IRVINE, Calif. - The Concordia University Irvine women's basketball team looks to bounce back after a season filled with injuries and missed opportunities.  Even with the string of bad luck, the Eagles made the most of their season, making the PacWest Conference Tournament as the sixth seed, giving eventual tournament champions, Hawaii Pacific University (HPU), a run for their money.

In the first two years under head coach Christine Collins-Kiernan, the Eagles have 26 wins and two appearances in the PacWest Conference Tournament.  

The Eagles return four starters from last year's team.  Jasmine Rachal, Katie Timmerman, Kennedy Fulcher, and Michaela VanderKlugt are back to build on last year's success and take this program to even greater heights.

As freshmen last year, Rachal and Timmerman took little time to adjust to the speed of the college game.  Rachal started all 25 games that she played in, scoring in double figures in her last eleven starts. She averaged 13.5 points per game across the entire season.  Her career high came on January 24th against Academy of Art. Rachal also led the team from the charity stripe, shooting 83.7% from the line. She earned PacWest Freshman of the Week honors three different times. After such a successful freshman campaign, Rachal is eager to get back on the court to see what this team can accomplish.

"Excited is the word I would use to describe how I feel about this season," said Rachal.  "Last year we struggled and overcame a lot of adversity individually and as a team which made us so much stronger. This year we are a more seasoned and mature team and our team has so much more chemistry. I think we are going to shock a lot of people this year, and I can't wait to see their faces when it happens."

Timmerman earned a starting spot midway through the season and never looked back.  She quickly solidified her spot in the lineup and proved that she deserved to be on the floor, and it showed up in the box score.  Timmerman rapidly became the team leader in minutes played, earning her the top spot in the record books with an average of 34.7 minutes played per game.  She also led the Eagles in assists, compiling 71 over 28 games.

Fulcher, coming off a strong sophomore campaign, looks to build off her strong play last season.  She has proven to be a force on the boards, finishing in the top six in the PacWest Conference with 8.4 rebounds per game.  Fulcher is excited to get back on the court and see what this years team can accomplish.

VanderKlugt, entering her junior year, has proven that she is a force to be reckoned with.  Coming off a season in which she averaged 15.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and earned Second Team All-PacWest honors, VanderKlugt is hungry for more.  She has already etched her name in the record books, leading the program with 8.9 rebounds per game and 6.7 defensive rebounds per game.

VanderKlugt, eager to get back on the court, is excited to see the work she and her teammates put in in the offseason pay off.

"All of the returners came back even better than we were last year," said VanderKlugt.  "We put in a lot of work over the summer and have gotten after it together as a team in the fall in preparation for the grind that comes with a basketball season.  We have a dedication in us that cannot be taught and look forward to building off our experience of last year. We are going to be really fun to watch and cannot wait for Friday afternoon!"

Coach Collins-Kiernan expects big things from her returners this year and is excited to see how the work they have put in during the offseason translates into the games.

Outside of the four starters, the Eagles return four other players, Grace Smith, Jennie Kwok, Danielle Mills, and Francesca Wade-Sanchez.  Head coach Christine Collins-Kiernan and her staff have filled out the rest of their roster with seven incoming freshmen and one transfer.

With over half of the team returning for the Eagles, the newcomers are coming into a program that has spent the likes of two seasons together. The team cohesion is at an all-time high.  Fulcher is excited to see how the freshman will continue to fit into the mold.

"The team has already meshed pretty well," said Fulcher.  "We have a pretty cool culture already and the freshman have been awesome hopping on board."

Along with filling out her roster, coach Collins-Kiernan added two graduate assistants to her staff.  Brittany Hale and Sabrina Engelstad are both former college basketball players and ready to help take the team to new heights.  Hale and Engelstad have fit right in with the team, each bringing something unique to the floor.

"Our new GA's are fabulous," said Fulcher.  "They both know so much about the game and have their own style of coaching. They are just great energy to have in the gym."

The Eagles open up their season with the CCAA/PacWest Challenge being hosted this year by Bible Institute of Los Angeles (Biola).  Their first game will be Friday at 1:00 p.m. against California State University Los Angeles, followed up by a game against California State University San Marcos on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

The Eagles first home game is Friday, November 15 against California State University Humbolt.  This is the first match-up of these two opponents since 1994. The Lumberjacks are ranked ninth in the preseason West Regional Rankings and the first of three ranked opponents on the Eagles schedule heading into the season.  Azusa Pacific University, ranked first in the West and fourth in the Nation, and HPU, ranked seventh in the West, are the other two ranked opponents.

Off the court the Eagles put a premium on taking care of business in the classroom.  Nine different Eagles made the 2019 PacWest All-Academic Team. Timmerman led the way with a 3.9 GPA, while eight other girls had a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.  

For the full CUI women's basketball schedule, click here.