GRINNELL, Iowa – Last season, the Grinnell College women's basketball team was knocking on the door of the Midwest Conference Tournament.

The Pioneers have high hopes of stepping through that doorway in 2012-13.

Last season's squad went 12-11 overall and 11-7 in the Midwest Conference, both best marks for the program since the 2003-04 season. Grinnell tied for third in the MWC but missed out on making the league's postseason tourney on a tie-breaker.

Sparking this season's team is 6-3 center Michelle Briggs '13, an All-MWC performer last season who finished as the league leader in rebounds (9.4 a game) and blocks (3.8). She ranked eighth nationally in the latter category and is just eight blocks away from tying the league's career record in that department.

“Michelle is coming back after a dominating performance last year in which she averaged a double-double in conference play,” said Grinnell coach Kate Gluckman. “She will be the center of what we do on both ends of the court. She is such a tremendous rebounder and shot blocker.”

Other seniors joining Briggs, who averaged 10.5 points a game last season, are 5-9 guard Tolu Alabi, 5-9 guard/forward Isabelle Miller, 5-7 guard Kelly Clarke, 5-8 guard Karen Gogins, and 6-1 center Elizabeth Burnett. Alabi, Clarke and Burnett are captains for the team.

Alabi led the team in steals last season with 1.9 a game, was third in assists with 1.6, third in rebounds with 5.0 and fourth in scoring with 8.4. Burnett was second in blocked shots (1.3).

“Tolu is one of the best athletes on the floor,” said Gluckman. “She's developed into a smart decision maker over the last few years and a very flexible scorer who can shoot from the perimeter and drive the lane. Liz will play a critical role for us. Her leadership comes from the way she practices. She's able to dominate inside with her size and hits the boards well.

“Kelly shoots the ball well from the perimeter and has stepped into a leadership role,” the coach added. “She'll be a nice mix with Michelle in terms of giving us a solid inside-outside presence. Karen is as healthy as she's been in two years and is anxious for the season after recovering from a knee injury. She has a great ability to create shots off the dribble. Isabelle joined us last season and has really developed her knowledge of the game. She's one of the quickest athletes we have and will contribute well in fast-break situations.”

The team has two juniors, 5-4 guard Abby Jaeger and 5-10 guard Rebecca DeGroot. DeGroot averaged 10.5 points a game last season and led the team in 3-pointers with 1.7 a game.

“Becca is one of our top returning scorers and has made a name for herself with her perimeter shooting,” said Gluckman. “She can go inside and outside, and also rebounds well. Abby has the experience to lead the team from the point guard position and will join us after a strong soccer season. We're looking for her to step into a more vocal role and run the team on both ends of the floor.”

The Pioneers' sophomore class includes 5-8 guard Cristal Coleman and 5-11 forwards Alex Plemmons and Jordan Schellinger. Coleman was second on the team in 3-pointer shooting last season with 1.3 a contest.

“Cristal came into many games at crunch time and hit big 3-pointers,” said Gluckman. “We look to her to have a bigger role this season, and will need her to be a consistent scorer game to game. She has increased her strength quite a bit and has improved her ball handling and decision-making ability. Alex returns at the small forward position and has a knack for getting the ball inside. She's a solid contributor and we'll need her to expand that role this year. Jordan is a passionate team player and always works hard in practice. She also has developed a nice mid-range shot.”

The first-years are point guards Alissa Hirsh and Jordan Matosky and shooting guard Anne Boldt. “All three of them are excellent scorers who can move the ball up the court and shoot from the perimeter,” Gluckman said. “Their knowledge of the game will help us a lot.”

Gluckman sees many strengths with this season's squad. “Our defensive prowess allowed us to keep many teams under their scoring average last season and win games, and we look for that to continue,” she explained. “We should be able to out-rebound every team we face and I think we'll be able to score in many ways with several people contributing.”

As for areas of concern? “We need to make sure we take care of the basketball,” she said. “We have to take calculated risks when passing the ball and not throw it away. If we do that, we'll be fine.”

The coach hopes her team will be in the MWC mix at the end of the season. “Teams like Lake Forest, Monmouth and St. Norbert will continue to be strong,” she said. “But we expect to be in the Midwest Conference Tournament. Another goal is to be more competitive in our non-conference games. That will prepare us for conference play later in the season.”

Gluckman is assisted by Amanda Reckamp. “I'm excited to have Amanda back for a second year,” she said. “Her knowledge of the game and guard play is a huge plus.” Joining Reckamp on the bench will be volunteer assistant Lisa Behrends. “We also welcome back our managers, Shelby Carroll '13 and Jacqui Vautin '13, and welcome Gweena Ihrie '15 as a new manager.”