STEVENS POINT, Wis. – UW-Stevens Point head women's basketball coach Shirley Egner is excited to begin her 31st season leading the Pointers. UWSP is returning one senior, four juniors, four sophomores and bring in five freshmen.  This season, the Pointers plan to play position-less basketball with more reliance on player depth, versatility and authority to make their own decision on the court.

UWSP is looking up to their only senior, Carly Cerrato (De Pere, Wis./De Pere), to lead them on and off the court and be the glue that holds them together.  She led the team with 56 three-pointers and 816 minutes played.  Egner trusts that Carly knows what it takes to get the job done and will be someone others are able to look up to.

Also returning for the Pointers are junior Bailee Collins (Milton, Wis./Milton) and sophomore Amber Baehman (Plainfield, Wis. /Tri-County).  Both received All-WIAC honorable mention last season and Egner is excited to see them back in action.  Baehman led the team in scoring (316), averaging 13.2 points a game, rebounding (180) and steals last season (29).  Collins led the Pointers in field goal percentage (.511), was second in rebounds (134) and third overall in scoring last season (262).

"Amber and Bailee give us that inside-outside punch and, quite honestly, they are bringing a lot of competitive spirit," Egner said.

This season, Egner hopes to not have to rely on her top returning scorers for all the team's points. Freshmen Grace Myklebust and Jamie Pfeifer were previously high school teammates, so they work well together on the court.  They are both physical players with great range.  Egner is looking forward to seeing how they form into collegiate basketball players in the WIAC conference.

This season, taking over at point guard is junior Taylor Greenheck (Sauk Prairie, Wis./Sauk Prairie).  Egner stated, "She's really welcomed the challenge that we have given her as a junior as a primary ball handler."  Egner expects her to become a top defender on the perimeter and become a leader on the court.  Greenheck led the team in three-point shooting percentage (.345) totaling 20 on the season.

"I feel like we have three perimeter scorers out there with Greenheck, Baehman and Cerrato out on the floor, which I think strengthens our ability to compete," Egner said.

Also returning for the Pointers are juniors Erin Moran (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) and Kellan Schmidt (Edgerton, Wis./Edgerton). Schmidt is a strong player for UWSP returning with 122 rebounds and 176 points last season.  Moran saw the court in 25 games.  She had 39 total rebounds and 40 points on the season.

Sophomore returners include Jordyn Ellis (Winneconne, Wis./Winneconne), Jessica Slowik (Elcho, Wis./Elcho) and Chelsey Van Gompel (Appleton, WI/East). Ellis saw the court in 22 games last season and totaled 28 points.  Slowik led the team with a perfect free throw percentage (4-4) and saw the court in 21 games.

Also joining the team this year are freshmen Laynie Bessette, Sam Cappadora and Dani Ernst.  Egner is excited to see how all perform while transitioning to the colligate level of play.  She expects big things from her freshman class and cannot wait to see them grow as individuals.

This season the Pointers are going to be challenged all season starting with their non-conference schedule.  Egner does not want to shy away from any team that is interested in playing them no matter the competition.  On their schedule are a few NCAA Tournament teams from last season so the Pointers will be challenged and battle-tested to prepare them when they start conference play in January.

"There is more to what we do than just wins and losses.  We are trying to mentor young women to be the best people they can be day in and day out, and our success isn't always measured by wins and losses," Egner stated.

Egner is looking forward to starting the season and seeing how the women handle themselves out on the court when things get tough.  She hopes they are able to stay strong as a team to pursue success this season.

UWSP is picked to finish seventh in the WIAC according to the preseason poll.  Last season, the Pointers finished four wins in WIAC play and five home wins on the season.

The Pointers kick off the regular season on Tuesday (Nov. 12) at Northland College.  The game will begin at 5:30 p.m.