Looking to make steady improvements from a 19-8 2013-2014 season, the Missouri Southern women’s basketball team is excited to get its highly anticipated 2014-2015 campaign under way.

A 12-2 home record, 13-6 conference record, and nine upperclassmen on the roster are just three positives second year head coach Ronda Hubbard and the Lions look to improve on this season.

The Lions were picked to finish sixth in the 2014-15 MIAA Preseason Coaches’ Poll released Oct 21. The Lions last season finished fourth in the conference, a conference that saw four different teams win 19-plus games. Both Emporia State and Pittsburg State got five first place votes. Emporia State was chosen to finish first in the conference, with PSU second.

This 2014-2015 Lions squad returns four seniors and two juniors from last season’s 19-game-winning team. The new additions include three junior college transfers: Verjell Bowleg, junior; Tami Morice, junior; and Camila Lacerda, senior. Five freshmen round out the new additions to this year’s squad.

Haley Wolf, a native of Ellis, Kan., begins her first year on the Missouri Southern women’s basketball coaching staff as the assistant coach. Wolf comes to Southern after spending last year working in the athletic marketing department at the University of Kansas.

A four-year letter winner, Wolf played collegiately at MIAA member Fort Hays State, where she graduated with a degree in health and human performance in 2013.

In her first season as head coach Hubbard led her team to the second round of the MIAA Conference tourney. Now, with a year under her belt and another talented roster, Coach Hubbard looks to exceed expectations.

“We are cautiously optimistic,” said Hubbard. “We’ve got five seniors, and I have a lot of faith in those seniors, plus they’re very talented. The big key is how quickly our newcomers are going to mesh into the system, intensity, and style of play of the MIAA.”

The Lions tipped off their 2014-2015 season in an exhibition versus Livin’ The Dream last Friday inside Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. The Lions beat Livin’ The Dream 87-51.

Senior Shawnee Phillips recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Nic Hartzog, junior Sharese Jones and freshman Jordan Dinyer all chipped in 11 points. Junior transfer Verjell Bowleg pulled down five boards, while junior Kenya Brown and senior Camila Lacerda had five and four assists. Four Lions recorded two steals each.

“Success is a journey, not an event, so the first game we played this weekend, it’s just one little cog in the wheel for what we are trying to do this year,” said Hubbard.

The Lions will officially open up the 2014-2015 regular season today at the Fairfield Inn/Pizza Hut Classic. The Lions play Oklahoma Panhandle tonight at 7 p.m. The Lions will also be paying tribute to the winningest women’s basketball coach in Missouri Southern history, Maryann Mitts, on Saturday during the game with Rockhurst at 7 p.m.