The NOC Lady Mavs open the season Friday night hosting the defending NJCAA Hutchinson (KS) Lady Dragons at 5:30 p.m. at Foster-Piper Fieldhouse.

The Lady Mavs have two returnees from 2024, forward Marta Perez and guard Natalie Walker but have a promising freshman group, according to coach Greg Krause.

In the front court, the Mavs have freshmen Amber Brazendale and Leila Washington to pair with Perez.

At guard, the Lady Mavs have Walker along with Emma Roberts, Jasia Malolo, and Alanna Williams.

"I like our group, Krause said.  "We have a couple of experienced players in Marta (Perez) and Natalie (Walker) and some good young players.  This group has worked hard all fall and I'm excited to see how they perform.  I feel like we have some depth."

The Lady Mavs don't start conference play until January giving the team time to gel.

"We have the first semester to fine tune some things and prepare for the conference schedule," Krause said.  "We play some good teams in November that will prepare us for conference.  I like to play tough teams, it's a great opportunity for our players."