ELMHURST, Ill. - After a disappointing finish to the 2011-12 season, Elmhurst College women's basketball coach Tethnie Carrillo is ready to put last year in the rear view mirror and return the 2012-13 squad to the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament.

Starting with a promising 5-2 record early in the CCIW season last year, the Bluejays faded down the stretch, dropping their last five contests and missing the conference tournament while Carrillo was forced to miss the final few weeks of the season due to pregnancy complications.

"Last year was tough for both our team and for me personally," said Carrillo. "[Assistant Coach] Todd Scheuerman did a great job while I was gone, but it was frustrating for me to not be around our team while they were struggling. I think they learned a lot from last year and are ready to take a step forward in 2013."

With the loss of four-year starters Meghan Merklein and Megan Ney, Carrillo's squad will be looking to senior Kim Schwerdtmann, junior Devin Vaughn, sophomore Fiona McMahon, and junior transfer Karen Senette to take on a leadership role as co-captains.

"Kim missed all of last season with an injury, but I believe she learned a lot by sitting back and watching her teammates on the court," said Carrillo. "Devin has improved her game each year and Fiona took some big strides in the offseason to really work on her game. Karen is in her first year with the team, but she earned her teammates' respect right out of the gate to become a captain for us."

In addition to serving as a captain, Carrillo expected Senette to fill the role as starting point guard. Last season, Senette played in 31 contests for Judson University and finished as the Eagles' team leader in assists (115) and free throw percentage (.887) while averaging 9.4 points per game.

"Karen comes into the program with experience under her belt," said Carrillo. "She is a great distributor and floor leader. She can also attack the basket or knock down shots from the outside."

Elmhurst has no shortage of depth at point guard with junior Jordan Maisto and sophomore Paige Picciotti also returning. Maisto started every game last year and averaged 4.5 points per game and ranked second on the team in assists (83) while Picciotti appeared in 16 contests.

"Jordan is still going to be playing a major role for us on the court," said Carrillo. "She's a terrific outside shooter and we want to get her more involved in our offense. We'll be looking for Paige to step up her game as well after a year of experience under her belt."

Carrillo is excited about her freshmen crop of point guards: Whitney Shaffer, Katie Swanson, Claire Monroe, Michaela Strehlau, and Courtney Spencer. "We have a group of freshmen point guards who could all contribute right away for us. They're excellent at getting to the basket and also with their three-point shooting."

Carrillo will look to Vaughn to return to her starting role in the Bluejays' backcourt after averaging 7.8 points per game and leading the squad in assists last season (106). After missing the 2011-12 season, Schwerdtmann is also ready to contribute again for the Bluejays this season.

"Devin is very capable of bringing the ball up and running our offense, but we really want her to concentrate on her ability to score this season," Carrillo said. "Kim sat out all of last season with a knee injury but she looks to be healthy and returning to the form she had at the end of the 2011 season where she was scoring in bunches."

At the wing, Carrillo will look to juniors Nicki Shaffer, Haley Roe and sophomore Nikky Moan to make a big impact for the Bluejays.

"Nicki, Haley and Nikky are all capable of helping us as they all can shoot the ball well from the outside," said Carrillo. "But we'll need them to become more consistent with both their offensive and defensive contributions this season."

After a breakout freshmen season, sophomore Tess Godhardt returns to her starting role at forward. Godhardt earned third-team all-conference honors while averaging 12.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season. Sophomores Melanie Schwerdtmann and Chelsea Samuels also provide the Bluejays depth at the power forward spot.

"We're expecting Tess to pick up right where she left off last season," said Carrillo. "We need her to be a major contributor for us on both offense and defense. She's very aggressive under the basket on offense and can be a terrific rebounder as well. Melanie has the ability to pull defenders outside the paint and drive past them but she can also knock down shots from the outside. Chelsea has really developed her inside game and is working hard at her outside game. She's very athletic and quick for her size."

Carrillo will look to McMahon to anchor the Bluejays under the basket. In her debut season, McMahon averaged 6.4 points per game while leading the team in blocked shots and ranking third on the squad in rebounds. Senior Stephanie Mitchell and freshmen Nicole Grynevich and Rachel Sensmeier will also provide the Bluejays added depth in the paint.

"I'm expecting big things this year from Fiona," Carrillo said. "We want our offense to go through her in the paint. I think she is more than capable of being a player who can average a double-double every game. We need Stephanie to take more of an active role in our offense this year and be able to score with her back to the basket. Rachel and Nicole could both contribute as they adapt to the very physical style of inside play in the college game."

Overall, Carrillo believes that the Bluejays have the potential to be a major player in the CCIW Championship picture.

"We know that the CCIW is going to be a battle each and every game," she said. "There are still some very good teams, but there are a lot of question marks as the top teams all lost key players to graduation. Over two-thirds of last year's all-conference team are not back this season and I believe we have the talent and depth needed to compete for one of the top spots in the league and qualify for the conference tournament in the process."

Elmhurst opens the 2012-13 season by hosting Dominican University on November 15.