BUFFALO, NY - The 2015-16 season of competition for the Villa Maria College Women's basketball team was it's first, but with lack of experience came much success. The Lady Vikings obtained an overall record of 17-8 and possessed United States Collegiate Athletic Association First and  Second Team All-Americans.  With seven freshman and two junior college transfers joining the squad this year, second year head coach Al Monaco will rely on his two returners to lead the way both on and off the court.

Senior Jayvonna Kincannon (Buffalo, NY/Erie Community College) and sophomore Shaquana Owens (Buffalo, NY/Tapestry) are both back for the Lady Vikings and looking to make their presence known.  Kincannon averaged 17.2 points per game last year while leading the team in three point field goal percentage (32.4%) and free throw percentage (65.1%).  Her ball handling skills will be relied upon heavily this year as they are now without Magan Campbell (Buffalo, NY/Erie Community College) who played point guard and led the team in scoring a season ago as a USCAA First Team All American.

Owens - a do-it-all type player for Villa - is coming off her freshman season where she averaged 15.5 points and 11 rebounds.  She also dished out nearly four assists per game as well.  Owens has the ability to score in the paint as well as from beyond the arc.  But scoring is not her only strong suit.  Owens is a great leader and can get her teammates involved as well.  She was named to the USCAA All-America Second Team last year and will be a key piece for the Lady Vikings this season.

Junior transfers Clarissa Walker (Buffalo, NY/Genesee Community College) and Dominique Davis (Buffalo, NY/Genesee Community College) both join the program from Genesee Community College.  Walker will add some much needed size and toughness inside while also giving the Lady Vikings a viable low post offensive threat.  Davis, a wing player and outgoing personality, will be asked to do a lot in her first year with the program.  Primarily a wing player, Davis can also handle the ball and will many times be asked to.  She provides an excellent offensive presence on the wing and can also get to the basket herself at the other end of the floor.

The remaining roster consists of seven freshman, all of which will be asked to step in and contribute from the beginning.  Brooklyn Jenkins (Lockport, NY/Lockport), a 5-foot-1 point guard, is coming off a season where she led the Lockport Lions to a Niagara Frontier League Regular Season Championship.  The team captain led Lockport to the Section VI Class AA semifinals.  She averaged five points, three assists and three steals per game this season as a true pass-first point guard and an excellent on-ball defender.  She scored a season-high 21 points against Kenmore East on February 9.  In that game she knocked down six three-pointers.  In the final four games, with the team's leading scorer out due to injury, Jenkins averaged 11 points per game.  Jenkins, who was described by many as the nicest girl in the entire Lockport High School, has kept up that title at Villa, always smiling around campus and during practice.

Nyree Brown (Buffalo, NY/Health Sciences), a 5-foot-6 guard from Health Sciences Charter School, averaged 11 points, four rebounds and three assists per game.  She also posted an astounding six steals per game.  As a junior, she was a First Team All Charter School selection.  In a season-opening 62-10 victory over Enterprise Charter School, Brown scored 14 points and dished out nine assists and came up with 16 steals.  She scored a season-high 22 points against McKinley on December 23.

Nina Cray (Wheatland, IA/Calamus-Wheatland), is a 5-foot-9 guard/forward who averaged 11 points and seven rebounds per game as a senior.  She also totaled 45 steals and was a First Team Tri Rivers Conference All-Star and a Second Team All Eastern Iowa selection.  As a junior she averaged 10 points, seven rebounds and totaled 39 steals, while shooting 45 percent from the field.  Cray was a three sport athlete in high school, participating in volleyball and track and field along with basketball.  She was a three-year starter in Volleyball and as a senior, was a First Team Tri Rivers Conference All-Star while being named Most Valuable Player of Calamus-Wheatland HS.  She also was a three time qualifier for the Iowa State Track and Field Championships.

Armoni Jordan (Lockport, NY/South Park) is a 5-foot-6 guard who is undoubtedly a play maker.  She was a two-time First Team Yale Cup selection and is the all-time leading scorer in South Park High School history.  She is the only player to ever score 1,000 points in a career.  She will be an immediate contributor for the Vikings.

Joining that list of freshmen are many more who will step in right away.  Ashlynn Banks (Buffalo, NY/Tapestry) is a quick guard who can make things happen on both ends of the floor.  Her energy and charisma make her a perfect match for Villa and with fellow freshman Brooklyn Jenkins.  Leah McQuiller (Lackawanna, NY/Mount Mercy) is a athletic and smart player that can play a variety of positions for Villa.  She can play on the wing and also has the toughness to play in the paint.  Unique Walker (Cheektowaga, NY/Maryvale) is a young, yet growing player and will be able to help right away.  She will do whatever the coaching staff asks and may be called on to be in situations that she may not be used to, but definitely can handle.

Monaco not only made additions on the court.  He also added to his coaching staff, now making it one of, if not the most accomplished coaching staff at any level in Western New York.  Dave Skolen joins the Villa program and his presence will be surely felt by all.  Winner of 467 games in 25 seasons at Daemen College, Skolen has the highest winning percentage of of any coach in the history of the school's athletic program (.635).  He amassed a 241-123 conference record in that time.  In 24 seasons as the head coach, Skolen won two USCAA National Championships, four AMC North championships (2003-04, 2004-05, 2006-07 & 2007-08), two Keystone Empire Collegiate Conference (KECC) championships (1995-96, 1996-97). He was awarded the Conference Coach of the Year recognition six times (1995-96, 2000-01, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2006-07, 2007-08) while also being named the Independents Collegiate Athletic Association Coach of the year (ICAA) in 2012-13. 

Kevin Simpson also joins the Vikings coaching staff after spending time growing and developing the Health Sciences high school program in Buffalo.  Magan Campbell also joins the staff as a Student Assistant, making the transition from the court to the sideline.  After obtaining All-American honors last season, Campbell is hoping to lessen the blow of her loss on the court by assisting those who will be taking her place.  Sister Maria Pares - the toughest woman in whatever room she is in - rounds out the staff as the storied coach returns for her second season.

The Lady Vikings will play 28 games this season with nine coming at home.  They will participate in four tournaments and play schools from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), the Ontario Collegiate Athletic Association (OCAA), as well as the USCAA.

Villa will kick off it's season in Ann Arbor, Michigan with a pair of games against Marygrove College and Concordia University on October 29 and 30.  Follow the Vikings this season on Twitter (@villavikings), Instagram (villavikings), Facebook (www.facebook.com/villavikings) and on www.VillaVikings.com.