FULTON, Mo. -- The No. 19-ranked William Woods University women's basketball team kicks-off its 2013-14 campaign on the road, as they travel to Missouri Valley College for a 5:30 p.m. contest on Monday night.

William Woods will be looking to build off a 2012-13 season that saw them reach the NAIA National Tournament's Sweet 16, en route to a 26-7 record and a fifth straight appearance in the American Midwest Conference title game.

2012-13 First-Team All-AMC selection Katie Scherder is the team's top returning player, as she brings back a team-high 8.7 point and 6.8 rebound per game average from a year ago.

Scherder will have a lot of familiar faces around her in the season opener, as the Owls return four players that started at least 22 games last season.

WWU was selected as the third best team in the Preseason AMC Poll, as newcomer Freed-Hardeman and defending AMC Champion, Columbia College, were projected 1-2 in a conference that features four Top 25 programs.

It will be the second game this season for Missouri Valley College (0-1), as the Lady Vikings dropped an 81-68 contest at William Penn University on Friday night. MVC had a pair of double-digit scorers as Gabi Morales put in a 23-point, 8-rebound effort in the loss, while Julia Vasquez chipped in 14.   

Missouri Valley is coming off an 8-23 season that ended in the first round of the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament with a loss to MidAmerica Nazarene.

Morales is the team's top returning scorer, as the guard brings back her 8.4 points per game average. Rayna Smith is the only other returning player who averaged more than six points from a year ago, as she tallied 6.4 points per game during the 2012-13 campaign.

The Lady Vikings came in eighth in the HAAC Preseason Poll, as they went 5-13 in conference play last season.

These two squads are no strangers to one another, as they have met 32 previous times before Monday's matchup. William Woods holds the 22-10 lead in the all-time series, and defeated MVC 75-49 last season in Fulton, Mo. Stephanie Copelin turned in solid performance against the Lady Vikings last season, as the senior scored 15 points to go along with eight caroms on the night.

Check back with wwuowls.com for a full recap of this and every game during the 2013 season.