America East Women's Basketball title in 2009-10. The Catamounts, the defending America East Champions, received five of a possible eight first-place votes (coaches were not allowed to vote for their team) and 61 points overall.

Hartford was second, receiving four first-place votes, and 60 points. Binghamton was third with 45 points, followed by New Hampshire (38), Boston University (38), UMBC (35), Stony Brook (23), Maine (13) and Albany (11).

COACHES SHOW
The Sharon Dawley Coaches Show will be broadcast each Wednesday throughout the season at 9:30 a.m. on WVMT-620 AM.

NEW VOICE
Alastair Ingram begins his first season as the women's basketball play-by-play announcer at WVMT-620 AM. Ingram is a native of Bedford, Mass. and a 2008 graduate of Syracuse University. While a student at Syracuse he called football, men's basketball and men's lacrosse action for the Orange.

Following graduation, Ingram served as the play-by-play announcer for Babson College men's basketball and men's hockey. He also called the action for the Boston Breakers of Women's Professional Soccer and the Lowell Spinners, the Class A affiliate for the Boston Red Sox.

GAME DAY PROMOTION | Complete Schedule of Promotions
Saturday is $1.00 dog day compliments of University Dining.

WHO’S NEXT | 2009-10 Schedule | Tickets
Vermont will open the 2009-10 season in Raleigh, N.C. at the Sheraton Wolfpack Invitational. UVM will face Western Michigan in the first round of the tournament, hosted by NC State, at 6 p.m. on November 13. The Catamounts will face either Florida International or NC State in the consolation or championship game on November 14 at 6 or 8 p.m.

Both games can be heard on WVMT-620 AM and on the Internet at SportsJuice.com.

FOLLOW OR FRIEND THE CATAMOUNTS ON FACEBOOK & TWITTER
The UVM Athletic Department has a Facebook page. Click here to become a friend of the department to keep up with all the happenings in Catamount Country.

Fans can also follow the Catamounts via Twitter. The department has a general Twitter account @UVMAthletics and the women's basketball team also has a Twitter account @UVM_W_Hoops Follow @UVMAthletics for general news on the department and/or follow @UVM_W_Hoops for more in-depth coverage of the team, including in-game updates throughout the season.

CATAMOUNTS ALL-ACCESS | Click Here
Visit the Catamounts All-Access page at UVMathletics.com for information on how to get results of your favorite Catamount teams minutes after the conclusion of the game via a text message on your cell phone via eScores. The feature is available to anyone with a cell phone, regardless of cell phone service provider.

Also, stay up-to-date with the Catamounts. Sign up for the Vermont Women's Basketball eNews, offered free of charge by the Athletic Communications Office. Receive all the latest news and notes, as well as complete game summaries for every contest via your personal e-mail account.

Catamounts All-Access also includes links to UVM's other social networking sites like Flickr and YouTube, Vermont's television schedule, live stats, live audio streaming and wallpaper for your computer.

PHOTO STORE | Click Here
Catamount faithful can purchase athletic pictures at www.UVMathletics.com via the Vermont Photo Store. Pictures make great gifts for holidays, home wall art, or office decorations. Powered by Replay Photos, the website will feature pictures of all 18 sports, including game action photos from the 2009-10 season.

GET YOUR GEAR | Click Here
The UVM athletic department, in conjunction with TeamFanShop, has launched its first-ever merchandise and apparel store through the school's official athletic site at UVMathletics.com. The new online store includes hats, polo shirts, shorts, t-shirts, gifts and much more from several leading manufacturers.