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After defeating Freedom Conference opponent Wilkes and falling to Haverford in its last two non-conference contests, the Albright College women's basketball team will return to Commonwealth Conference action when the Lions travel to Grantham to take on the Falcons of Messiah College on Wednesday afternoon for a 6 p.m. tipoff.

In its last two games, Albright had been led by two upperclassmen. Against Wilkes, junior forward Kari Ludy scored a team-high 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting to lead the Lions to a 71-64 victory. Ludy almost hit the double-double mark as well with nine rebounds. Senior guard Jenny Knoebel put in a tremendous all-around effort against the Colonels with 10 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Knoebel followed up that performance with another solid showing against Haverford. She paced Albright with a team-high 14 points on 4-for-6 shooting to go along with six rebounds, and she currently also leads the team in steals (19) and blocks (12). Ludy once again finished in double figures for the Lions while depositing 10 points and grabbing four boards in a 60-48 loss to the Fords.

Freshman sharpshooter Jessica Venturelli tops the Lions in the scoring column on the season with an average of 11 points per game. Sophomore center Meghan Boyle has also been solid while totaling 8.9 points per game, and leads the conference with 9.3 rebounds per contest. Freshman guards Tara Sabotchik and Amanda Tiritilli are two more to watch out for against the Falcons. Sabotchik's slashing abilities and Tiritilli's effectiveness from behind the arc (43.1% on the season) make them dangerous threats for the visitors.

Facing the 10-3 Falcons on their home court will be a tall task, as Messiah is 4-1 at home this season. The Falcons are also in the midst of a five-game winning streak and most recently defeated DeSales 74-56 on Saturday. Sophomore Taylor Miller led Messiah in scoring against the Bulldogs with 18 points, including 3-for-5 showing from three-point range. Junior Dori Gyori posted a double-double as she scored 17 points and snagged 12 rebounds.

Gyori has been Messiah's go-to player this season. She leads with Falcons in scoring (182 points/14 per game), rebounding (8 rpg) and leads the conference with 18 blocked shots. Guard Nicky Hess and forward Kira Maier are two more players Albright will need to keep an eye on. Hess runs the Messiah attack and has a team-leading 49 assists on the season, while Maier averages 10.8 points per game.

Albright currently leads the conference in three-point percentage and will need to get hot from behind the arc to stay with the Falcons. Two other keys for Albright will be limiting turnovers and Boyle's ability to contain Gyori inside.