ELMHURST, Ill. - The Elmhurst College women's basketball team enters the 2011-12 season looking to put last year in the rearview mirror. Coming off an 18-9 mark in 2009-10, the Bluejays struggled last season, finishing with a 10-15 overall record and a fifth-place finish in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW).

"I definitely expect this team to show improvement this season," said Elmhurst head coach Tethnie Carrillo. "We had high expectations entering last season and we were disappointed with the end results. We struggled with our outside shooting and not having [Former All-American] Lyndsie Long really hit us hard. It seemed as though no one wanted the pressure of being a go-to player in clutch situations last season."

Carrillo is counting on a pair of seniors to become the Bluejays' go-to players this season. Meghan Merklein and Megan Ney are both two-time all-conference selections who averaged double figures in scoring last season. Merklein led the squad in scoring, averaging 13.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while Ney led the squad in rebounding (6.9 per game) and ranked second in scoring (12.8 points per game).

"Meghan Merklein and Megan Ney are both very motivated and driven to not allow last year's mistakes to resurface this season," said Carrillo. "They both have three years of experience under their belt and know what it takes to be successful in the CCIW. They both dedicated themselves in the offseason to shoring up their weaknesses and I expect that they are both in for terrific senior seasons. I believe both players are capable of averaging a double-double for us this season."

Merklein is a three-year starter who earned second-team all-CCIW honors last season and third-team recognition in 2009-10. She enters the season needing just 70 points to break the 1,000-point barrier for her career.

"Meghan is in the best shape of her career right now," said Carrillo. "She worked extremely hard on her fitness and expanding her all-around game. She focused on working on her outside shooting and we're looking for her to have a more balanced inside-outside game this season."

Ney has started 72 games in her career at center and was named a third-team all-conference performer last season. She garnered second-team honors during the 2009-10 season. With 745 career points, Ney is also within striking distance of 1,000 career points at the start of the season.

"Megan Ney is a force to be reckoned with inside," said Carrillo. "She has the experience to become a go-to player in the post in clutch situations. I believe she's capable of being someone who can score at will inside and be one of the best rebounders in the CCIW."

With Merklein penciled into the line-up at power forward, Carrillo will be looking at sophomore Haley Roe and freshmen Tess Godhardt, Nikky Moan, Donnie Taggert, and Chelsea Samuels to provide the Bluejays added depth at the forward.

"Tess adds a lot to our team because she can help us both inside and on the perimeter," Carrillo said. "She's capable of putting points on the scoreboard and defensively, she has the size to be able to guard players in the post and the quickness to stick to opposing guards. Haley knows our system and has a good inside-outside game. Nikky is the type of player who does all the small things we ask of her and Donnie is extremely quick on defense as well as having the ability to score off the dribble. Chelsea can be tough to defend with her ability to score from the paint or shoot from the outside."

Carrillo will call upon freshman Fiona McMahon and juniors Stephanie Mitchell and Katelyn Prible to provide quality minutes in the post.

"Fiona has the potential to be a big addition to our squad," said Carrillo. "She is a natural post-up player who is comfortable playing with her back to the basket. With her size, she should be a great interior defender with both rebounding and shot blocking. Stephanie played valuable minutes for the last two seasons and gives us a post player who is experienced at competing in the CCIW. Katelyn missed all of last season with an injury, so we'll be looking forward to having her back healthy this year."

On the wing, Carrillo will look to sophomores Meghan Fitts and Nicki Shaffer to fill the starter's role. Fitts appeared in 21 games as a freshman despite being slowed by a nagging injury.

"Meghan Fitts was a bit hobbled last season," said Carrillo. "She came on strong towards the end of last season and we're eager to see her build off that success now that she's fully healthy. Nicki is one of the better outside shooters on our team and she's really been working hard at improving the defensive aspects of her game. Freshman Melanie Schwerdtmann could also contribute for us on the wing with her ability to shoot from the outside and also post up in the paint."

At the point guard, sophomore Jordan Maisto returns with a year of experience under her belt. Maisto took over the starter's role midway through the season and finished the season with 43 assists.

"Jordan played well for us last season," said Carrillo. "She controls the ball well and has a nice outside shot when she has an opening."

Freshmen Paige Picciotti and Adrianna Brown are also expected to vie for time at point guard in their first season with the team.

"Paige is a solid point guard who could contribute right away," Carrillo said. "She has a nice outside shot and makes smart decisions with the ball. Adrianna has raw talent that could really develop as she adapts to the collegiate game."

With the loss of four-year starter Kelsey Monroe, Carrillo's squad will be looking for someone to step in and fill the offensive production at shooting guard. Sophomore Devin Vaughn and junior Kim Schwerdtmann are the lead candidates to take over the starting role.

"Devin and Kim are both versatile guards who can contribute at the two-guard or at the point," said Carrillo. "Devin really worked hard on her outside game in the offseason. Kim had some big games for us last season and she's definitely capable of helping us with her outside shooting."

Carrillo knows that getting off to a quick start will be important for the Bluejays to be successful. The Bluejays struggled out of the gate last season, dropping their first three contests of the season. This season, the Bluejays have a favorable schedule with eight of the team's 11 non-conference games being held at R.A. Faganel Hall.

"We learned two years ago that every game counts when we came up a few wins shy of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament," she said. "With eight games at home during the non-conference portion of our schedule, we have a chance to avoid the poor start that's hampered us the past two seasons."

After falling short of their goal to return to the CCIW Tournament last season, Carrillo believes that the Bluejays are in a position to get back to the conference tournament in 2011-12.

"We still have an expectation and goal of qualifying for the conference tournament," she said. "We want to put ourselves in a position where we're back in the top four of the league standings at the end of the season and not looking back at mistakes that prevented us from achieving that goal. Last season, we didn't play very well as a cohesive unit. If we all play together – as a team – we will be very tough to beat."

Elmhurst opens the 2011-12 season by hosting Coe College on November 15.