POINT LOMA TRUSTING THE PROCESS ENTERING NEW ERA

(SAN DIEGO) A new era is set to begin for PLNU Women’s Basketball.

Point Loma alumna Carlotta Kloppenburg-Pruitt has returned to The Point as head coach of her alma mater after five hugely successful seasons as head coach at Southern Oregon.

With the Sea Lions set to embark on a new season, under a new coaching staff, the team has rallied around the word “trust.”

“The biggest thing coming in, because everything was so new and there was so much change, is to just trust the process,” Kloppenburg-Pruitt said. “Trust each other and trust your coaches, that we're going to get us to where we need to be.

“They’ve done a great job of just continuing to trust the process, not panicking when things go wrong and just sticking with it. We just continue to build trust and build it not only with coaches, but with each other. They're getting to know us a little bit more, we're getting to know them a little bit more.

“That word has been really key for us through this whole preseason and then leading up into games, continuing to stay with that trust even when things aren't going great.”

Part of that trust will be found in the development of the team’s newfound identity, which is on the defensive side of the court.

“Our identity is always going to be on the defensive end,” Kloppenburg-Pruitt said. “Hopefully we can find the offense within that a little bit. Knowing our identity is on defense, we're going to get after it every single game and then the offense will flow from that. It's just a change for them a little bit but they're starting to grasp it and see how fun it can be too.

“It's been a lot of growing pains but they have really done a great job of buying in on both ends of the floor, buying into each other and seeing what it really takes to be to be great.”

Kloppenburg-Pruitt said the team will press for all 40 minutes every game.

“We want to make it really tough for teams to score and we want to try and turn people over,” PLNU’s first-year head coach said. “We’re going to be really fundamentally sound. We're going to make people take tough shots and we're going to rebound it and run.

“We love to trap a lot, but we know we have to be really good fundamentally before we can do all of that. It's going to be fun to see how our defense can progress as we continue to grow in that.”

The Point Loma alumna, who starred for the Sea Lions for two seasons in 2012-13 and 2013-14 during PLNU’s transition to NCAA Division II, is excited about the team’s depth and hopes to go deep into her bench most games.

“We're going to be really high energy and intensity all the time,” Kloppenburg-Pruitt said. “People are going to come in and they're going to empty the tank, and then somebody else is going to go in and they're going to empty their tank. That’s really how we want to play is just with really high energy on both ends of the floor.”

RETURNERS

Point Loma returns six players from last season’s roster, including All-PacWest players Hannah Golan and Ruby Vlahov. Senior sharpshooter Maddie Morrow is back as a team leader as well.

“I think Hannah and Mo have done a great job with the coaching staff coming in of just really buying into what we're trying to do and they're being vocal,” Kloppenburg-Pruitt said. “They’re also great teammates. They're going to push their teammates, but they care about them and they love them. Those two have done a great job stepping into a leadership role that maybe they haven’t had and are doing a really good job at that.

“Ruby is another one who's just a born leader. She has the voice for it and she's done a great job of buying in to the little things and holding her teammates accountable for that too.”

Guard Jocelyn Pascual is back for her junior season, along with sophomores Cassidy Bartolotto and Emma Sales.

“Jocelyn is just an Energizer Bunny,” Kloppenburg-Pruitt said. “We’re challenging her to take the next step in her game. This system fits her really well on both ends of the floor and she’s another one with a great voice on the court.

“Cass has really worked on her game all summer and can really stretch the floor. She’s just in the right spot a lot. She really watches film and wants to do the right thing, so I think she's made a jump.

“Emma has really taken a stride. She's always talking and is always in the right spot for her teammates, bringing a great attitude and energy every single day on both ends of the floor. I'm excited to see her growth throughout the year too.”

NEWCOMERS

Point Loma welcomes three transfers and four freshmen to the fold this season.

The team’s transfers are Louise Dykstra (Northern Colorado), Kamiyah Hurd (Southwest Baptist) and Sage Winslow (Southern Oregon).

