Courtesy: Jeff Harwell-Zips Sports Photography Baumgartner, a MAC All-Freshman Team honoree last winter, is one of five returning starters for UA.

AKRON, Ohio – With the official start of the 2009-10 campaign just around the corner, the University of Akron women's basketball team is eager to hit the hardwood after posting its most successful season in nine years last winter.

The Zips and Jaguars will tip off Friday at Noon at Rhodes Arena. But before they do, here's a look back at the year that was and a glance into what could be a very interesting season for UA.

It was clear from the season-opening upset of Michigan that there was going to be something special about the 2008-09 University of Akron women's basketball campaign.

From the way the Zips refused to be intimidated by a Big 10 opponent to the way they learned how to finish games as the season progressed, UA made significant strides as the young program posted its highest win total in nine years while reversing a number of dubious trends along the way.

"I think the biggest stride we made last year was that we were competitive in nearly every game," said UA head coach Jodi Kest. "When we became competitive, it gave our kids a lot of confidence in themselves. That's why we had the big wins against teams that we had not had a lot of success against in the past."

Akron's victory over the Wolverines was its first ever against its neighbors to the north as well as its second ever against a Big 10 school. The Zips then got a big monkey off their back by defeating Buffalo, 62-56, to snap a seven-game losing streak to the Bulls. Not to be outdone, UA followed that up with its biggest upset in recent history - holding off their long-time rival, Kent State, for a 64-62 decision at Rhodes Arena in late January, snapping a string of 18 consecutive defeats to the Golden Flashes.

Not to be outdone, the Zips halted another serious losing skid by knocking off Miami (Ohio) in Oxford a month later for its first league victory on the road since 2004-05, ending a string of 19 straight losses.

In all, UA's six league wins marked its most since 1999-'00 while its eight home wins tied for the second-highest total in program history.

Leading the team's revival was local product Kara Murphy. The forward set numerous school records last winter en route to becoming the youngest player in program history to record 1,000th-career points. In doing so, Murphy, who was a first team All-MAC performer and an All-MAC Academic Team honoree, broke UA's single-season scoring record with 580 points while leading the conference with an average of 19.3 points per game - the 19th-highest mark in the nation.

Another local product, Kyle Baumgartner also earned league-wide recognition when she was voted to the MAC All-Freshman Team following a year in which she averaged 9.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. The center finished the year ranked 30th in the league for scoring, sixth for rebounding, 11th for field goal percentage and seventh for blocked shots.

Moreover, for the first time in several years, UA will return all five starters and eight letterwinners overall this winter after losing just one senior. And with a talented nucleus built around all-league standouts Murphy and Baumgartner, there is reason to believe that the best is yet to come for the young and rising program.

LEADERSHIP
Murphy, a team captain in 2008-09, is one of three players selected to captain the Zips this winter, joining seniors Ayla Guzzardo and Jolene Tamboue.

"The teams that are successful are the ones with outstanding leadership," Kest said. "And we're expecting to get that this year from our three team captains."

While each captain brings a different leadership style to the fold - Tamboue is the vocal leader, Guzzardo keeps the players loose and Murphy leads by example - the Zips will rely equally on all three to take program to the next level.

"With all five returning starters and the overall experience and leadership we have coming back, I expect us to be a much better team at the start of our MAC season this year than we were last year," Kest said. "Last year, it took us a while to find our identity. This year, we know who we are and we know our strengths and weaknesses. Because of that, I expect us to be a more consistent team throughout the season."

POINT GUARD
For the first time since she's been here, Kest will have the benefit of returning an experienced point guard in Guzzardo.

The Louisiana-native, who appeared in all 30 games for the Zips last winter, provided stability to the point guard position and earned a starting assignment for the final 22 contests.

"Ayla played her best basketball at the end of the year," Kest said. "It took some time for me to get to know how to get the most out of her. I learned that Ayla is going to make some mistakes but she gives us so many more positives than negatives that I needed to just take the handcuffs off of her and say, ‘Ayla this is your team. Go.' We're a better team when I just allow Ayla to be Ayla."

While the former junior college transfer committed 88 turnovers, she also finished with 105 assists on the year, the 10th-highest single-season total in school history, and a team-high 51 steals.

