ANDERSON, S.C. - With three returning starters and a wealth of talent battling for starting positions and playing time, fourth-year head coach Jim Brunelli is looking for the 2011-12 version of Anderson women's basketball to improve and make a run at the South Atlantic Conference championship this season.

Brunelli, who guided the Trojans to three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament from 2008-2010, will have a talented but youthful collection on this year's squad.

"We have to be detail-oriented and improve our communication if we are going to be successful this year," said Brunelli.

After missing the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since the 2004 campaign, the Trojans have many reasons to be optimistic, with an exciting nucleus of returners and four true freshmen.

"I am excited and have been excited since the season ended last year," Brunelli added. "We were competitive last season and although we lost our two top scorers, we have four players returning who basically started at least half the season and played a lot of minutes."

With Brunelli's style, guard play is essential and he will have an abundance of backcourt options to work with this season.

Junior guard Alissa Diaz and forwards Breonda Shannon and Tilde Ahlin comprise the trio of returning starters and will be counted on to provide leadership.

The 5-foot-10 Diaz saw action in all 27 games last season, while starting 26. She was third on the team in scoring at 8.9 points per game and was also third on the team with 55 assists on the season. The native of Coral Springs, Fla. scored in double figures on 12 occasions, posting a season-high 20 points in the win at Mars Hill in early February and added 19 points in the near-upset of Tusculum in the regular-season finale. Diaz also displayed her long-range ability by connecting on a season-high four 3-pointers at Newberry.

"Alissa is the type of player that can make things happen on both ends of the court." Brunelli noted. "She is an athletic guard that can drive, has the mid-range game as well as shoot from behind the arc.

Shannon started the final 17 games of the season, providing an inside presence while leading the team with seven rebounds per game. She ranked eighth in the league in rebounding and blocked 13 shots on the season. She notched a season-high 21 points at Carson-Newman and led the team in rebounding in each of the final six contests and pulled down at least 10 rebounds seven times, including a season-high 12 against Florida Tech, Wingate and Catawba.

"Breonda is the kind of player all coaches want on their team. She is a blue-collar worker that can be a threat on offense and defense. She is athletic enough to guard every position on the floor and also grab a lot of rebounds. On offense Bre has developed her game to play on the block as well as face up."

Junior Tilde Ahlin will join Shannon in the frontcourt, adding another post presence and an outside threat as well. Ahlin saw action in 26 games, averaging more than six points per game, with a season-best 12 points in the home win past Carson-Newman. She collected at least six rebounds eight times, with a season-high nine boards versus Brevard.

"Tilde has range and can shoot the 3-pointer as well as work inside."

A quintet of five returners along with four newcomers will be battling for playing time as well. Guard Amanda Parris provided quality depth off the bench a year ago, and will be counted on to provide valuable minutes this season as well. She played in all 27 games, while earning a starting nod in 14. Parris led the team in free throw accuracy at 90 percent and handed out a season-high seven assists versus Brevard early in the season.

"Amanda is very versatile and can play point guard, along with two-guard as well as the three."

A 5-foot-9 guard, Emily Willoughby is a long-range threat who will be looking to develop consistency after playing in 25 games during her rookie campaign. She scored a season-high 24 points to lead the Trojans past LMU on the strength of a South Atlantic Conference record eight 3-pointers.

"Emily is a 'pure shooter' needs to have more games like she had against Lincoln Memorial in terms of developing more consistency."

Adding speed and quickness in the backcourt will be Kimberly Major, a sophomore guard who played in all 27 games, while connecting on 52 percent of her shots from the field.

"Kimberly will be battling for a starting position. She showed a lot of potential last season and her quickness is a huge asset."

Junior center Maci Siniard averaged nearly five points and 3.4 rebounds per game in the low post a year ago, while shooting 42.6 percent from the field and forward Dagny Langford, who saw action in 12 games during her freshman season will be expected to step up on the inside this season.

