The Waynesburg University women’s basketball team is set to take on its 2017-2018 season. Head coach Sam Jones said he is excited about the team he has this year.

Last season the team won 19 games, the most wins for Jones in his time as the Yellow Jacket’s coach. Even though they lost some key contributing players from that team, several playmakers returned this year.

“Obviously [senior forward] Addy [Knetzer] is a big part of what we do, but I would say [junior point guard] Monica [Starre] is a big part as our point guard as well,” said Jones.

The team this season has a mix of experienced and unexperienced players, with five of the 11 players on the roster being underclassmen. Four of those five are freshmen with no experience on the college basketball floor.

“We are at 11 healthy players right now, so I see us needing contributions from everyone this year,” said Jones. “We need some of the girls who played last year to step into bigger roles and we need our freshmen to contribute as well.”

Jones believes they need to cut down turnovers this season and have a more consistent effort on the defensive end of the court.

Knetzer has been an All-PAC player for the Yellow Jackets the past few years, including a first-team selection this past year. She has already surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career entering her senior campaign.

Jones said that he needs his star player to continue to build off the success she had last season on the court.

“I want to be better than I was last year,” said Knetzer.

She has improved her numbers in rebounding and scoring each year since her freshman year.

Starre will have the duty of playing the point guard again this season. Jones said he needs her to run the offense effectively and set the pace each game.

Another key returner for the Yellow Jackets is senior forward MacKenna Drazich. Last year, Drazich played in every game and will bring some senior leadership to this younger team, according to Jones.

Other returners expected to step up this year are junior guard Julie Deklaven, senior guard Rachel Eng, junior guard Anna Bartman and sophomore guard Erin Joyce.

“We are smaller but stronger, I think we have better attitudes this year,” said Knetzer. “Being as small as we are, it is easier to communicate and get everyone on the same page.”

The Yellow Jackets had the opportunity to prepare for the season in a real game-type situation this past Saturday as the team faced off against West Liberty. Jones was enthusiastic overall with what he saw from his team.

“We have a lot of potential and all our issues were correctable errors, so really I am excited about that,” said Jones.

The team’s first game isn’t until Nov. 17, when they play in the Hampton Inn Tip-Off Classic in Grantham. Until then, Jones said he wants the team to focus on basics in practice that can end up making a big difference, like communication and attention to detail on defense.

The first home game for the Yellow Jackets is Nov. 21, against Bridgewater. The game is scheduled to start at 6 p.m.