LA MIRADA, Calif. --- One year removed for its first NAIA National Tournament victory in program history, the Biola Women's Basketball team has even higher expectations for its 2009-10 campaign, which tips-off on Thursday night.

While last season was filled with upset wins and program firsts, Biola Head Coach Ken Crawford (5th season - 49-72 overall record) has spent the entire off-season refocusing the team that gave Biola its first NAIA Tournament berth in five seasons and its first-ever win.

The 2008-09 Eagles began turning heads last November with a pair of big wins over nationally-ranked teams and finished with a 20-12 overall record, placing fifth in the highly-competitive Golden State Athletic Conference.

Now, Crawford says, the next step is consistency.

“Right now we are a hiccup," said Crawford. "We don't have the reputation of being a consistent top 25 team. We are expanding what we're trying to do. The seniors did a good job of mentoring the freshman on how we do things, now we are adding to it.”

The Eagles are returning 10 of 11 letterwinners and four of their five starters from last year's squad. The lone player lost was Megann Alberts, a three-time NAIA Honorable Mention All-American  who averaged 15.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game over four seasons at Biola.

Looking to fill that void will be a pair of juniors, forward Jessilyn Conicelli and guard Jennifer French. Conicelli, who earned All-GSAC honors as a sophomore, ranked fifth in the NAIA with 10.3 rebounds per game, second in offensive rebounds at 4.7 per contest and was ninth in field goal percentage at 55.2%.

French was one of the Eagles most consistent performers, averaging 10.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. After a bit of a slow start to the season, French closed out the season by reaching double-figures in scoring in 14 of her final 16 games including scoring 26 points in two games at the NAIA tournament.

Junior center Christina Barclay will be leaned on heavily to provide an inside presence for the Eagles. Barclay who appeared in all 32 games for Biola off the bench, averaged 4.0 points and 4.0 rebounds per game of the Eagles, but is expected to excel while stepping into the starting role this season.

Also among the sea of returners is flashy sophomore point guard Charrise Reece. Reece led the Eagles last season in assists and steals and helped the Eagles turn the corner with lightning quick speed and decision making. She averaged 9.3 points 4.9 assists, 2.5 steals and 3.3 rebounds per game as a red-shirt freshman.

The 2009-10 squad has three seniors who have been the backbone of the four-year rebuilding process. Guards Chelsea De Luca and Elise Paty will split time at the shooting guard position. De Luca scored 5.4 points per game for the Eagles in 08-09, but connected on a team-high 41 three-pointers. Paty was one of the top options for Coach Crawford off the bench last season and shot 30.5% from beyond the arc.

Fellow senior forward Richae Kater will be another player expected to add an inside presence for Biola. She appeared in 31 of the Eagles' 32 games last season, averaging 2.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in just under nine minutes per contest.

Biola also added five new players including a pair of freshman guards expected to add much-needed depth to the backcourt: Jamie Elias, from Santana High School in Santee and Becca DeVere from Nevada Union High School in Grass Valley. Junior forward Deshaye Sells comes to the Eagles from Mount San Antonio Junior College and looks to work into the low-post rotation quickly.

Overall, Crawford looks for the returners to continue to lead the way as well as mature into their new roles in what promises to be a challenging season.

The Eagles begin the year with one of the toughest stretches in school history, playing three NAIA Top 10 teams in three days at the Rotary Classic in Jackson, Tennessee. Of course, the road doesn't get any easier as Biola begins play in the GSAC shortly after returning including facing two more Top 10 teams before Dec. 12.

“We have to get the big wins,” said Crawford. “To improve, we have to be more consistent down the stretch. We lost games down stretch last year because of composure and the right people didn't step up. Everyone should see a big step in experience, maturity, and composure developing in our team.”