MVNU is coming off a 21-10 season last year that marked only the second time in program history that the Lady Cougars had posted back-to-back 20-win campaigns. Over the past three years, MVNU has posted a 66-31 overall record with one National Christian College Athletic Association national title and one NCCAA third-place finish.

"Expectations are high as we return 13 players from last year's squad including our entire starting five,” said MVNU coach Steve Gregory, who enters his 13th season with the Lady Cougars having posted a 180-183 record at his alma mater. "I said last year that we had our deepest team heading into the season with six returners and eight new players (seven freshman and one sophomore transfer), and those new players all have a year of experience with us now. Add in another transfer this year who should helps us right away and I'm confident when I saw that this is the deepest team that I have ever had.”

Junior Seirra Fletcher returns to run the point guard spot after earning American Mideast Conference Newcomer of the Year and NCCAA First Team All-American honors while averaging 17.0 points, 4.6 assists, 4.4 steals, and 3.7 rebounds a year ago. Sophomore Melissa Eickholt (2.5 ppg) will serve as the primary back-up at the position, while senior Lauren Johnson (7.9 ppg and 2.9 apg) could also see some time there when not starting at the shooting guard position.

"Sierra is extremely athletic with quick hands,” said Gregory. "She can knock down the three-pointer or slash to the basket, and she has great court vision to find the open person. She is also a very strong defender and playmaker. She is a great free throw shooter who wants the ball in the clutch, and she knows how to handle the press. Melissa returns for her sophomore year boasting a lot of confidence. She has good ball-handling skills, speed, and a good touch from the perimeter as well as good slashing ability that makes her a complete player.”

Johnson returns at the shooting guard spot where she started all 30 games in which she played last year. Junior Gabby Fowler (2.8 ppg) and sophomores Jessi Drayer (2.2 ppg), Rachel Peelman (1.1 ppg), and Camaranne Myles (1.6 ppg) will also compete for time at the position.

"Lauren is a great slasher, hard-nosed defender, good ball-handler and shooter,” said Gregory. "She prides herself on her defensive prowess and is a great team player. Gabby brings experience as a junior guard and is another strong perimeter shooter who has shot the ball well in the preseason. Jessi and Rachel also both shoot the ball well. Jessi has improved with experience and is a good defender and a natural athlete with good instincts. Rachel is more rugged and plays very physical. Camarrane is a very good three-point shooter who has worked hard to learn our sets and get herself ready to play.”

Junior Alexis Harkins returns as the starter on the wing after earning AMC Honorable Mention accolades last year as she averaged 7.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while starting just 14 games due to battling injuries. Senior Kelli Pollock (6.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, and 17 starts) filled in adequately for Harkins while she was hurt and will be one of the first players off the bench, while sophomore Emily Steveley (3.3 ppg and 4.1 rpg) returns after a solid freshman campaign.

"Alexis is a tremendous all-around player,” said Gregory. "She is a very good perimeter shooter, a good defender, and a slasher, and she has added a post-up game to go with it this year. Kelli played a crucial role for us last year when she moved into the starting lineup. She is a confident shooter with deep range, and she is a very intelligent player who makes plays with her mind first. Emily brings size to the position in a long and lanky frame. She is a very good defender who played minutes and contributed in a big way off the bench as a freshman. She changed her shot in the off-season and I expect that area to continue to evolve during the season. She is also a very good rebounder.”

Junior Whitney Levering will start at the power forward spot after transferring to MVNU following two years at NCAA Division II Northern Kentucky University where she started 23 games as a sophomore and averaged 5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds after being an All-Ohioan in high school. Senior Kellie Jokela (4.0 ppg and 3.8 rpg) adds depth at the position where she has started in 96 of the team's 97 games the past three years.

"Whitney is a very strong perimeter shooter as well as being good with her back to the basket,” said Gregory. "She runs the floor well and has done a great job of coming in and picking up our overall system of play. Kellie gives everything she has and is the most unselfish player that I have ever coached. No one will outwork her. She is all about the team and has been a great leader as one of our tri-captains over the last two years.”

Senior center Amanda Himes returns to roam the paint for the Lady Cougars after leading the team by averaging 19.5 points and 12.3 rebounds as she was named to the AMC First Team, the NCCAA All-American First Team, and an NAIA Division II Honorable Mention All-American for the second straight year. With 1,662 career points and 941 career rebounds, she is well within range of becoming the program's all-time leader in both categories this season. Sophomore Courtney Swart (2.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, and 31 blocked shots) and freshman Hailey Little will both compete for time at the position.

"Amanda has made a significant impact in the low post, but she is also a gifted defensive presence as well,” said Gregory. "She is a great athlete who runs the floor extremely well. She is big, strong, and athletic, and she is an imposing force inside while also being a great rebounder. Courtney had a solid freshman campaign coming off the bench and making plays. She led the team in blocked shots, which speaks to her athletic ability. She is a good defender who has improved her post moves with a year of experience and a strong summer of work. Hailey will also add depth at the center position when she returns from knee surgery in mid-Novemeber.”

"This is a team with confidence and depth,” Gregory said. "We need to avoid the injury bug to critical parts and we need to grow together and understand each other's strengths and weaknesses. We had two double-digit scorers last year and we have plenty of other players who can score. We need some people to sacrifice their scoring in order to get other players more involved and in turn make us better. Last year, we were a good rebounding team, but this year we have the ability to be a great rebounding team. We need to be more physical and hard-nosed on the defensive end of the floor.”

The Lady Cougars will play 11 non-conference games this year including the season opener at Trevecca Nazarene, a home and away series with Bluefield (Va.) College, a home game against Huntington (Ind.) University, and a trip to California to face Hope International (Calif.) University and NAIA Division I No. 2 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) University in a Thanksgiving tournament. Four of the team's first six games will be at home.

The Lady Cougars, who received votes in the NAIA Division II preseason poll and were picked by the conference coaches to finish fourth in the AMC standings, will play 16 conference games – home and away against NAIA Division II No. 7 Cedarville University, Notre Dame College, Malone University, Ursuline College, and Wilberforce University,. MVNU will also square off with NAIA Division II No. 14 Walsh University, Daemen (N.Y.) College, Roberts Wesleyan (N.Y.) College, Houghton (N.Y.) College, Point Park (Pa.) University, and Carlow (Pa.) University once each in their quest for a conference title.

"We have a very challenging schedule ahead of us,” said Gregory. "Opening up at Trevecca Nazarene will be a tough test. We play Bluefield twice and they won over 20 games last year and were at the NCCAA National Tournament. We will also play Huntington, who is perennially ranked in the Top 25. And, there is also the Thanksgiving trip to California to face Hope International and last year's NAIA Division I national runner-up Azusa Pacific on their home court. Then, on top of that you add in what is always a very competitive conference schedule.”

"Our goals are very simple…we want to reach our full potential,” Gregory continued. "We were picked by the conference coaches to finish fourth out of 12 teams. I believe that is very achievable, but I also think we could be much better than that. This is a team that is talented enough to win a conference championship. They have to go out and prove that. There would be no better way to go out than on top for our four seniors.”