Over the past three seasons, the Wilmington College Lady Quaker basketball team has won the second most games of any NCAA Division III team, culminating in their National Championship a year ago.

They year they will look to the team's lone senior, Siobhan Zerilla, to provide leadership to help the team to their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament bid.

Zerilla and sophomore point guard Sam Hood are back as returning starters along with six others that received significant playing time throughout the season and post-season run.

Although reaching the highest level possible, head coach Jerry Scheve, in his 15th season, still has the same goals as in previous years.

"We have two goals for this year, and they are the same as they have been every year," noted the 2003-04 DIII News Molten National Basketball Coach of the Year. "First, give your best every day. Second, win the National Championship. Those two goals have not changed since I have been here, and they certainly won¹t change this year. If we achieve the first goal, we will have a chance of achieving the second."

Zerilla, a 5-8 forward, averaged 8.8 points and 10.6 rebounds last season, eclipsing the 1,000 career rebounding mark during the NCAA Tournament and becoming the third Lady Quaker in program history to accomplish the feat. Zerilla is currently within 138 points of reaching a 1,000-point, 1,000-rebound career. She is also just 79 rebounds away becoming the all-time leading rebounder in Wilmington College history.

"Siobhan is our captain and is an outstanding leader," commented the head coach. "She has pushed her teammates extremely hard in the pre-season to get ready for this year. When she is on the court and is healthy, we are always going to have a good chance to win."

Helping fill the shoes left by All-American Tara Rausch and All-Tournament team members Amy Kincer and Emily Cummins and team leader Brittney Morris will be a group of 11 sophomores, eight freshman and a trio of juniors.

"We had a tremendous senior class last year. All four of them were key elements in our program¹s success," Scheve said.

Sam Hood, who last year started all 33 games for the team at point guard, also dished out 149 assists, the second highest single season total in school history while adding 6.4 points per contest. Adding depth to the position will be sophomore Amanda Jones and freshmen Anne Haky and Tiffany Gwin.

"Sam Hood has really picked up where she left off last year, when she dished out 13 assists against just one turnover in the Final Four," said Scheve. "The other three are in a strong competition for the backup position."

At the wing position, the team replaces three of their seniors in Kincer, Cummins and Morris, but returns a handful of veterans along with some newcomers. Erica Smith leads the returners after averaging 6.7 points per game in 27 appearances, including a career-high 15-point effort in the team¹s "Elite Eight" victory over Puget Sound.

Also back are junior Shawna Thomas and sophomore Amy Eichner, who played in 18 and 25 games respectively. Each saw significant action down the playoff stretch last season. Moving to the position will be sophomore Katie Newman, who averaged 2.8 points per game last year in the post. Also returning for the team are Flor Chum, and Britni Lakas. Newcomers include 5-11 transfer Courtney Balser who sat out last season as a medical red-shirt and freshmen Gina Hyle, Jackie Hauke and Ashley Cummins.

"Erica Smith had a great freshman year for us last year, and should be a key player for us this coming season," noted the head coach. "Shawna Thomas and Amy Eichner gained a lot of valuable experience during the tournament. Courtney Balser worked very hard all of last year and this summer to get back into top form. I am excited about what she adds to our team."

At post the team returns Zerilla, along with junior Nicole Koenig and sophomores Kelly Peters, Kara Robinson and Abby Newhouse. Peters was one of just five Lady Quakers to play in all 33 games during the season, providing back-up duties for All-American Tara Rausch, averaging 2.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in just an average of eight minutes of action per game.

Robinson averaged 1.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in playing every game down the Championship stretch while Newhouse and Koenig saw action in nine and eight games respectively. Adding depth to the position are newcomers Katie Streck and Amy Starks.

"Kelly played very well last year as a freshman and has a strong chance to be a very good player for us," said Scheve. "Abby Newhouse is a very athletic post who plays great defense while Koenig is a solid post player who has improved every year. Two of the freshmen, Amy Starks and Katie Streck, may also be big factors for the team."

Scheve is optimistic about their chances for success this year, as a significant number of his players have been through the rigors of a National Championship run. "One of the best things about winning the championship last year is that everyone now understands that our goals in the past have been realistic," said the coach.

"We know we can win a National Championship here. We also know that the best way to do that is to give our best every day. If we all get a little better every day, we can have an outstanding team."

The team starts the season with back-to-back home tournaments, as they host Bluffton, Penn St. Altoona and Ohio Wesleyan in the Damon¹s/Wilmington Inn Tip-Off Tournament before hosting Kalamazoo, Defiance and Whitworth (WA) in the Fred Raizk Memorial Tournament. The team goes on the road for a trio of games before hosting their first OAC game on December 11 against Heidelberg. A week later the team plays in their third tournament of the year, the Franklin College Tournament, where they will face off against NAIA Tournament team Ohio Dominican and will face either Franklin (IN) or Maryville (TN) the next day, both of which earned NCAA Division III playoff berths last season.

"The schedule is always challenging, and that is the way we want it," said the coach. "The OAC will be very difficult as always. Some people say that it might be harder to win the OAC tournament than the NCAA Tournament, and there is some truth to that."