SIOUX FALLS, S.D. –The Augustana women's basketball team enters the 2014-15 year looking to re-establish its position amongst the top of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference after a disappointing 16-12 season last year.

Head coach Dave Krauth enters his 26th season as leader of the Vikings. Last year, Krauth made history by becoming just the 20th head coach in Division II women's basketball history to record at least 500 wins in a career, all coming while coaching at Augustana.

The Vikings bring back several key pieces from last year's squad who are determined to return to the NCAA Tournament after missing the dance for the first time since the 2010-11 season.

"Our regular goal is to get into the postseason, and that really starts with our conference tournament. Ultimately, you like to get into the NCAA Tournament," Krauth said. "We have a young team this year, and I think focusing on something like that might be putting the cart before the horse, so we're just going to focus on getting better as fast as we can early in the year."

Augustana returns only one senior this year in Shaunteva Ashley. The Sioux Falls, S.D. native was a dominate force for the Vikings last year in the backcourt. Ashley averaged career highs in points per game (18.1), assists per game (4.1), field goal percentage (48.6 percent), minutes per game (33.3), and threes made (40).

The former Roosevelt High standout really took her game to a new level at the start of 2014, becoming a hyper-efficient scoring guard for Augustana. Over the final 18 games of the year, Ashley averaged 21.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per contest. The senior also became the ninth player in team history with at least 1,000 points, 300 rebounds, and 300 assists in her career in 2013-14.

"I look to her with both her play and leadership. That is going to be a fairly obvious thing to us," Krauth said of his senior guard. "Just like our team as a whole, I would like to see her become as efficient as she can be. One of the things she will have to guard against is trying to do too much this year, being the only senior and best player we have coming back. I'm really hoping she has the kind of year that is she capable of having. If she does, that bodes well for us being a very competitive club."

Joining Ashley in the backcourt is junior Sophie Kenney and redshirt freshman Allie Koehn. Kenney provided solid relief last year off the bench for the Vikings and looks to take on a bigger role. The Fargo, N.D. native dished out 2.1 assists per game in 28 contests last season, and turned in a near triple-double performance against Midland last year. Koehn looks to bring her outside shooting to the team after sitting out 2013-14.

"With Sophie, I really think her improved play and maturity is going to show this year," Krauth said. "[Sophie] is just an excellent ball-handler and distributor, and I think those are some things we will look to get out of her more than anything else. If she can do some scoring and be a leader on the defensive side of the ball, I think she can have a big year."

Augustana looks to have a variety of options to fill out its perimeter lineup. Sydney Rome brings a three-point threat to the lineup. Rome appeared in 23 games last year, averaging 4.2 points per game. The former Roosevelt High star made six threes against Presentation last season. Joining Rome on the perimeter are the O'Farrell twins, Presley and Logan, who redshirted in 2013-14. Hayley McCarron looks to provide some quality minutes after making 20 starts during her freshman campaign.

"We obviously will have depth with our wing and combo-guard type of players, but most of them have no or very little experience," Krauth said. "We will have to do a lot of sorting out, both there and at the post position. I think all of our players are very capable. It might be different situations and different lineups that prove to be suitable for different players."

The Vikings added a serious infusion of height and size, something that was an issue last year, to the roster during the offseason. Allie Sievert, Naomi Rust, and Nicole Kerkhoff all return this year, each bringing a different style of play to the post. Sievert provides Augustana with a rebounding presence, Rust with the physical style of play, and Kerkoff with some low-post scoring abilities.

"Our post defense last season was something that jumped out to me about midseason, and I would like to have a little more presence there," Krauth said. "Again, we're talking about a number of kids that haven't played yet or have very limited minutes in their first year. That is an area where we have to let them compete and see who rises to the top, but I think we will be a little stronger and more capable on both sides of the ball in the low post this year."

A plethora of new faces are set to join Augustana for the 2014-15 season with the addition of seven true freshmen this past offseason. Erin Benson, Chelsey Guetter, Paige Peterson, Lynsey Prosser, Shelby Selland, Allie Walter, and Emily Wimmer all look to make an impact on the roster and compete for minutes this year. Benson and Prosser add depth in the backcourt, while Guetter, Peterson, Selland, Walter, and Wimmer bring some height – all five are taller than six feet – and size down low in the paint.

"I think they are a very competitive group and bring different things to the table," Krauth said of his freshman class. "Some of them may appear to be similar size on paper, but their games are different. I've been encouraged by what I have seen, but that zero-experience factor rears its head a little bit. I'm hoping that comes along faster than what normal expectations would be. If they do, I think eventually this will be a very good class for us."

The Vikings open up the season at home in the Elmen Center against Chadron State on Nov. 14, part of a five-game, two-site homestand to start the year. Augustana makes its debut at the newly renovated Sioux Falls Arena in a matchup with Dakota Wesleyan on Nov. 19 at 6 p.m.

A trip north for the North Star Invitational in Fairbanks, Alaska over Thanksgiving break closes out the non-conference portion of Augustana's schedule. The Vikings will play three games in three days during the tournament.

"With the [Sioux Falls] Arena putting their best foot forward and trying to make it our home court, I think that has some obvious advantages over the years we tried doing it in the past," Krauth said. "I am excited about just seeing what we can build out there in terms of atmosphere and tradition. It is just an excellent basketball court. I hope our kids are enthusiastic about playing there."

Augustana opens the 2015 portion of its schedule with rival Sioux Falls on Jan. 2 at the Stewart Center. The game is part of the Mayor's Cup Challenge between the two schools.

February gives the Vikings a chance to rest from the road trips with back-to-back weekends at home, a key spot for the team to make a strong push towards building momentum for postseason play.

The Vikings close out the season on the road in a matchup at Winona State on Feb. 21.

The NSIC Tournament begins four days later with the first round of play being held at the higher-seeded team's court. The remaining rounds are scheduled to be played at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The NCAA Championships are set to begin on Mar. 13.