The Helias Lady Crusaders brought home a Class 1 state golf trophy last season by finishing fourth.
They want to climb the ladder this season.
"My expectations are very high," Helias coach Dan Mathes said as the Lady Crusaders prepared to open the season today at the Oak Hills Golf Center. "We're a very experienced group and we should be good if we play to our abilities.
"I told them there's no reason we can't finish third or better."
Helias returns four of five players from the state team, led by senior Lauren Plunkett, who was 26th last season. Plunkett was a member of the Missouri team in the Southern Cup during the summer.
"That was a great experience for her to play against good competition," Mathes said.
Alex Nelson, a sophomore who tied for 42nd at state last year, currently holds down the No. 2 spot. Luci Francka and Ashton Lorts are battling for the No. 3 and 4 positions. Lorts tied for 54th last year at state, while Francka tied for 58th.
The No. 5 player will come from a group of Maggie Kehoe, Emily Bexten and Bailey Veit.
"They all have a chance at that spot, there's good competition," Mathes said.
Mathes said the group all played in tournaments around the area during the summer.
"There's nothing that should surprise them, they've been through all this before and should know what to expect," he said.
Mathes put his team to the test early, starting the qualifying process on just the second day of practice.
"I was trying to get them to think about being ready to go," he said.
At 18 players, it's one of the biggest groups Mathes has had in his tenure with the Lady Crusaders. The players are distributed throughout the four classes.
"There are nice numbers to try to keep rolling with," Mathes said.
And some of those younger players may see some varsity time this season.
"Some of them can step up and push the older ones," Mathes said. "It could be a situation where if someone on varsity doesn't play well, someone else will be right there to take their place.
"I like the competition. We've got a lot of JV events this year and that will give them a chance to show what they can do."
Mathes said a strength of the team is its ability to manage its way around the golf course.
"We're not shooting high numbers, a bad hole might be a double bogey," Mathes said. "If you hit a bad shot, get the ball back in play, take your medicine and go on. And they're doing that."
On the flip side, the team has some improving to do on the greens.
"Adjusting to speed and slope, that's important and we're working on that," said Mathes, who is in his 28th year at Helias.
The schedule remains virtually the same, with one addition being a trip to the Bolivar Quad. That will also be the site of the sectional tournament later in the season. The district tournament will be played at Redfield, while the state tournament will be played at the Twin Hills Golf and Country Club in Joplin.