ROLLA, Mo. – Year two of the Kira Carter era is set to begin this weekend as the Missouri S&T women's basketball team opens open their 2021-22 season with a trip to the Mile High City for an exhibition contest Friday afternoon against the University of Denver before returning to Gibson Arena Monday to officially open the season against Blackburn.
 
The Miners are coming off a 4-17 season, playing a schedule that consisted of GLVC-only opponents and saw significant improvement throughout the course of the season. This season, S&T returns all six of their top scorers from last season, including four who averaged better than 10 points per contest, led by Laura Rodriguez (Gran Canaria, Spain/Baloncesto Torrelodones) (16.0 PPG/3.8 RPG) and Alex Kerr (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph's Academy) (15.6 PPG/10.0 PPG). Kristen Keys (St. Louis, MO/Westminster Christian Academy) (11.7 PPG/3.6 RPG) and Marta Durk (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township) (10.9 PPG/3.2 RPG) are back along with sophomore Eryn Puett (Columbia, MO/Rock Bridge) (5.4 PPG/3.4 RPG) and Jada Lindesmith (Cincinatti, Ohio/Lutheran) (4.5 PPG).
 
Rodriguez led the team with 62 assists and ranked among the top 15 in the GLVC in that category, while Kerr was among the league leaders in blocks (42), rebounds (211) and field goal percentage (.524), while Durk ranked in the top 10 of the league on steals (41).
 
Joining that group are six freshmen, Katelynne Roberts (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville), Lilli Machado (St. Charles, MO/Francis Howell), Whitney Rush (Palm Harbor, FL/East Lake), AJ Agers (DeSoto, MO/St. Pius X), Addyson Kent (North Vernon, IN/Jennings County) and Chorus Davis (Kansas City, MO/Lincoln College Prep), and JUCO transfer Katarina Zagorac (Novi Sad, Serbia/Gymnasium Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj) who look to factor into the rotation this season and provide contributions throughout the season.
 
Last spring S&T averaged 69.5 points per night and shot 44.5% from the floor and 36.7% from beyond the arc while pulling down 35.4 boards per game. The Miners also averaged 13.0 assists and 6.1 steals along with 3.4 blocks per night.
 
Denver (0-1) is under the direction of second-year head coach Doshia Woods and is coming off a 7-16 season that included a 5-9 ledger in Summit League action. The Pioneers opened their season Tuesday night at Air Force, falling to the Falcons 79-62. UD returns their top three scorers from last season, led by Meghan Boyd (15.3 PPG/4.4 RPG) along with Uju Ezeudu (15.2 PPG/6.4 RPG) and Anna Jackson (10.9 PPG/4.9 RPG). Boyd also led the team with 71 assists last season while Ezeudu's 27 steals were tops on the team. Jackson led the Pioneers in three-point percentage last season, shooting at a 39.4% clip while Boyd led the team with 55 makes from deep at a 33.3% pace.
 
Last season, Denver averaged 71.8 PPG and shot better than 40% from the floor and were nearly a 33% team from long range. They averaged 13.2 assists and 5.4 steal per night while turning the ball over just over 15 times per game.
 
Blackburn is coming off a shortened 1-10 season that composed of games against SLIAC opponents, with their lone win coming against Fontbonne 66-60 and will be busy before coming to Rolla, playing at North Alabama Tuesday and Illinois Tech and Concordia Chicago this weekend. The Beavers return nearly all of their contributors from last season, led by Aryanna Harris (13.0 PPG/4.0 RPG) and followed by Mariah Hopson (12.5 PPG/3.6 PPG), Hanna Box (9.5 PPG/4.0 PPG), Courtnee Riley (9.4 PPG/5.2 RPG) and Tallyah Davis (6.9 PPG/3.1 RPG). Five other letter winners from last year's team return this season and are joined by a trio of freshmen as part of a deep roster for BC this season.
 
The meeting between Denver and S&T will be the first between the two schools while Monday's matchup with Blackburn will be the third in the series with the Miners taking both of the previous games, most recently in 2018 by a score of 99-42. Four current Miners saw action in that contest, with Marta Durk (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township) scoring eight points with four boards, Michaela Davis (Keokuk, Iowa/Keokuk) scoring 16 on 5-8 shooting in her collegiate debut, Laura Rodriguez (Gran Canaria, Spain/Baloncesto Torrelodones) scoring 12 points on 4-8 shooting off the bench and Alex Kerr (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph's Academy) scoring 15 points on 5-8 shooting with five rebounds in her collegiate debut.