5:30 p.m. Thursday – Simpson at SOU – Live Stats – Live Stream

ASHLAND – As it applies to the Southern Oregon University women's basketball team, starting from scratch it neither as gloomy nor as appropriate as followers of the SOU's recent success might assume.

The Raiders have been a consistent matchup nightmare for opponents, shattering the Cascade Conference regular-season scoring record two years ago and nearly doing it again last season while winning 27 games and boasting an interchangeable front line of 6-foot, 6-2 and 6-4 all the way into the NAIA Div. II Sweet 16.

The depth of their losses, in terms of size, talent and a longtime head coach, would be enough for most teams to earn a "rebuilding" label. But most teams don't have the league's preseason player of the year and arguably its best point guard in place to ease such transitions.

Seniors Carly Meister and Ashley Claussen, who have gone 74-23 during their careers, will be counted on for leadership and more all-star-level production. First-year head coach Alex Carlson also inherited a third starter primed for a breakout season in junior forward/wing Autumn Durand, and five more returning players were enough for the league's coaches to pick the Raiders second behind three-time defending champ Eastern Oregon in the preseason poll.

When he was hired in May to replace Lynn Kennedy, Carlson promised only that his team would "compete harder than anyone night after night. That's something we can control and something fans can get behind."  He knows that breaking in a fresh system, six players new to the roster and a handful more who will take on expanded roles, all while battling an injury bug, could make the competition especially strenuous early on.

Progress reports will be available soon, as the Raiders open the 2015-16 season at 5:30 p.m. Thursday against Simpson inside Riehm Arena. On Sunday, they'll travel to California Merced for a 7 p.m. game.

LAST YEAR: The Raiders went 27-5 overall, finished second in the CCC with a record of 15-3 and were eliminated in the semifinals of the CCC tournament by Oregon Tech. They received an at-large bid to the NAIA Championships, where they dominated Robert Morris College (Ill.) in the first round, 96-61, for their first tourney win since 1999. They were eliminated in the second round by Tabor College (Kan.), 72-65, and were ranked No. 13 in the postseason poll.

POINT GUARDS:  Ashley Claussen solidified her status as a go-to playmaker with averages of 10.5 points, a league-high 5.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds while running a show that produced 83.8 points per game last season, becoming an NAIA honorable mention All-American. She demanded more attention than ever from defenses by making 56 3-pointers – including four in five straight games at one point – compared to 47 combined her first two seasons. She enters the season fourth on SOU's all-time assists list with 398.

"She had an unbelievable summer, has really bought in and I think she's starting to take big strides in being a leader and running a team," Carlson said. "She's gonna have a great year."

Backing her up will be a combination of junior Demi Sahlinger and sophomore newcomer Toria Bradford. Sahlinger, who is penciled in to start at off-guard, has spelled Claussen the last two seasons while averaging around 2.5 points and 2.1 assists. Bradford, an Oregon City product, had a standout freshman campaign at Clackamas Community College with clips of 11.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 3.4 steals.

"They just add some different things," Carlson said. "Toria is a great defender and Demi might be the best passer on the team, and they both allow us to play really fast, which is ultimately what we're looking to do."

WINGS: Autumn Durand has started 62 of the first 63 games of her career on a wing, but frontcourt injuries will force her 5-11 frame to fill in on the post, at least initially. Ideally, she'll end up at her more natural spot outside, where she was one of SOU's most consistent scorers as a freshman (10 points per game) and a sophomore (10.7). Last year she scored in double figures 17 times, shot 46 percent, upped her rebounding (4.7 per game) and was an improved playmaker for others (2.2 assists).

"She's long, athletic and runs the floor extremely hard, so I think we can get her some easy baskets because she can finish around the hoop, too," Carlson said. "She's due for a big season."

With Durand starting down low and All-CCC performer Kristen Schoenherr graduated, Sahlinger and Tiani Bradford will take over the starting spots on the wing. Tiani Bradford, the older sister of Toria, was a handy role player last year in 15 minutes a game while posting respectable averages of 4.6 points on 43-percent shooting, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

"Demi is becoming a better slasher," Carlson said, "and Tiani brings a ton of energy and competitiveness, and because of that she just makes a ton of plays – taking charges, rebounding, and shooting it a lot better."

Off the bench, senior Kristin Smeaton, junior Majerle Reeves and sophomore Taylor Nuttall will get more chances to stretch defenses after playing limited minutes last year, and Erin Houston will debut on the floor after redshirting as a freshman.

POSTS: Carly Meister, a 6-2 power player, has been decorated since her arrival at SOU: She was the CCC's freshman of the year, an All-CCC selection as a sophomore, and an All-CCC performer again as a junior even though her numbers took a slight dive due to the sharing she had to do inside with 6-foot All-American Alexi Smith and 6-4 freshman phenom Courtney West. Meister still posted 12.3 points on 59-percent shooting and 6.3 rebounds – combined, the three posts averaged 35.2 points on 56-percent shooting and 20.1 boards to make SOU the second-best rebounding team in the country – but with Smith (graduated) and West (transferred) now gone, she's a lock to have her hands on the ball more often.

"I think she has a chance to back up her preseason accolades," Carlson said. "She did a great job of working this summer to become a better and more complete player."

Three newcomers will be counted on to complement Meister: 6-foot freshman Courtney Setzer, 5-11 junior Sydney Mullings and 5-11 freshman Emily Peters. Setzer was a first-team all-state player at Crater High with 17.4 points, nine rebounds, three steals and 1.9 blocks per game. Mullings averaged 13 points and 7.8 rebounds at South Mountain C.C., and Peters is capable of stretching the floor with shooting ability that made her a double-digit scorer at Prairie High (Wash.).

"Sydney is probably the fastest player on the team and could be one of the best offensive rebounders in the league, so when she's ready to play we can cause some matchup problems," Carlson said. "Courtney and Emily were two very well-coached players in high school and they should give us a boost right away."