GREAT FALLS, Mont. – The University of Providence women's basketball team will kick off their season Thursday night with a home game against NAIA powerhouse Southeastern. The game will tip off at 5:00 p.m. in the McLaughlin Center in Great Falls, Mont.

"I'm really excited," head coach Bill Himmelberg said. "The experience we're going to be able to give our girls is going to be outstanding."

The Argos return nearly everybody from a highly successful season last year in which the team finished 10-6 overall. Ranked for most of the season, they finished third in the tough Frontier Conference, behind Montana Western and Carroll College. Because of the high amount of returners, the Argos have been able to begin practicing at a higher pace than they have in year's past.

"Our girls already know what we want to do offensively and defensively," Himmelberg said. "We're ahead of where we'd normally be at with such an older, experienced team that's played together. We have great chemistry and our team gets along really well."

The team is headlined by returning All-Americans Parker Esary and Emilee Maldonado, who are both using their extra year of eligibility granted by the NAIA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last season, Esary became the first Argo ever to be named an All-American all four years of her career, when she was named a 3^rd Team All-American. Facing consistent double-teams, Esary still managed to average 15.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 1.4 assists per game. She shot an astounding 61.5% from the field, which ended up being second in the nation a year ago.

Maldonado broke the record books last season for the Argos, becoming the first player to ever be named a 1^st Team All-American in program history. She averaged 16.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game, while shooting 46.1% from the floor, 50% from beyond the arc and 91.3% from the free throw line. She finished the season ranked third in free throw percentage and fourth in three-point field goal percentage. For her efforts, she was named the Frontier Conference Player of the Year, and was named the Preseason Player of the Year by the conference coaches earlier this month.

"When you get a 1^st Team and a 3^rd Team All-American coming back, it's exciting," Himmelberg said. "We know we have a chance to do something special with them coming back."

The supporting cast is also filled with highly-skilled players. Kenedy Cartwright, Maddy Dixon, Brooklyn Harn, Reed Hazard, Alicia Oatis, Kerstyn Pimperton and Elly Teske will all look to provide big roles for the team this season.

"You keep going down the line and we have a pretty solid group," Himmelberg said. "They can all get in there and provide big minutes. We got a lot of players that could start on other teams. We don't know who we're going to start game to game because we're so talented."

Despite the expectations, there will be no margin for error on Thursday night against a stout Southeastern team. The team has historically been ranked in the Top 25, and is coming off a season where the Fire finished 26-3.

"They're a pretty old, experienced team," Himmelberg said. "They are definitely one of the top teams in the country talent-wise. It's going to be a big test for us. They've have a history of being really good and performing high, so we know it's going to be a challenging game for us."

The Argos however, are up for the challenge.

"We expect to win every game when we go out there," Himmelberg said. "We're good enough, we're talented enough, we have enough experience. That's what our girls' expectation is for themselves. We just want to put ourselves in a chance to be able to play for a Frontier Conference Championship and get in and play for a National Championship."