Experience will be the key to success for the women’s rugby team this season, returning 16 players from last year’s rookie team.

“This is my third season here and this is the best group I’ve had so far,” head coach Frank Graziano said. “The girls that have returned have been in the system now for at least a year, plus the recruits who have played in high school.

“Last year we were the epitome(cq) of being a rookie here.”

With so many veterans returning to the lineup, their experience has led them to new goals for this season.

“We lost some older girls who taught us to play, but we have a new team this year. Our goal is to come together as a team,” senior Corey Walker said.

Blending the returning players with the new can be challenging for the veterans, but after nearly three weeks of practice behind them, the team is strengthening its bond.

“We need to step up. We all have different playing styles and they need to come together so we can learn from each other and know what to do on the field,” junior Jessica Ball said.

Eight recruits have joined the team after competing in high school, four of whom traveled from Colorado to do so.

“We have really good team leaders and all of my recruits are doing well,” Graziano said. “They are all excited about doing this.

“With 30 girls on the team and just 15 starting jerseys to hand out, they have to compete, but it’s been good, competitive fun.”

Eastern finished last season with a 5-4 record and returned in mid-August to five consecutive days of three-a-day workouts.

“We really worked hard right up until they started class,” Graziano said. “That’s how you get ready to compete. A lot of the pieces are coming together and the morale is good.”

Competition will be tight for the Panthers, who begin this weekend in a scrimmage game before opening the season Sept. 8 against Northern Illinois.

“Obviously we have some tough competition this season from Illinois and Marquette,” Graziano said. “We also play Kansas, and playing a Big 12 team is not easy.”

The squad will also travel to Nashville to face off against Vanderbilt in addition to meeting Graziano’s alma matar, Clemson, in Murphysboro.

“The team also feels bad about losing to some teams from last year and have asked to put them back on the schedule again because they know they can win this year,” Graziano said.

Graziano has also seen an improvement in the team’s fitness level compared to last year.

“I’m impressed every day. They’re fitter than they’ve ever been,” Graziano said. “They’ve put in an enormous amount of time into fitness and I’m real proud. It gives me a chance to focus on the game plan instead of their fitness. They’re doing their part.”

Despite all the hard work that has been put into preseason training, there is