However, the backcourt will suffer this season after the graduation of explosive offensive threat Mandy West. Senior Erin Ladley, who saw limited playing time behind West last season, and sophomores Jennifer Jones and Tara Twomey will be expected to take up West's slack.

Princeton

Although the term "rebuilding year" attempts to focus on positives, it also refers to teams unlikely to repeat the success of previous seasons after losing several key players.

Barring a minor miracle, the Tigers will not be a serious Ivy contender this season. After losing their top two players to graduation a year ago, they will continue to regroup under newly-named interim Head Coach Kevin Morris, who ran Fordham's program for seven years before coming to Princeton.

Co-captain Jessica Munson, the only senior on the roster, will lead the young Tigers' attempt to stay out of the Ivy cellar. Munson herself averaged only 5.3 points a game last season, and will have to rely on other players for on-the-court leadership.

Junior forward Lauren Rigney averaged six points and almost four rebounds per game, and sophomore Allison Cahill led the team in scoring last year with 7.0 points per game. The rest of the young Princeton roster will fight for playing time.

Yale

With a talented, experienced roster hungry to prove itself as a legitimate contender, the Bulldogs seemed on the verge of a breakout season in 1999.

After a subpar start, the Bulldogs underwent a serious makeover and cruised to a 9-5 record in their last 14 games. Senior Alyson Miller, a second team All-Ivy selection who shot 52 percent from the field, catalyzed this tremendous streak. She racked up 12 points and seven boards per game during Ivy play.