"I know what to expect from her this year and she knows what to expect from me," Kest said. "I'm excited for her to run the show this year. She's had a lot of success throughout her career - both in high school and junior college - and I think she feels she still has a lot to prove here."

Providing depth at the position will be returner Natasha Williams and newcomer Katie Bubna.

Williams, who appeared in 27 games as a true freshman last year, has impressed the coaching staff with a strong off-season and is looking to increase her role this winter.

"Natasha was a little afraid to come out of her shell last year as a first-year point guard," Kest said. "But I think she learned a great deal about herself and went home and worked hard on her game all summer. When she came back, she was in great shape and just needs to carry that momentum over onto the court when the season starts."

Bubna, one of four freshmen on the squad, will also compete for playing time at the point as well as at the two-guard. The native of Parma, Ohio, became just the third 1,000-point scorer in the history of St. Peter's Chanel High School last year.

"Katie's a very smart player, who understands the game and sees the floor extremely well," Kest said. "She may not have the speed of Ayla or Natasha, but she's one of our better three-point shooters and will be in the mix."

SHOOTING GUARD
It took a little time for starting two-guard Amber Witt to adjust after sitting out the entire 2007-08 season as a transfer from Canisius. But once she got settled in, she not only became one of UA's most consistent jump shooters but the best three-point shooter on the club.

Witt torched Robert Morris for 17 points on 3-for-3 shooting from 3-point range before teaming up with Murphy to lead the Zips to their upset of Kent State with 19 points on the strength of four 3-pointers.

In the end, she led the team by shooting 43.1 percent (25-for-58) from long range and 86.8 (33-for-38) from the free throw line.

"Early on in the year, Amber didn't have the green light to shoot the three, but she had so much confidence in her ability that she earned it," Kest said. "She's proved that she's a great shooter from 3-point range, is dangerous from 15 feet and is also one of our better defenders."

Newcomer Taylor Ruper brings a similar skill set to the table. The sharpshooter recorded the third-highest 3-point field goal percentage in single-season high school history for the state of Ohio, connecting on 51 percent as a junior at Trinity High School. Ruper connected on 48 percent from long range as a senior.

"We recruited Taylor to shoot the three," Kest said. "But she understands that she needs to do more than just that. She's been working hard on taking the ball to the basket, improving her defense and all the other areas to make herself a more well-rounded player."

SMALL FORWARD
Murphy enters her junior season ranked 10th on Akron's career scoring list with 1,029 points in 61 games and is on pace to finish as the most prolific scorer in program history. The physical forward scored 20 or more points 16 times last year to pace the league while leading the Zips in scoring 25 times in 30 contests.

"Kara has improved every year she's been here," Kest said. "The first year, she couldn't shoot the three consistently but was really good at taking the ball to the basket and creating points inside the paint. Last year, she came in and really worked hard on her three-point shot and now has a lot of confidence in her ability."

Murphy's inside-outside game caused problems for opposing defenses all year long. She also made a commitment to becoming a better defensive player.

"When your best player comes in every year and improves a different aspect of her game it speaks volumes; and Kara has done that from day one," Kest said. "She plays hard all the time, is encouraging to her teammates and always has a smile on her face. Any coach would be fortunate to have a player like Kara."

Jasmine Mushington was another youngster who came on as the season progressed. The swing player, who may also see time at shooting guard this year, was one of just two freshmen to appear in all 30 games and reached double-digits in scoring three times despite receiving limited playing time behind Murphy.

"Jasmine is a slasher who spent a lot of time working on her outside shot during the summer," Kest said. "She may not have played as much as she would have liked last year behind Kara, but because of her athleticism and versatility, we will find ways to get her on the floor. The more Jasmine is on the court, the more successful we're going to be."

POWER FORWARD
Tamboue, who started all but one game last year, made an instant impact with her commitment to defense and passion for rebounding the basketball after transferring from Independence Community College. Tamboue finished second on the team with an average of 6.7 boards per game and reached double figures in rebounding six times.

"Jolene is our vocal leader and a phenomenal rebounder," Kest said. "She's very strong, has a good mid-ranged jumper and has worked hard on her 3-point shooting."

