ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University women's basketball team is back in action at Hilbert College on Friday, Nov. 7, at 3:00 PM.
 
Head Coach Mike Moskowitz begins his eighth season at the helm of the program.

Last year, the Saxons finished 13-13 overall and 7-9 in Empire 8 play. AU made the E8 Championship Tournament, where it lost in the first round to reigning champion SUNY Geneseo.
 
The 2025-26 roster is quite different, with 10 returnees and four new faces. Coach Moskowitz has seen the Saxons respond very well in the offseason and how they are retooling for this year with new pieces and expanded goals.
 
"We've done a really good job of trying to face potential challenges on and off the court head on," he said. "We've had some really good days of basketball. We had one day that was not up to our standards and our upperclassmen addressed it immediately that day and the next. I'm most excited with how intentional they're trying to be about meeting our standards."
 
Returning for the Saxons is All-Empire 8 Second Team honoree and leading scorer Jaidyn Chest (Mayfield, NY/Mayfield). She led AU with 13.1 points, ranking seventh overall in the E8. Chest tallied 20 double-figure scoring performances, with five of them being 20 or more points.
 
She, along with Briana Dorr (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) have been selected by the team as captains for the 2025-26 season.
 
According to Moskowitz, Chest plays with an edge and shows what it takes to be great in this league. She evolved last year, mentoring first-years and doing behind-the-scenes work. This earned her the team's trust to be a leader. Dorr takes pride in playing hard, doing the little things and always helping the team. She goes about her on court business in a day to day very well. Dorr has earned trust from the team through her leadership.
 
"They're both working day-to-day to get better as they step into leadership roles with a relatively young squad," he said. "They are working through some of the growing pains, advocating for help and trying to figure things out on their own."
 
Two other players that are expected to step up for the Saxons are returning starters in Jayda L. Felker (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post) and Natalee Collins (Waterville, NY/Waterville). Felker averaged 7.8 points and led AU with 20 total blocks. She tallied 10 double-figure performances, including a career-high 15 points at Alfred State on Nov. 17. Collins is the lone senior on the Saxons' roster this season. She led AU with 6.5 rebounds per game while scoring 4.3 points. Collins registered three of her four career double-doubles a season ago. She had a season-high 13 points while matching her career-high 14 rebounds against the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford on Nov. 9.
 
Coach Moskowitz adds four newcomers to the 14-player roster. The Saxons welcome Olivia Van Dewater (Buffalo, NY/Kenmore West), Eileen Hein (Chicago, IL/Loyola Academy), Victoria Hladik (Rotterdam, NY/Mohonasen) and Ashaya Wallace (Elmira, NY/Elmira).
 
"Natalee has been intentional in terms of what we're looking for in her skill development," he said. "Jayda, watching the growth from her first year to now, she understands the expectations. With the newcomers, it's tough to tell exactly how they'll be used, but I think that they bring a wide variety of positives."
 
Not only are there new players, but also new additions to the coaching staff. One of them is a familiar face in Alyssa DiMillo '25. She was a four-year player and two-year captain for the Saxons, appearing in 38 career games. Now DiMillo joins her former team on the sidelines as a graduate assistant coach.
 
"This is the first time that I've been able to hire a former player to staff," Moskowitz said. "It's an advantage for Alyssa in that spot because she knows exactly what to expect. She knows the ins and outs, how this program works and what the players need. It's certainly been a blessing with her."
 
AU opens the season on the road at Hilbert College on Friday at 3:00 PM before hosting Buffalo State for its home opener at Terry S. Galanis Family Arena at 5:00 PM.
 
The Saxons will then co-host the Alfred Tournament. Their first game of the tournament will be against Bard College at Alfred State College on Friday, Nov. 14, at 5:00 PM. The consolation and championship will be played at AU on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 1:00 and 3:00 PM.

AU begins E8 play against Nazareth University on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 2:00 PM. A big part of the schedule is the team trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Saxons will play two teams in the Puerto Rico Clasico. AU will take on Johnson & Wales University on Tuesday, Dec. 16, at 11:00 AM, followed by Mount Saint Mary College (NY) on Thursday, Dec.18, at 4:00 PM.

The E8 Championship Tournament will run from February 21-28.
 
"We have a good mix of a variety of opponents," Moskowitz said. "Some are new opponents that we haven't seen in the non conference. We get started with E8 play against Nazareth in December. Going to Puerto Rico will be great for us in terms of team dynamic building. But we're also playing two really good programs down there. Then the rest of conference play starts in January. The conference has definitely shifted over the last two years. There have been some changes and we're excited to go out and give it our best."
 
AU has been in the E8 Championship Tournament three times as a team. The Saxons' ultimate goal is to win the first conference title in program history. AU knows it has some work behind the scenes to tighten up in order to accomplish it.
 
"We need to limit teams to one possession, force turnovers by being in the right spots, value the ball on offense and take really great shots," Coach Moskowitz said. "We're more focused on quality possessions where we give the opponent our best look."