“Louise is getting her way back in from an injury, but she's done an incredible job of being vocal that whole time,” Kloppenburg-Pruitt said. “She’s just a worker and we're excited to get her back.

“Kamiyah is one of the strongest athletes I've ever been around. This system fits her really well because she can guard multiple positions and she's really tough. She has a high motor and is someone who's different from what the conference has I think, so we’re really excited about her.

“Sage is playing a much different role than she has in the past, and is on a different team, so I think there's some challenge there for her but she's doing a great job of trying to do the right thing, watch film and continue to get better. She’s a catalyst on the defensive end and she's going to pressure people, which just ramps up the energy for everybody.”

The freshmen on the squad are guard Kai Staniland and forwards Andri Wilkinson, Janaya Williams and Kamryn Wille.

“Kai can really play,” Kloppenburg-Pruitt said. “She has great vision, is a great passer and can really shoot the ball. Andri is just a worker. She runs the floor really hard, she talks all the time and she's somebody that you can just rely on.

“Kamryn was out for a little while but she's a worker bee. She just goes after boards, flies around and just plays extremely hard. It’s been really fun to see her get back into the mix. Then Janaya is another one who's just continued to get better over the past few weeks and is part of a really good group of freshmen that want to come in and learn.”

SCHEDULE

Point Loma opens its 2026-27 season on Monday at San Francisco State. PLNU then returns to Golden Gym for the first time to host Cal State San Marcos (Friday) and Cal Poly Pomona (Saturday) in the PacWest/CCAA Conference Challenge.

“That first game being on the road on a Monday, it's just different and we have to be mentally ready to go,” Kloppenburg-Pruitt said. “Then we come back home and play two good teams, so we have a great schedule ahead of us. Just taking it one day at a time is going to be the key for us.”

PLNU will travel to Cal State LA on Nov. 19 before hosting Cal State Dominguez Hills two days later on Nov. 21. The Sea Lions will then play Western Oregon (Nov. 27) and Northwest Nazarene (Nov. 28) in Nampa, Idaho over Thanksgiving ahead of its PacWest opener at Jessup on Dec. 3.

“It’s really going to be figuring out what our rotation is going to be,” Kloppenburg-Pruitt said. “We just haven't played enough games to really know who is going to make an impact on the floor and I think that those are going to be the games to really figure that out. I think that's going to be the biggest thing for us is just finding that rotation, hopefully 10 that we can play in a game.”

After non-conference contests against Ferris State (Dec. 18), Life Pacific (Dec. 19) and at San Diego State (Dec. 29), PLNU will resume conference play on Jan. 2 at Vanguard.

Point Loma, picked second in the PacWest Preseason Poll after finishing as conference runner-up last year, will then conclude its 18-game conference slate on Feb. 27 at Concordia.

“There are a lot of great coaches in this conference that I've coached against in the past, so I'm excited to get to reconnect with them,” Kloppenburg-Pruitt said. “I’m just excited to compete in this conference that I got to play in, so it's going to be really fun to relive that a little bit and get back to some of those gyms that we played in.

“Obviously it looks a little bit different since I've been here, but I think it's going to be really competitive. It's going to be a battle every night in the PacWest and I'm excited for that.”

The top six teams in the conference will advance to the PacWest Championships, March 4-6 in La Mirada. The Sea Lions have advanced to the conference tournament semifinals in each of the past five seasons.

The NCAA West Regional is scheduled for March 12-15, with PLNU looking to extend its streak of three straight regional appearances.

The eight regional winners will then advance to the NCAA Elite Eight (March 22-26) in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

“You always have to have an end goal in the back of your head,” Kloppenburg-Pruitt said. “For us it’s just staying focused on getting better every day so that we can get to that point where we're in contention to win it. Every year you want to be, so you have to have that end goal, and we have to just win the little battles every day.

“If you lose, you learn from it. If you win, you learn from it. We’re going to stay present in the moment and take it day-by-day. We’ll worry about what we can control and those things will work themselves out.”

For the team’s full schedule, click HERE.