The Iona College women’s basketball team was ranked third in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference preseason poll on Oct. 24.

Junior guard Alexis Lewis was named to the Preseason All-MAAC First Team. Lewis performed well last season, starting in all 31 games while averaging a team-leading 15.9 points and 34.8 minutes per game.

The Gaels finished the 2016-17 season with a record of 18-13: 11-4, MAAC. Iona lost to Quinnipiac in the conference tournament semifinals. Iona will try to change its fortune this season and win its second MAAC title in school history.

Iona has a few invigorating additions to the roster. For instance, freshman Olivia Owens, who received MVP honors during her junior year of high school, and freshman Adrienne Digiola, who was an All-League and All-State performer in basketball.

Toyosi Abiola and Rebekah Justice are to round out the freshmen on the team. Abiola, who is from London, helped her last team win both the U18’s and Women’s Division National Championships. Justice was voted first team All-Conference, All-City and All-State as a senior in high school – see page 14 for a feature on Justice.

The Gaels traveled to Canada in August and played in three exhibition games, where they went 1-2.

Iona took on the University of Pennsylvania in a few scrimmages on Oct. 28. The games were short, only lasting around 10 minutes each. However, the Gaels were able to gain some rhythm going into the season.

The combination of intense workouts and being ranked third in the MAAC Coaches’ Poll should boost their confidence level.

The Gaels will play another scrimmage against Sacred Heart before their season opener against Arizona on Nov. 10, where they look to perform well over their opponents, improving their play. Iona’s first home game is Nov. 19against Temple.

Follow @IonianSports on Twitter and Instagram