FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Indiana Tech women's basketball team opens its home schedule on Monday when it welcomes in T-No. 9 Marian before Grace comes to the Summit City on Wednesday.
 
Indiana Tech (1-1)
 
Monday, Nov. 9, 7 p.m. vs. T-No. 9 Marian University (1-0) – Fort Wayne, Indiana (Schaefer Center)
Wednesday, Nov. 11, 7 p.m. – vs. Grace College (2-2) – Fort Wayne, Indiana (Schaefer Center)
 
Following the Warriors: Links to live video and stats for both games will be available at IndianaTechWarriors.com. You can also follow @INTechWBB and @INTechWarriors on Twitter to catch the action.
 
Head Coach Jessie Biggs: Now in fourth season at the head of Indiana Tech, Jessie Biggs has amassed 44 wins through her first three years, including a 19-13 mark in 2013. That season, Biggs led the Warriors to a 14-7 mark in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) action and a fourth place finish. The Warriors would defeat Aquinas in the quarterfinals before falling to top seed and No. 2 Davenport in the semifinals. The Northern Iowa alum has had five players on the WHAC All-Academic Team, five WHAC All-Conference selections, two NAIA All-Americans, two NAIA Scholar-Athlete and one WHAC All-Newcomer Team selection.
 
Scouting the Opposition: Marian – The Knights are 1-0 on the season, defeating NAIA Division 1 Lindsey Wilson, 98-62, on Nov. 5. Marian has also played two exhibitions against NCAA Division I opponents, Butler and Purdue. Lakan Hasser-Smith leads the team with 27 points, while Dejah Cyrus chipped in 17 points against the Blue Raiders. Jessica Almeida pulled down six rebounds while contributing 15 points.
 
Grace – The Lancers are 2-2 on the year, most recently defeating Trinity Christian, 74-61 on Saturday. Haley Richardson paces the team in points per game, averaging 11.5, while Brooke Sugg is averaging nine a game. Sarah Feasby leads the Lancers in rebounding and pulls down eight a game.
 
Series History: Marian – The Warriors have lost all five meetings to the Knights, most recently falling 91-50 last year. Linsey Masnari scored 19 points, while Baylee Rinehart chipped in 10.

Grace – The Warriors are 3-5 since 2005 against the Lancers, most recently losing 86-55 a year ago. Taylor Seiss led Tech in scoring with 14 points, while Skyler Ortiz added 10.
 
New Rules, Same Game: With the recent changes rule changes in the NCAA, the NAIA has adopted those same rules. Instead of two 20-minute halves, teams will now play four 10-minute quarters. Teams will reach the bonus once its opponents have committed five fouls in a given quarter. 1-and-1 free-throw scenarios have been eliminated in favor of two shots for all common fouls. And teams will now have the option to advance the ball to the frontcourt in the final 59.9 seconds of the game.

Dishing it Out: Senior point guard Rayana Villalpando has been steady as the Warriors floor general, averaging three and a half assists per game while only committing two turnovers. She ranks in a tie for 24^th in the country in assist to turnover ratio (3.5) and the Bellflower, California native has averaged 10 points a game through two games.
 
Stepping Outside: Freshman forward Kendall Knapke has provided a spark for Tech in her first two collegiate games, averaging 13.5 points a game, good for second on the team while pulling down five rebounds a game. Her three-point proficiently however, makes her a matchup nightmare for opposing teams. She is five of nine from behind the arc this season, ranking third in the country in three-point percentage (.556) while her 2.5 triples per game is tied for 45^th in the nation.
 
Stacking Up Against the Competition: The Warriors will take on eight teams who are ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll. Along with opening the season against the Peregrines, Tech hosts T-No. 9 Marian in its home opener on Nov. 9 before traveling to No. 2 Davenport on Nov. 14. The Orange and Black travel to No. 17 Huntington on Dec. 19 and hosts crosstown rival and 20^th ranked Saint Francis on Dec. 20. Other WHAC opponents that made the preseason rankings include No. 21 Madonna and Cornerstone.
 
Poll Thoughts: Tech was picked to finish fifth in the WHAC Coaches' Preseason Poll, receiving 83 votes to finish in a tie with Lawrence Tech. The Warriors finished in sixth last season with a mark of 11-11 in the conference.
 
Staying Close to Home: Freshman Kendall Knapke didn't have to look far away when making her college decision. The Heritage High School product decided to stay in Fort Wayne when she signed with the Warriors last winter. The 5'11" forward averaged 10.5 points per game and 5.3 rebounds in her final prep season with the Patriots and is expected to start right away for the Orange and Black.
 
Carving it Up Again: Senior Taylor Carver will look to lead the Warriors again this season after finishing first on the team in points (14.4 ppg) and second in rebounds (6.7). The former Toledo Rocket was named to the WHAC All-Conference Honorable Mention team last season, and the 6'1" forward will look to control the paint with newcomer Kendall Knapke.
 
Hitting their Mark: Junior Taylor Seiss and sophomore Baylee Rinehart both average double digit points last season, 12.7 and 10.9 ppg, respectively, and also led the Warriors in three-point percentage among those returners qualifying. Seiss, who was named to the WHAC All-Conference Honorable Mention squad, shot 34.1% from behind the arc, while Rinehart made her 30.9% of her three point attempts.