Pioneer women’s basketball will use early season road trips to continue bonding

Platteville, Wis.- Head Coach Kelly McNiff and the University of Wisconsin-Platteville women's basketball team will use the eight-road contest and nearly 2,000 miles on the road before a home contest to continue to bond as a team – something that has already started.

"The time we have already spent together in the locker room, at practice and going to athletic events has been a huge asset already," McNiff said. "We are definitely ahead of the game with bonding and team chemistry. The early season road trips will add to that."

The first road trip will be on Wednesday, Nov. 3 when the Pioneers head north to face Division I UW-Green Bay in an exhibition game. The Phoenix, arguably the best Division I program in the state, will be a tough battle and a learning experience for the Pioneers. 

"It is a great opportunity for our players to see that there is another gear," McNiff said. "Even though we may be practicing hard and feeling good about ourselves, it will be a good look to say we are still struggling in this area, this area and this area. And if we do two or three things well, regardless of score, we can build off that as well. It will be good for our players to see some of the best players in the state and be on the same floor. UW-Green Bay is well coached and play great defense, it will be a good test. After that game we can look at film and say this is where we are at, this is where we could be, and this is where we should want to be at."

Things do not get easier for third year head coach McNiff and the Pioneers. Following the exhibition game with UW-Green Bay, the Pioneers will face teams early and often that are pre-season ranked or receiving votes from d3hoops.com.

"We will play a lot of good teams prior to conference," McNiff said. "Teams with different styles that will get us battle-tested for the WIAC."

The Pioneers welcomed back senior Maiah Domask for a fifth year. Domask averaged a double-double in the shortened 2021 season. The three-time All-WIAC performer put up 15.3 points a game while grabbing 11.6 boards a game.

McNiff will look to seniors Taylor Gilbert and Allison Heckert to help take the load off Domask. "I believe it is Taylor Gilbert's time to shine," she said. "She has the athleticism and tools are there to be a second scorer and rebounder. We have gotten on her the last two year we have had her, this is a great opportunity for her as a senior."

Heckert will still be relied on for her defense, but McNiff feels she can be a threat on the offensive side of the court as well. "We rely on Allison's defense and shutting down the opposing team's best player. That will still be the case this year, but I feel she can be a threat offensively for us, especially from the outside," she said.

With the shortened season and only conference games, the returning freshmen were thrown into the WIAC fire from game one. Getting back to a more traditional year of non-conference leading into conference, McNiff is excited to see the younger players grow.

"Liliana Guerra was thrown into the fire right away vs. UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater, teams that like to pressure. She definitely got her feet wet and then some," McNiff said. "She will have confidence from that and she worked hard over the summer on her ball handling and other things. I am excited to see what she can do for us running the point. She has enough confidence in herself and her getting her feet wet last year will help. It will be nice to see her play vs. some non-conference teams to continue to get that experience."

Another sophomore who saw playing time that will provide some depth in the front court is Sarah Muller. "She has all the tools," McNiff said. "She can be an inside outside threat for us. She played a lot of minutes for us. She will be able to spell Maiah and Taylor."

Sophomore Addison Baierl saw limited time in 2021 coming off an injury during her senior year at Columbus Catholic, but McNiff sees the potential she has.

"Addie is like a newcomer for us," McNiff said. "She didn't get a lot of time last year coming off the knee injury. It was tough to find her a spot, as she was rehabbing the injury. She has a lot of tools and has a chance to be a huge asset for us. This past summer was her summer to play basketball and not worry about rehab and coming back from the injury. We are really excited to see what she can do for us."

McNiff dipped back into the local high school to sign Fennimore High School product Brynlee Nelson.

"Brynlee is super athletic," McNiff said. "If we can get her to play within herself just a little bit, she can do a lot of good things for us."

Another true freshman that will push for playing time is Barb Kling. "Barb has really picked up things on the defensive end, quicker than I thought some of our new players would," McNiff said. "She plays a lot like Allison and can be another defender we can play off the bench." 

Returning to a full schedule, McNiff wonders how the sophomores and freshmen will handle the change. "Even though we had games last year, it was one opponent for two games," McNiff said. "We changed the way we scouted and got ready for those games. This year will be our normal scouting. Between basketball IQ and understanding the scouting report, it is like a homework assignment. Just seeing how our players react to that, especially our new players and sophomores, because it will be different and a lot more information to retain." 

2021-22 Schedule

To follow the Pioneers all season, visit www.Letsgopioneers.com for links for live stats, postgame recaps and links for the contests that are live streamed. Follow the official social media accounts of Pioneer Athletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.