ANDERSON, S.C. -- Looking to build off an NCAA Tournament appearance last season and defend the school's Conference Carolinas tournament championship, Anderson head women's basketball coach Jim Brunelli has released the Trojans' daunting 2009-10 schedule. The Trojans, who won 11 out of their final 14 games to close out the 2008-09 campaign en route to posting an overall 18-13 record, begin their quest for a second consecutive NCAA Tournament bid by visiting Atlantic Coast Conference-opponent Clemson in an exhibition on Nov. 2. Anderson and the Lady Tigers square off at Littlejohn Coliseum at 7 p.m. Last season Clemson advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2009 ACC Tournament for the second straight year as the Lady Tigers posted a 14-17 overall record, including an impressive 7-2 slate in non-conference contests at home. "We have completed what we consider a very challenging and demanding schedule," said Brunelli. "We are approaching the Clemson game as the first game of the year. Anytime you have the opportunity to go up against an ACC team it's going to be special, especially with the two schools so close together. It will be a test for us because Clemson is both athletic and strong." Anderson opens the regular season against back-to-back foes that made NCAA Tournament appearances in 2009. The Trojans visit South Atlantic Conference-member Carson-Newman (Nov. 15), which went 19-11 last season and earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament, then begin a season-high four-game homestand by playing host to USC Aiken on Nov. 18. The Lady Pacers notched their third consecutive 20-win season last year, going 22-11, and earned their third NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. "We are playing some of the same non-conference teams that we played last season," Brunelli said "Those teams have been successful in the past and made runs toward the end of last season and did very well." Brunelli's Trojans begin the Conference Carolinas' 22-game double round-robin slate when Belmont Abbey visits the Abney Athletic Center just before Thanksgiving and host their second Peach Belt opponent, Augusta State, on Dec. 1. Anderson matches up against Queens to close out the homestand (Dec. 5), then AU steps out of conference play for its final non-conference contests before taking a break for final exams. The Trojans travel to Wingate on Dec. 16 to face a Lady Bulldog squad that went 18-10 overall and climbed as high as number eight in the Southeast Region rankings at the end of last season, going 18-10 on the season. "It will be interesting to see how well the conference schools recruited," Brunelli added. "We may have lost more letterwinners than anyone else in the league. The teams that did well last year will be good again and the teams that needed to make improvements did just that." The Trojans wrap up non-conference action by visiting Newberry on Dec. 19, which posted an 18-11 mark in 2008-09, including an 11-1 record in the friendly confines of Eleazer Arena. AU welcomes in the New Year on the road at Lees-McRae (Jan. 4) before heading back to the Abney Center for a brief one-game homestrand versus Converse on Jan. 7. Two days later, Brunelli takes his squad on the road to Mount Olive to face Trojans of another sort. Anderson captured last year's conference tournament title with an 83-60 win past Mount Olive, which posted an overall record of 23-7, including a 17-5 record in league action. Anderson will call on Limestone Jan. 13, then hosts St. Andrews in the Abney Center on Jan. 16 before travelling to Coker two days later. Nearby rival Erskine comes to the Abney Center on Jan. 21, just before defending regular- season conference champion Barton closes out the AU homestand. The Bulldogs won 18 league contests en route to notching a 22-6 overall record in 2008-09. Anderson closes out the first half of the conference slate with a visit to Pfeiffer on Jan. 25 that kicks off a season-high four-game road swing. "It should be fun. We came on strong last year so people will be aiming for us," Brunelli concluded. "We need to be ready for that and we want to go out with a bang this season." The 2009-10 Conference Carolinas Tournament will be held March 1-6 at various locations depending on standings at the conclusion of the regular season. • 2009-10 Anderson Women's Basketball Schedule Day Date Opponent Site Time Mon. Nov. 2 Clemson (Exhibition) Clemson, SC 7 pm Sun. Nov. 15 Carson-Newman Jefferson City, Tenn. 2 pm Wed. Nov. 18 USC Aiken Anderson, S.C. 5:30 pm Tues. Nov. 24 *Belmont Abbey Anderson, S.C. 5:30 pm Tues. Dec. 1 Augusta State Anderson, S.C. 7 pm Sat. Dec. 5 *Queens Anderson, S.C. 2 pm Wed. Dec. 16 Wingate Wingate, N.C. 6 pm Sat. Dec. 19 Newberry Newberry, S.C. 2 pm Mon. Jan. 4 *Lees-McRae Banner Elk, N.C. 5:30 pm Thur. Jan. 7 *Converse Anderson, S.C. 7 pm Sat. Jan. 9 *Mount Olive Mt. Olive, N.C. 2 pm Wed. Jan. 13 *Limestone Gaffney, S.C. 5:30 pm Sat. Jan. 16 *St. Andrews Anderson, S.C. 2 pm Mon. Jan. 18 *Coker Hartsville, S.C. 5:30 pm Thur. Jan. 21 *Erskine Anderson, S.C. 5:30 pm Sat. Jan. 23 *Barton Anderson, S.C. 5:30 pm Mon. Jan. 25 *Pfeiffer Misenheimer, N.C. 5:30 pm Thur. Jan. 28 *Belmont Abbey Belmont, N.C. 5:30 pm Sat. Jan. 30 *Converse Spartanburg, S.C. 2 pm Tues. Feb. 2 *Erskine Due West, SC 5:30 pm Sat. Feb. 6 *Mount Olive Anderson, S.C. 2:00 pm Mon. Feb. 8 *Limestone Anderson, SC 5:30 pm Thur, Feb. 11 *Coker Anderson, S.C. 5:30pm Sat. Feb. 13 *St. Andrews Laurinburg, N.C. 2 pm Mon. Feb. 15 *Queens Charlotte, N.C. 5:30 pm Sat. Feb. 20 *Barton Wilson, N.C. 5:30pm Wed. Feb. 24 *Lees-McRae Anderson, S.C. 5:30pm Sat. Feb. 27 *Pfeiffer Anderson, S.C. 5:30pm Mar. 1,4,6 Conference Carolinas Tournament TBD Mar. 12,13,15 NCAA Regional Tournament TBD