FOREST, Va. --- Basketball was the first ODAC sport in action in January following a long layoff due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now it returns to its traditional footprint with the 2021-22 season kicking off on Friday, November 5. Roanoke College women's basketball appeared in its first ODAC title game since 2011 and finished as the runner-up to the University of Lynchburg. The Maroons have been predicted to make a return trip to the conference finals as they top the ODAC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll.

Roanoke collected 118 points powered by nine first place votes to lead the annual survey of the league's head coaches. Randolph-Macon College picked up two first place considerations as part of a 105-point haul. Washington and Lee University gathered 95 markers to rank third, while Shenandoah University earned 91 tallies to sit fourth. Reigning champs Lynchburg received the remaining top nod to round out the top-five with 84 points.

In the sections below, we look back to what we saw during the late winter and spring season and take a look at what to expect entering the new campaign. Be sure to check out the capsules at the bottom of this page for a more targeted view at each squad entering the new season.

2021-22 ODAC TOURNAMENT | BRACKET

• For the first time in more than 30 years, the ODAC Tournament was competed all on-campus with 10 teams qualifying for postseason play
• Teams needed to have played at least four league games to earn the highest seeds with the remainder of the field filled at-large by those active
• Second-seeded Lynchburg hosted #4 Roanoke for the ODAC crown
• The Hornets punched their tickets to the final by defeating #7 Emory & Henry, 71-64, in the quarterfinals and then earning an 87-75 victory over #3 Washington and Lee in the semifinals.
• The Maroons opened with a 74-58 triumph over #5 Shenandoah in the quarterfinals and then posted an 88-58 victory over #9 Ferrum in the semifinals.
• In the championship, Lynchburg led by four after the first quarter, but that edge was halved by halftime with the Hornets going into the break up two at 32-30.
• The game was all-square at 50-50 following the third period, but Lynchburg held Roanoke to just 4-of-15 shooting in the fourth quarter and made 11-of-18 free throws to post a 67-61 victory.
• Lynchburg lifted its second overall ODAC trophy, joining the hardware it hoisted in 2016.
• ODAC Player of the Year Abby Oguich led Lynchburg with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Lizzie Davis and Maggie Quarles dropped in 11 points each; Sammi Sever came off the bench for 12 points and six boards.
• Bench scoring led Roanoke with Rose Sande burying five three-pointers on the way to 15 points, while JaBryah Haverkamp posted 14 markers; ODAC Defensive Player of the Year Whitney Hopson finished with nine points, five boards, and three steals.

NEW ON THE SIDELINES
Three ODAC schools have new coaches sitting in the lead chair entering the 2021-22 season. All, however, are not new to the ODAC or necessarily the programs in which they are now leading. Jason Asbell is now the head coach at Bridgewater College after previously serving as an assistant to former Eagles' mentor Sarah Mathews, who headed a few hours south to take the reins of the Guilford women's squad. Allison Nichols is now a member of her fourth ODAC program after playing for Jean Willi at Bridgewater, serving as the head coach at Randolph and most recently as an assistant coach at Roanoke, and now takes over as the head coach at defending champion Lynchburg.

While not new at Randolph-Macon, Lindsey Burke is looking forward to a more complete second season in Ashland after getting to see her team in action for just four games during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season.

BACK IN ACTION
While all active teams conducted a greatly reduced schedule from previous campaigns in 2020-21, two schools did not compete at all due to the COVID-19 pandemic and management protocols. Guilford College and Hollins University both return to action this season with rosters full of athletes eager to get back on the court. New head coach Sarah Mathews leads a Quakers squad that features 2019 ODAC and D3hoops.com South Region Rookie of the Year, Lindsay Gauldin. Head coach Emilee Dunton boasts what she describes as a high energy roster led by 2020 All-ODAC Second Team point guard Kayla Surles.

RETURNING ALL-ODAC TALENT | 2020-21 ALL-ODAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL AWARDS
Due to the uneven number of games played by ODAC teams in 2020-21, the ODAC women's basketball coaches selected one large All-ODAC Team of 18 players rather than differentiate between the conference's traditional three award-team framework. A total of 11 All-ODAC standouts return with three special award winners. Roanoke point guard Whitney Hopson is back in Salem after earning ODAC Defensive Player of the Year laurels last season. Randolph welcomes the return of combo guard Kylie Stark following an ODAC Rookie of the Year campaign. Shenandoah forward Olivia Weinel was tabbed the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the league's athletic communications personnel in 2020-21.

Returning from the 2020-21 All-ODAC Team...

• Kayla Cabiness -- G, Ferrum
• Lizzie Davis -- G, Lynchburg
• Kylie Stark -- G, Randolph
• Becca (Arrington) Anthony -- G, Randolph-Macon
• Renee Alquiza -- F, Roanoke
• Kristina Harrel -- G, Roanoke
• Whitney Hopson -- G, Roanoke
• Sarah Sondrol -- F, Shenandoah
• Sierra St. Cyr -- G, Shenandoah
• S'Zahria Jones -- G, Virginia Wesleyan
• Megan Horn -- G, Washington and Lee

THE 2021-22 SCHEDULE AND TOURNAMENT

• The 2021-22 campaign returns to its traditional split season format beginning on Friday, November 5; this in itself is a few days earlier than in previous seasons with the NCAA start date of November 8 falling on a Monday; special rules permit games across the Division to start on Friday, 11/5
• ODAC teams will play as many as seven non-conference games in addition to 18 ODAC contests (25 total regular season games permitted)
• ODAC teams will play each league team once and seven twice with nine home and nine away outings
• The top-10 teams by ODAC record in the league standings will qualify for the ODAC Tournament
• The first round is slated for Tuesday, February 22 at the #7 and #8 seeds
• The two winners will join Seeds 1-6 at the Salem Civic Center for the conference's traditional tournament framework that features four quarterfinal games on Friday, February 25, both semifinal contests on Saturday, February 26, and the championship on Sunday, February 27
• The NCAA Tournament, which has not been competed since March 2019, will be announced the following Monday on www.ncaa.com. 

For more information on ODAC women's basketball, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.  Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.