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This Week's Storylines:

1. The Winona State women's basketball team tips off its 2014-15 season this Friday at 6 p.m. against Crown College in McCown Gymnasium. It is the first time the two programs have played each other in the regular season, while Saturday's matchup against Trinity Christian will be the first time the two teams will meet.

2. The Warriors played two exhibition games leading up to the opener. WSU started off exhibition play with a 67-51 win at home against Wisconsin-Superior and then lost at Iowa State 64-29 in the second exhibition game.

3. WSU is looking to rebound from last year's unfortunate season. It was the first losing season the Warriors had since Coach Ballard's first season as Winona State's head coach in 2004-2005, mostly due in part to a large amount of injuries and turnover.

4. Winona State returns its second leading scorer from last season Connor Nagle, who averaged 8.7 points per game. She was also second on the team in assists with 56 and led the Warrior defense with 43 steals. WSU also returns NSIC All-Freshman performer Tara Roelofs, who was the team's third leading scorer at 7.7 points per game and was second on the team in both three-point field goal percentage (.364) and free throw percentage (.867).

5. The Warriors this season will be looking for a replacement for four seniors who graduated from last season, including Abby Busch, who was an All-NSIC Second Team performer. Busch led the team in scoring with 16.4 points per game, leading rebounder at 7.2 rebounds per game, and tied for second in assists with Nagle with 56 assists.

6. Winona State made some big additions to the team in the off-season by adding two Division 1 transfers that will be impact players for the team. The Warriors added sophomore center Kayla Timmerman, a transfer from the University of Iowa. Timmerman played in 26 games for the Hawkeyes. The second Division 1 transfer the Warriors added was junior guard Alexis Foley from Illinois State University. In her two seasons at Illinois State, Foley played in 57 games and started 34 games for the Redbirds.

7. The Warriors also made some big high school signings as well that should make immediate impacts on this year's WSU team. Forward Hannah McGlone out of Streamwood, Ill. is a three-time All-Upstate Eight performer and had two solid exhibition games for the Warriors right off the bat. McGlone had 10 points, six rebounds, and two blocked shots in 23 minutes against UW-Superior and scored six points and gathered nine rebounds in 24 minutes against Iowa State. Another big high school signing for the Warriors is MaKena Panning, who saw action in WSU's two exhibition games as well.

8. Scott Ballard is entering his 12th season as WSU's head coach. Ballard holds a 160-130 (.551) record in his previous 11 seasons with Winona State and a 429-264 (.619) record in his 25 years of collegiate coaching.

9. Alongside Ballard will be assistant coach Ana Wurtz and graduate assistant coach Michelle McDonald. Wurtz and McDonald are both former players for Winona State and played together on the 2008-09 as well as the 2009-10 team.  The 2008-09 team finished with a 24-7 and made it to the second round of the NCAA Division II tournament and the 2009-10 team finished 17-11.