SALEM, Ore. – The COVID-abbreviated 2021 spring season was a valuable opportunity for the Corban University women's basketball team, providing the youthful squad with an opportunity to mesh, despite entering last season with little experience playing together previously. There was no shortage of talent on the Warrior roster, but there were also growing pains along the way.

Now, that talented young core has returned largely intact for the 2021-22 campaign, and the squad has added a number of weapons to its arsenal via a dynamic incoming recruiting class. Pair that with the veteran leadership of one of the Cascade Collegiate Conference's (CCC) top trios with Shaelie Burgess, Halle Wright, and Holly Golenor, and the outlook for the upcoming winter season is plenty auspicious.

To view the team's 2021-22 roster, CLICK HERE.

CLICK HERE to see the squad's complete schedule for the upcoming season.

After a tune-up scrimmage tonight against Lane Community College, Corban officially opens its 2021-22 docket this Friday at home, hosting crosstown rival Willamette University in an afternoon matinee (12 p.m.).

Fans can follow along with live stats and live video of Friday's 'Battle for Salem' by clicking HERE.

"It has been great to have a full preseason, but it definitely feels like it's time to get on the court and compete against other teams," said head coach Bill Pilgeram. "There is a ton of excitement about this year's team and the potential to compete in a tough CCC. Our non-conference schedule will really test us and give us a good idea of where we are at, and what we need to continue improving."

This weekend's matchup will kick off a nine-game non-conference slate, which will wrap up with the Corban Classic on November 19-20 at the C.E. Jeffers Sports Center.

Conference play will officially begin on November 23, when the Warriors host two-time defending CCC Champions Bushnell University in a must-watch early-season duel on Tim Hills Court. Corban will then go on a five-game road swing—spending nearly all of December away from home—before returning to the capital city for key battles with Eastern Oregon on New Year's Eve and College of Idaho on New Year's Day.

In total, the Navy and Gold will have 22 conference games this winter with the addition of CCC newcomer Lewis-Clark State College; the winner of the conference regular-season will earn the grouping's first automatic berth to the NAIA Tournament.

The second CCC bid will go to the winner of the conference tournament (or tournament runner-up, if the regular-season champion also wins the tournament), which is slated to take place on February 22-28.

Burgess—the two-time reigning CCC Defender of the Year—and First-Team All-Conference forward Holly Golenor comprise perhaps the best front court in the entire CCC, and the tandem should play a key role in the squad's success this season.

Meanwhile, Wright is as prolific a scorer as anyone in the conference, fresh off a year where she averaged a team-high 15.5 PPG and 7.7 RPG en route to being named the CCC Newcomer of the Year.

Gemma LaVergne will look to build off a strong rookie season as a key part of the Navy and Gold back court, while senior guard Gracie McCoy also figures to see key minutes on the floor for Pilgeram and company. Warrior fans will want to keep an eye out for Izzy Boring, as well, who has the potential to be a key contributor in her first collegiate season.

Participating in the hyper-competitive CCC means no contest is easy, and with talented additions and an experienced core, the Warriors feel capable of exceeding outsider expectations in the conference after being picked to finish sixth.

The squad's goal is to make a return trip to the NAIA National Tournament, something it last accomplished in 2019. The NAIA Championships will take place in Sioux City, Iowa on March 17-22.