This year it will be all about youth vs. quality competition as the University of North Dakota women's basketball team steps into its final year of NCAA Division I transition. While the Fighting Sioux return eight players, including three starters from last year's Great West Conference Tournament runner-up team, the lineup only brings with it a combined 10 years of DI experience.

CENTERS

UND's top returner is sophomore center Allyssa Wall. As a true freshman, the North Sioux City, S.D., native led the team in field goal percentage and ranked second in the conference in blocked shots. A 2011 GWC All-Newcomer Team selection, Wall was named to the 2011 College Sports Madness Preseason Great West All-Conference first team.

Wall will be joined inside the lane by junior Katie Houdek and redshirt freshman Emily Evers. After being sidelined due to injury early in the 2009-10 season, Houdek returned as a key reserve for the Sioux last season. With the ability to shoot from outside the lane, the coaches will use her as a forward as well, adding more depth to the lineup and more height on the court.

A native of Grand Forks, N.D., and a two-time All-Eastern Dakota Conference honoree in high school, Evers will have her first chance at the collegiate stage after using her initial year to gain experience.

"Allyssa will be the starter, but we'll also be able to use both Katie and Emily," head coach Gene Roebuck said. "Emily has been looking good for us in practices already, and Katie did a great job stepping in last season. We have a young group in the middle, but they are very talented. Working the ball inside will be a big part of our game this season."

FORWARDS

With the loss of both Corey Lof and Mallory Youngblut, UND's four returning forwards will have to put inexperience aside and quickly step into leadership roles both on and off the court.

Along with Houdek, junior Carly Rothfusz (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and sophomores Madi Buck (Bismarck, N.D.) and Megan Lauck return for the Sioux.

Last season, Buck and Rothfusz both saw significant time as reserves. Originally set to sit out her first season, Buck's redshirt was pulled five games into the season and she quickly emerged as a key player. In her collegiate debut at Green Bay (Dec. 1), Buck led the Sioux in both scoring and rebounds, finishing with 11 points and seven boards.

Rothfusz may have started the season off a bit quiet, but she sure didn't end it that way. As the conference season got underway, she'd seemed to find her rhythm behind the arc and hit a number crucial three-pointers for the Sioux. With the loss of Youngblut, Rothfusz's ability to drain the three will greatly factor into UND's success.

Lauck, a native of Shoreview, Minn., started 19 games last season as a true freshman and was key both in scoring and on the rebound. In her collegiate debut, she scored a career-high 21 points and hit double-digits in the next three games.

"We have more flexibility at forward this year than we have in the past," Roebuck said. "With more depth, we'll be able to put different players at different positions. Each of these players has the ability to step onto the court and make things happen. That will make for some tough competition during practice."

Redshirting this season will be Fargo, N.D., native Meghan Roehrich.

GUARDS

Returning at guard are seniors Charnay Mothershed (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Charnise Mothershed (Phoenix, Ariz.), and junior Nicole Smart (Ada, Minn.). Also battling for time on the court will be redshirt freshman Siri Burck and freshmen Cy'erra Mills (Maple Grove, Minn.) and Brianna Williams (Minneapolis, Minn.)

Charnay Mothershed, Burck and Williams will battle for the point guard position while Charnise Mothershed, Mills and Smart will compete for the start at off-guard.

As the only two seniors, the Mothershed twins will be looked to as leaders both on and off the court. With a year of experience at North Dakota under their belt and an understanding of what it means to play as Fighting Sioux, both are primed to lead this team with confidence, determination and winning on their minds.

The returner with the most experience playing under Roebuck, Smart is ready for a breakout season. An aggressive player who isn't afraid to drive the lane, she will need to remain consistent and confident as she controls the tempo of the game.

A native of Fargo, N.D., Burck had a full year to train both mentally and physically, and after a year on the sidelines, she's more than ready to have her chance in the starting lineup.

Highly successful players at the high school level, Mills and Williams will need to grow quickly if they plan to get the starting nod as the staff has chosen to forgo redshirting the Minnesota natives this year.

Taking a redshirt this season will be freshmen Chelsey Frydenlund (East Grand Forks, Minn.) and Thief River Falls, Minn., native Liza Hoglo.

SCHEDULE

Looking back at the last few years, UND has shied away from the easy route as it made the transition to DI status. The Sioux have faced a number of teams that have played in the NCAA Tournament, the Postseason Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT), and the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI). The team has also traveled to nearly every corner of the United States and has endured several extensive road trips, all in an effort to find quality competition.

"It's nice to have a good record, but we need to focus on preparing ourselves for the future," Roebuck said. "There are a lot of great basketball teams out there and we want to be up there with the best. "

The 2011-12 North Dakota women's basketball schedule includes 13 home games, six games against teams who saw postseason action, a pair of non-conference holiday tournaments, and UND's final Great West Conference Tournament before making the transition to the Big Sky Conference.

"With such a small conference, it's tough to pick and choose which non-conference teams you want to play," Roebuck said. "We have to seek out a number of non-conference opponents, and we try to schedule home and home games as much as we can, but that can be tough. The majority of teams are already in conference play come the middle of the season, and that makes it difficult to get them to commit to a road game in Grand Forks.

"We're going to take the majority of this year's roster with us next year when we move into the Big Sky Conference and it's important this year that we provide them with quality games and quality competition."

- Go Sioux -