WAUKESHA, Wis. - There's a steady buzz of excitement surrounding the Carroll University women's basketball team heading into the 2016-17 season.
With the hiring of its new, energetic head coach Lindsay Schultz, along with a good mix of veterans and promising, versatile young players on the roster, the Pioneers plan to begin a rebuilding process by establishing a strong foundation, learning from each experience and gradually earning respect throughout the season.
Schultz enters as the sixth women's coach in Carroll history, following former longtime coach Kris Jacobsen, who resigned after 18 seasons.
Jacobsen was the winningest coach in the program, finishing her Carroll career with a 266-173 overall record - highlighted by a Midwest Conference championship in 2005-06, 10 MWC postseason tournament appearances and two NCAA Division III tournament berths.
The Pioneers won three of their final four games en route to finishing sixth in their final MWC season with an 8-10 record and ended 9-14 overall.
For Schultz, who was hired in July, getting the opportunity to become the head coach of the Pioneers has been a humbling and exciting process.
"Being a first-year head coach, I'm very excited about the challenge and feel blessed to have such a great, hard-working group of players to work with each day," said Schultz, a 2004 graduate of Cardinal Stritch who served as a successful assistant coach (including stints at Stritch, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, UW-Parkside and most recently Bradley University) before coming to Carroll. "One of our main goals is to establish a winning culture (referring to the values of work ethic, competitiveness, coachability, along with belief and willingness to be a great teammate) and gradually grow throughout the course of the season. Having no seniors and being a really young team, we're approaching it as the start of a two-year journey where the players will get a lot of experience and everyone will be able to grow together.
"We're very excited about the upcoming season and establishing a solid foundation for the future. The team chemistry has been very good so we're still learning to play together in a new system and jelling every time we take the court. It's just been a lot of fun going to practice each day, seeing the players buying into the system and watching the progress taking place on a daily basis. 
"Coming into the season as a new coach, with a new system and young group of players, it seemed like the perfect time to make the transition into the College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin. With the caliber of teams in the conference, we will be tested immediately and learn what it will take to be successful. That experience will only help in our progression throughout the season. We're excited to get going, begin the process and see where it takes us."
It will be difficult to replace the leadership of graduated first-team MWC and All-American guard/forward Malory Christenson, who led the team in scoring by averaging 17.9 points per game last year.
Christenson finished her standout four-year career with 1,230 points, etching her name into the record books as the fifth-leading scorer in program history.
The spirited, young 12-player Carroll roster features two juniors, three sophomores and seven freshmen looking to make an impact as the team transitions into the high-caliber CCIW.
The Pioneers have been picked to finish ninth in the CCIW preseason coaches poll.
Junior 5-foot-6 guard Brittney Wald from Antigo, Wis. and junior 5-9 forward Morgan Lund from Mondovi, Wis. return to lead Carroll this season.
Wald, who finished as the team's third-leading scorer last season by averaging 10.2 ppg with 5.3 rebounds per game, 35 assists and 29 steals, will bring a heavy dose of leadership to the lineup.
Lund, who contributed 6.2 ppg., 3.0 rpg. with 11 assists and 11 steals last season, completes the 1-2 tandem of upperclassmen.
Sophomore guards Meredith Polzin (5-6) from Pewaukee, Wis. and Sara Hartl (5-6) from Racine, Wis. also return to the team this year. 
Sophomore forward Gina LaMacchia (5-9) from Mequon, Wis., a standout defender on the Carroll women's soccer team that recently placed third in the CCIW standings, is new to the team and figures to make valuable contributions.
Freshman guard Kate Antony (5-6) from Kenosha, Wis., freshman guard Kaylee Koker (5-7) from Racine, Wis., freshman guard/forward Hannah Kloehn (5-8) from Marshfield, Wis., freshman guard Rie Sakurai (5-7) from Tokyo, Japan, freshman forward/center Jordyn Giese (5-11) from Oshkosh, Wis., freshman guard/forward Amber Pickle (5-7) from Brodhead, Wis. and freshman guard Molly Steffen (5-7) from Crystal Lake, Ill. are new to the roster this season.
The Pioneers open the season at Van Male Field House against longtime rival St. Norbert College in a nonconference game on Wednesday, Nov. 16.

PIONEER FAST FACTS
What: Carroll University women's basketball team
Head Coach: Lindsay Schultz, first season
Assistant Coach: Jill Lipman
2015-16: 8-10 in Midwest Conference (sixth place) and 9-14 overall
Key Graduation Loss: guard/forward Malory Christenson, who finished as the fifth-leading scorer in the history of the women's program with 1,230 points
Players to Watch: junior guard Brittney Wald (Antigo, Wis.) and junior forward Morgan Lund (Mondovi, Wis.)
Other Team Members: sophomore guard Meredith Polzin (Pewaukee, Wis.), sophomore forward Sara Hartl (Racine, Wis.), sophomore forward Gina LaMacchia (Mequon, Wis.), freshmen guard Kate Antony (Kenosha, Wis.), freshman guard Kaylee Koker (Racine, Wis.), freshman guard/forward Hannah Kloehn (Marshfield, Wis.), freshman guard Rie Sakurai (Tokyo, Japan), freshman forward/center Jordyn Giese (Oshkosh, Wis.), freshman guard/forward Amber Pickle (Brodhead, Wis.) and freshman guard Molly Steffen (Crystal Lake, Ill.)