A pair of newcomers - Ti'eshia Stubbs and Rachel Tecca - will provide depth and athleticism at a position that had been lacking in both areas in recent past.

Stubbs, who redshirted last season, was a 1,000-point scorer at Farrell High School in Pennsylvania and is expected to bring a physical presence to the paint.

"Ti'eshia's the most athletic power forward we have," Kest said. "She's very strong, can shoot the three and is a great rebounder. It will just be a matter of her adjusting to being on the floor after sitting out last year."

Tecca left Archbishop Hoban High School as its all-time leading scorer after amassing 1,135 career points and was a two-time league player of the year. The true freshman is expected to compete for playing time at both the power forward and center positions this winter.

"I've been very pleased with Rachel's workouts," Kest said. "She runs the floor well, can use her left and right, can attack off the dribble and rebound. She needs to develop more physical strength but that will come with time. Once she does, she's going to have a great career for us."

CENTER
Following an impressive rookie campaign, Baumgartner returns to her post position with a year's worth of experience under her belt. The physical center led the team in rebounding (7.2), field goal percentage (.472) and blocked shots (30) while also flashing the ability to knock down the three with a 30.3 percent (10-33) success rate from the long distance.

"Kyle had a great year," Kest said. "We're fortunate to have her because she's a true post player. She's very strong, loves to compete and shoots the ball well."

Baumgartner burst onto the scene with a double-double against Michigan in her first collegiate game, recording 14 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes. It was the first of a team-high four double-doubles on the year for the center as she also hit the mark against Sam Houston (15-10), Bowling Green (21-13) and Miami (17-15). Her 15 boards in a win against the RedHawks were the most recorded by an Akron player in seven years.

"Kyle makes it tough for teams because of her strength and ability to go inside or outside," Kest said. "She has great hands, a great touch and runs the floor well for a post player. She is one of the best centers in our conference."

Baumgartner will once again be backed up by sophomore Denver McLean, who showed tremendous improvement over the course of her freshman year. As her minutes increased, so did her productivity - culminating with a four point, six rebound effort in 18 minutes at Western Michigan near the end of the season.

"Denver's a very strong block player and a great defender," Kest said. "She didn't get as much playing time as she wanted last year because of how well Kyle was playing. But she was a great teammate and has earned the right to play this year because of how much she improved her game. I would expect her to get more minutes and be a force in the paint."

NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
A trio of postseason-qualifying opponents, a tournament at Florida Gulf Coast University and five home contests highlight the 2009-10 University of Akron women's basketball non-conference schedule.

"I am very pleased how our schedule turned out this year," Kest said. "We believe we will be challenged by our non-conference games, which will prepare us for MAC play. Playing eight road games against quality opponents should provide us an opportunity early on in the season to find out a lot about our young but experienced team."

The Zips will host IUPUI (16-15 in 2008-09) in the first meeting between the two schools on Nov. 13 at Rhodes Arena in the season opener before embarking on a five-game road trip with stops at St. Bonaventure (Nov. 15), Robert Morris (Nov. 19) and Wright State (Nov. 22). UA will be looking to turn the tables on the Bonnies (23-11), who advanced to the fourth round of the WNIT in 2008-09, after suffering a 71-67 setback to SBU at Rhodes Arena last winter, while looking for a repeat result of its 82-75 victory over the Colonials a year ago.

UA will then head to Ft. Myers, Fla., for the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament (Nov. 27-28) where it will hook horns with two more first-time opponents - Rider (10-20) and Tulsa (7-22). From there, the Zips return home to tip off a three-game homestand against IPFW (Dec. 2), Youngstown State (Dec. 5) and Lake Erie College (Dec. 14).

It will be the first time Akron has faced IPFW (9-21) since 2004-05 and the 13th consecutive season UA has faced off against YSU (3-27).
Akron will then close out the non-league portion of its schedule with three road games in four contests starting at Chicago State (Dec. 17) and continuing to Niagara (Dec. 20) before returning to Rhodes Arena to face Atlantic-10 power Temple (Dec. 28), which advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2008-09.