MTSU Lady Raiders success remains with new additions to team
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (BVM) – Rick Insell is in his 17th season as head coach of the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders women’s basketball team, and he continues to develop talented rosters in college basketball.
Through 20 games, the Lady Raiders have composed a 16-4 record while staying undefeated at the Murphy Center at 9-0. Within conference play, they have a 8-2 record and are currently ranked second in Group B of Conference USA. The team has exceeded expectations, but their journey to sustain this success began back in the summer of 2021.
Last season, the Lady Raiders finished the season with a 17-8 record and won the C-USA Championship. They made it to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 14 seed, but they were awarded with the challenge of facing a talented No. 3 seed in the Tennessee Volunteers. The team fought hard, but they lost the game 87-62, effectively ending their season.
Heading into the offseason, the coaching staff knew that the team was going to be losing some key pieces. Their biggest loss came when redshirt senior Anastasia and junior Aislynn Haynes transferred to Mississippi State to play with their sister, sophomore Alasia Haynes. That didn’t stop Coach Insell from bringing in fresh new talent to Middle Tennessee.
Heading into the season, the Lady Raiders brought in 10 new players consisting of an influx of transfers and highly-touted freshmen. With a new team, Insell emphasized patience with this new group of talent.
“We’ve got so many new players,” Insell said in a Q & A session. “We’ve got only three young ladies back that have played. We’ve got to introduce the rest of them, which is 10 other players, to what’s going on. Our terminology, how hard we want to play, what we want to do in every situation.”
Despite the new additions, the Lady Raiders wasted no time in their preparation to get better. In their first game of the season, the team defeated VCU 70-49 with their outstanding shooting. Their ability to knock down three pointers left coach Insell impressed.
“We can shoot the heck out of the basketball,” Insell said in a press release. “If we get any kind of look, we’re going to let go. I think one of those out there was about 50 foot.”
During their impressive start, freshman Jalynn Gregory earned two C-USA Freshman of the Week honors. Her level of success might have shocked everyone else, but not coach Insell. “Jalynn has played well but that is not surprising to me,” Insell said in a press release. “She’s a winner. I saw her do these types of things in high school so nothing she does surprises me.”
Later in the season, the Lady Raiders swept through C-USA weekly honors when junior Kseniya Malashka and freshman Anastassia Boldyreva earned Player and Freshman of the Week honors. “Both of those young ladies are deserving of this recognition,” Coach Insell said in a press release. “They continue to improve and play a key role in the success of our program. It’s not just the numbers they put up but it’s the impact they are making in the framework of the game.”
With eight games left in the regular season, the Lady Raiders will look to finish strong and work their way to a C-USA Championship and another appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
