The Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) women's basketball team will begin the 2017-18 season with a No. 15 national ranking in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II preseason poll.

The Bears are one of three teams from the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) ranked in the poll. Defending Division II national champion Kirkwood Community College (KCC) is the top-ranked team in the poll and North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) is ranked ninth.

"It's very nice because it means we've got a good program and we're well thought of," DMACC women's basketball coach Steve Krafcisin said of the ranking. "Now we've got to come out and (stay in the poll). The girls have to realize they have a little bullseye and teams will be shooting for what a great thing it would be to upset a ranked team."

The Bears are coming off a 27-5 season in 2016-17, including a 12-2 record and a second-place finish in the ICCAC. DMACC reached the semifinals of the NJCAA Region XI Tournament where the Bears were eliminated by NIACC.

DMACC returns six sophomores from last season's team, including Molly Mitchell of Okoboji, a second-team all-region selection. Other returning sophomores include Joniqua Clark of Cedar Rapids, Regan Shockley of Hartley, Beth Atwood of Packwood, Ashley Kallas of Milwaukee, Wis., and Allee Ira of Altoona. Mitchell, Clark, Shockley and Atwood are projected starters for the Bears when they open the season against Little Priest Tribal Nov. 1 at Winnebago, Neb. Freshman Deja Davis of Omaha, Neb., is also expected to be in the starting lineup for DMACC.

"The girls are trying to do what we want them to do," Krafcisin said of the three preseason jamborees in which his team participated in. "I think we'll score more off the press and more off defense than we have in the past, but I don't think we're as good a shooting team as we have been."

Krafcisin said freshmen Ellis Horn of Newton, Emma Rouse of Boone, Grace Stalzer of Zearing and Aliyah Robinson of Waterloo have been impressive in the preseason jamborees. Rounding out the roster is freshmen Taylor Abernathy of Chicago, Ill.

The Bears played six community college teams and three NAIA college junior and senior groups in preseason jamborees and showed improvement in those games.

"Even though our record in the jamborees wasn't as good as we wanted it to be, that wasn't the important thing," Krafcisin said. "It was to get a lot of people experience. For our freshmen, the game is going to be a little rougher, a little faster, there are going to be better defenders, players are going to knock down shots and possessions are a little more important. I think all of that will come."

The DMACC women's basketball team will open the home season Nov. 4 against Southeast (Neb.) Community College.