FAIRFIELD, Conn. – There really is no feeling quite like opening night when the only feeling that surpasses your expectations is that of excitement. The 37th season for the Fairfield University Women's Basketball team will tip-off on Friday night when the Stags host Atlantic-10 foe Richmond at the Webster Bank Arena at 7pm.
 
PROMOTIONS: In recognition of Veteran's Day all veterans and active military personnel will receive one free adult ticket (please provide a valid military ID). Veterans and active military personnel will be honored in our "Hats Off to Heroes" recognition. For a complete list of Friday's promotions click here.
 
SEASON PREVIEW: Every new season brings about some degree of change, which is something the Stags will experience after graduating nearly 60 percent of their scoring from last season. However, sometimes change can be exciting as it allows players to fill new roles to mold the team to it's strengths. Last season, 76 percent of Fairfield's scoring came from post-players, a number that should dramatically change this season as the Stags have one of the deepest guard rotations they have had in a few years.
 
That guard rotation starts with the most experienced position the Stags have returning this season which is the point guard spot. Fairfield has three guards who have experience at the position with senior Macey Hollenshead, junior Kendra Landy and sophomore Sam Kramer. Each player adds something different to the position.
 
Hollenshead brings the experience of a senior who has played in 52 career games with 26 starts. She started all but five games last season and had the best assist-to-turnover ratio among the point guards at 2.4. Landy was perhaps the most improved player for the Stags last season as she shot a career-best .460 from the floor, including a .549 (39-for-71) clip over her last 19 games. Although she has spent most of her time at the shooting guard position, Kramer brings experience as a distributor from past levels. The youngest member of the trio also give the Stags an offensive option as her .353 3-point shooting percentage led all Fairfield guards last season.
 
The biggest playmaker for the Stags last season came from the shooting guard position as Casey Foley also returns to the Stags in her junior season. Foley led the Stags with 98 assists last season and her 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio led the conference and ranked 55th nationally. Senior Kristen McLaughlin and sophomore Erika Schlosser will also add depth to the position. McLaughlin has appeared in 64 games over her career, the second most among active players. That experience and her senior leadership will be vital to the young group. Schlosser is also looking for an increased role after injuries limited her to nine games last season.
 
The shooting guard position will be one of the youngest for the Stags who also add freshmen Eden Nibbelink, Sam Lewis, and Jordan Frye into the mix.
 
Down in the post, the Stags are led by one of the most versatile players in the conference in redshirt senior Samantha Cooper. She will enter the season as the Stags' active leader in: career points (843), rebounds (696), assists (203), blocks (36), 3-point field goals (130), and field goals (273). In fact, the only statistic that she does not lead all active players is steals with Casey Foley recording 53 career takeaways compared to Cooper's 49.
Cooper will be joined in the post with redshirt junior Khadidiatou Diouf, who is expected to see the most increased role on the Stags this season. The only other true post player returning, Diouf played in 22 games last year before an injury shortened her season. Diouf gives the stags length with her 6-3 frame and will be joined by freshman Molly Bauer as the tallest Stags this season.
 
One aspect that shouldn't change this season is the Fairfield defense coming off another solid season. The Stags allowed 57.5 points per game last season, the best number in the conference and the 30th best nationally. Defensive success has been the calling card for Frager's teams. Frager now owns the 10 best defensive teams in program history. All 10 of his teams have allowed fewer than 63.3 points per game, which was the program record set back during the program's first Division I season in 1981-82.
 
FAIRFIELD VS RICHMOND: The Stags will take the court in the earliest regular season home game in program history on Friday, when they meet the Spiders for the first time since 2007. Coincidentally, the last meeting between the two teams was the first game in the Joe Frager era as he enjoyed his first of his now 189 victories as a Stag.
 
Richmond is a team much like the Stags this season as they will rely on their guards throughout the year. The Spiders return eight letterwinners, six of which started at least one game during Richmond's 13-17 season last year. Included in the returners are their two biggest playmakers from last season in Micaela Parson and Kylie Murphy who combined for 233 assists last season (7.8 per game).  The Spiders also bring back three of their top-five scorers from last season with Parson being the leading returner after averaging 11.2 points per game. Jaide Hinds-Clarke, who was Richmond's only member of the A-10 All-Rookie team also returns after averaging 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds during her rookie season. Richmond will try and use their deep stable of guards on offense with their new "Embrace the Pace" mantra. Last season, the Spiders finished third in the A-10 with a 58.7 scoring defense, the 48th best number in the country. The Spiders also led the league and finished 68th nationally in turnover margin (2.30).
 
UP NEXT: The Stags will hit the road for the first time in 2017-18 when they travel to William and Mary on Tuesday, November 14 at 7pm.