The Kutztown University women’s basketball team looks to change its luck in close games this season and earn a berth into the postseason after a year hiatus.

KU, which went 9-17 overall and 5-7 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, lost eight games last season by eight points or less, including five PSAC contests.

"We were competitive in every game last year," said Janet Malouf, who is heading into her 14th year as KU’s head coach. "Our goal this year is to win those close games. If we do that, we can make the playoffs."

To accomplish that goal, KU will rely on Mercedes Van Wagner, a 6-1 senior center who averaged 11.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game last season. Van Wagner, who was the PSAC Rookie of the Year in 2004-05, earned All-PSAC East second team honors last season.

Van Wagner’s fellow team captain Molly Brown and sophomore Claire Sitarz will back her up at center.

The other four positions on the court have depth as well, with several position battles expected in the preseason.

Lara Dellegrotti, a junior guard, and incoming freshman Meredith Starr (fr. Richmond, Va./Monacan HS) will share time at the point guard position. Dellegrotti started in 25 games last season, dishing out 57 assists while averaging 7.7 points per game. She also led the team with 30 3-pointers.

Starr, a four-year letterwinner for Monacan High School, helped her team to a 73-15 record over her high school career. She averaged 10.1 points and 5.1 assists per game her senior year.

Sophomore Vivian Melvin will look to start at shooting guard for the Golden Bears. Melvin started in all 26 games last season, scoring 7.6 points per game and recording 54 assists.

Freshman Brittany Percich (fr. San Antonio, Texas/Northern) will back up the two-guard position.

The three-guard position does not return a starter, but will have two returning letterwinners in sophomores Rachel Wisemiller and Katie Dovey battling for the starting nod. Wisemiller averaged 3.4 points per game in 24 appearances, while Dovey played in 23 games, average 1.3 points.

At forward, senior Rachel Widensaul and freshman Melissa McQuade (fr. Pittsburgh/Shaler) will both vie for starting time. Widensaul played all 26 games last season, averaging 7.3 points per game. She also shot 45 percent from 3, making 18-of-40. McQuade was a four-year starter at Shaler High School, where she scored 1,240 career points.

Sophomore Chauntelle Schroeder and junior Lisi Reyna, who returns to KU after sitting out last season, will back up the forward position. Schroeder appeared in four games last season, and Reyna averaged 2.2 points and 1.5 rebounds in 2005-06.

With four players who posted an average of more than seven points per game last season, Malouf believes that the offense will pose problems for opposing defenses.

"We have a lot of people who can score," she said. "We should be a pretty good rebounding team. We just need to work on taking care of the ball."

Malouf will count on the experience of her squad to cut down on the 24 turnovers per game the team committed last year.