The University of Sioux Falls women's basketball team ended the previous season on a high note and enter the 2014-15 campaign with eyes set on building off that finish. The Cougars topped the first-seeded Wildcats of Wayne State in the quarterfinals of the  2013-14 NSIC/Sanford Health Basketball Tournament and eight returning letterwinners, including four starters, have plans to improve on their regular season and make another deep run in the postseason.

In his seventh season leading the USF women, Travis Traphagen has weathered the transition into the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and is primed for a breakout season in 2014-15. The Cougars posted 12-14 records in both regular seasons of 2012-13 and 2013-14, but as deep conference tournament run showed the Cougars were capable of more.

A road win over St. Cloud State in the first of the NSIC/Sanford Health Basketball Tournament set up a date with top-seeded Wayne State who also boasted the No. 9 ranking in the USA Today WBCA Coaches' Poll. The Cougars needed a last-second shot to send the game to overtime, but USF took down the Wildcats in the extra period and grabbed a win that showed what the future holds.

Despite a loss to eventual conference tournament and Central Region champion Concordia-St. Paul that would end their season one game later, the Cougars had accomplished much in 2013-14, and the pieces that returned were more than enough to catch the eyes of the conference leaders.

In the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Cougars garnered enough points to be slotted sixth among the 16 conference teams. The Cougars finished the previous season 8-14 in conference, but returned four starters from their NSIC Tournament team that turned heads. While the preseason poll is rarely a true predictor of a successful season, it does show where the talent often lies, especially in a conference as deep as the NSIC.

Leading the talented group is NSIC Preseason Player to Watch Taylor Varsho who looks to expand her role beyond slashing guard and into a bigger on a team that features just one senior while graduating four. Varsho will be complemented well with another USF athlete who has garnered NSIC honors in Sam Knecht, who as named NSIC Freshman of the year.

Varsho started all 29 contests last season and is the leading returning scorer after scoring 14.8 points per game last season. A slashing guard who scored over 20 points five times last season, isn't a one-way player, but a defender who also racked up 56 steals, which ranks third all-time in USF women's basketball history. Varsho, who averaged nearly 2.5 assists last season will be the focal point of the offense but won't be short on help with a strong supporting cast of returners.

Knecht worked her way into the starting lineup as a freshman and became a mainstay there with an impressive rookie campaign. The now-sophomore forward will shoulder a heavier load on offense with departed frontcourt mate Laura Johnson exhausting her eligibility last winter. Knecht should be up to the challenge after averaging 8.4 points per game to go with her 7.6 rebounds per contest.

Joining Varsho in the backcourt are seasoned guards Jaicee Ulmer and Marie Malloy. Ulmer started more than half of last season's games and poured in 10.1 points per contest while Malloy's was USF's top ballhandler with more than 57 assists in 20 minutes per game.

With a strong corps of guards returning for 2014-15, Amber Paden and Teagan Molden figure to be the key newcomers to the starting five in the frontcourt. Paden, the only center on the roster, has received high praise from Traphagen for her improvement through the offseason and her 6-foot-2 frame is an asset that can't be taught. Molden earned 11 starts last season and averaged 4.1 points per game while shooting at a near-40 percent clip form behind the arc.

Brynn Flakus and Alyson Johnsen both saw action last season as guards and will be in the mix off the bench.

Traphagen and his staff also welcome seven newcomers, including six freshman, to the squad. Alison Klostergaard enters her junior season with USF after two years at Northeast Community College. Freshmen guards Haydn Becker, Macy Lynch, Morgan Merritt, and Paige Mriden bring depth to the USF backcourt. Mackenzie Dahl and Moira Duffy both add size to the Cougar post positions as both enter as 6-foot freshmen forwards.

The Cougars caught the eyes of the conference late last season, but with higher expectations in 2014-15, they are now a focal point all season long.