MOSCOW, Idaho -- With a core of experienced veterans returning to the lineup, including two preseason all-Western Athletic Conference players, the Idaho women's basketball team has the chance to compete for the top spot in the WAC and a trip to the NCAA tournament in 2010-11.

Idaho's seven returnees include five seniors, preseason all-WAC selections Rachele Kloke and Yinka Olorunnife, Idaho's top three scorers from 2009-10, and a combined 331 career games played, including 247 starts.

"I think it's a tremendous opportunity," said Idaho coach Jon Newlee, who enters his third year at the helm and was honored as WAC Coach of the Year in 2008-09. "We've had people in the system now for a couple of years and we have a good core of returnees coming back."

Kloke led the Vandals with 14.5 points per game during her junior season, and was the only Vandal to start all 31 games. She added 5.2 rebounds per game and earned second-team all-WAC honors.

Olorunnife averaged 11.3 points per game for the Vandals and led the team with 7.9 rebounds per game. She was named to the WAC all-tournament team after averaging 23 points and 8.5 rebounds in Idaho's two tournament games. The senior begins the 2010-11 season as Idaho's fifth all-time career rebounder, with 741 in her first three years as a Vandal.

"Yinka has really done a good job, she has come back and been a lot more vocal and shown a lot of on-court leadership," Newlee said.

Seniors Bianca Cheever, Derisa Taleni and Emily Doran, along with junior Shaena Kuehu and sophomore Jessica Graham round out Idaho's 2010-11 returnees. Cheever led the Vandals with 54 made 3-pointers in 2009-10, while Taleni was the WAC Newcomer of the Year in 2008-09 before missing 2009-10 with an injury. Kuehu averaged 11.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game for Idaho as a sophomore in 2009-10.

"Shaena is not a senior, but she may as well be," Newlee said. "She understands the system, and she is a big key for what we're going to do. When the returnees are together on the floor, they understand the system and they do a good job."

With Idaho's experience comes expectations, and Newlee expects a lot out of his team this season.

"Our expectation is to win the WAC," Newlee said. "Our expectation here will always be to win the WAC and go to the NCAA tournament. For that to happen, our new players are going to have to blend in with the returnees, and the returnees are going to have to step their game up to yet another level, because we're not where we need to be. It's their senior year and it's time for them to really step it up."

The new players Newlee speaks of include three experienced junior college transfers, and two talented freshmen. Keri Arendse and Ganeaya Rogers are two JC transfers and will share time at point guard, along with Taleni at times.

"We've got to play point guard by committee this year," Newlee said. "Keri brings good 3-point shooting and solidness. She's not spectacular but she's going to make the right plays. Ganeaya can be explosive with the basketball, and I look for her to help us out in both the half court and full court. Derisa brings great athleticism and height to that position. She is our best passer so it will be nice to have her out there with the ball in her hands."

Adrie Shiels is Idaho's third JC transfer, and at 6-foot-1, she is expected to provide help at multiple positions.

"We expect her to give us toughness in rebounding inside and the ability to play both the four and the five positions," Newlee said.

Idaho's two freshmen include 6-foot-4 post Ashley Walters, and 6-foot-1 Alyssa Charlston, who can play the guard or post position.

"I think Ashley gives us a good defensive presence around the hoop. Her shot-blocking timing is pretty good. Alyssa is going to give us some good outside shooting and great length and athleticism on the perimeter."

One key to Idaho's success will be how fast the newcomers can learn the system and bring their game to the next level, and the group will have 12 non-conference games to show Newlee they can handle that task.

"It's a matter of how quickly those new players can get up to speed and how quickly they can contribute because we need them to push us to the next level," Newlee said. "They'll be getting their minutes in the non-conference schedule, and if they just can't do it, then we'll go with the people who have been here. I'll play six or seven players if that's all that are ready to go when we start WAC play."

The non-conference portion of Idaho's schedule presents quite a few challenges for the Vandals. Idaho will play only three of its 12 non-conference games at home, and faces seven teams that finished in the top half of their conference a year ago, including the top three teams from the Big Sky, and the first-, second- and fourth-place teams from the West Coast Conference. The Vandals will also face a Pac-10 opponent when they visit Oregon at the Oregon Tournament over Thanksgiving. After hosting Eastern Oregon on Nov. 13 and Eastern Washington on Nov. 17 to start the season, the Vandals will be away from home for nine of their final 10 non-conference games.

The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Vandals when WAC play starts, as four of Idaho's eight WAC opponents advanced to NCAA postseason play a year ago, including Louisiana Tech and Fresno State, who went to the NCAA tournament, and New Mexico State and Nevada, who went to the Women's NIT.