"Maci has big-game potential. She had a little bit of a sophomore slump by her standards and needs to get back where she was as a freshman when she was a force to be reckoned with. Dagny can block shots and score around the hoop. She just has to come ready to play and be physical night in and night out."

Four true freshmen will be in the mix for playing time, including 6-foot-3 center Jaclyn Moore, who averaged nearly a double-double last season for the Lisbon (N.Y.) High Golden Knights, averaging 14.6 points and recording 8.3 rebounds during her senior campaign. On the defensive end, Moore blocked more than three shots as contest. She joined her two sisters, Jenn and Erin, and Heather Dority as the only girls to enter the Lisbon Hardwood Club last season after scoring her 1,000 career point.

Sierra Simpson, a 5-foot-7 point guard from Simpsonville, S.C., averaged 12 points and 5.8 assists as a senior, while scoring more than 1,000 points during her career, reaching the milestone during her junior campaign.

Twin sisters Lauren and Lesley Woods are left-handed 5-foot-8 guards who played their prep hoops for the Lighthouse Home School basketball team in Wake Forest, N.C. Lauren averaged 16 points and nearly four, while Lesley added 13.5 points, and nearly four rebounds as they helped lead the Eagles to a perfect 22-0 record last season.

"Both of these young ladies possess 3-point range but can also drive and penetrate"

The 2011-12 edition of Anderson women's basketball will need to be road warriors, as the Trojans open the season with four straight road games and just three of their first 14 contests are in the friendly confines of the Abney Athletic Center during the months of November and December.

The Trojans visit Division I opponent Furman in Greenville for an exhibition contest on Nov. 7. The Lady Paladins, under first-year head coach Jackie Carson, proved to be one of the SoCon's biggest surprises last season, defying a coaches preseason No. 10 pick to notch a fifth-place finish that saw the Paladins win five of their last six regular season games, including three consecutive road triumphs.

"We are excited to be playing Furman. We both have some players with local ties and that will make it interesting. It will be an interesting test for us."

Four days later, AU travels to Milledgeville to face defending Peach Belt Conference Tournament champion Georgia College in the regular-season opener for both teams. The Bobcats defeated fourth-ranked Lander and No. 12 USC Aiken during the regular season en route to posting a 22-7 record, falling 80-79 to fifth-seeded Barton in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Trojans visit Pfeiffer on Nov. 15 before participating in the Wingate by Wyndham Pirate Classic, hosted by Armstrong Atlantic, Nov. 18-19. Anderson squares off against Flagler on Friday before facing the host Pirates on Saturday.

"We're excited to get Pfeiffer back on the schedule. They have a lot of quality athletes and like to defend and push the tempo. We had the best record at the [Armstrong Atlantic] Classic last year and obviously would like to do that again. It will be a good experience."

"I feel we have a very strong, challenging non-conference schedule," added Brunelli.

Anderson plays host to Belmont Abbey in the Trojans home opener on Nov. 22, then takes a seven-day break for Thanksgiving before opening its South Atlantic Conference slate at Brevard on Nov. 30.

Mars Hill invades the Abney Center Dec. 3, then AU visits rival Erskine and first-year head coach Russell Gregg on Dec. 7 and plays Peach Belt opponent USC Aiken in a home-and-home matchup, Dec. 12 and 17 before taking nearly a three-week layoff for final exams and Christmas break. The home contest versus the Pacers on Dec. 17 marks AU's final non-conference contest of the season.

Anderson opens the New Year with a challenging three-game SAC road swing, beginning at Lenoir-Rhyne, Jan. 4, visits Catawba three days later and wraps up the trip at Newberry on Jan. 11.

"Every game in the conference is a challenge and there are a lot of quality coaches in the SAC. The conference is up for grabs and will be interesting."

The Trojans play host to Lincoln Memorial and Tusculum on Jan. 14 and Jan. 18, respectively, then close out the first half of the double round-robin league schedule by traveling to Carson-Newman and Wingate.

The Trojans upset eventual conference regular-season champion Tusculum at home late last season, then took the Pioneers to the wire in the SAC Tournament quarterfinals before dropping a narrow one-point decision.