LINCOLN, Nebraska—The wait is finally over.

After its best season in nearly a decade, the Northwestern State women's basketball team makes its triumphant return to the court for the season.

NSU begins a challenging non-conference slate with a trip to the Midwest, facing Nebraska on Monday.

Tip is at noon at Pinnacle Bank Arena and is the opening game for both teams. It can be viewed on Big Ten Network Plus.

"We are looking forward to taking on one of the best programs in the nation," head coach Anna Nimz said. "We are going to focus on us, our team's progress and have fun growing together on this trip.

"We are ready to compete at a high level and in front of a likely sold-out crowd."

NSU aims to build on last year's 16-16 mark and trip to the WNIT for the first time since 1999 as well as the quarterfinals of the Southland Conference Tournament.

The new-look Demons welcome nine new players to the program, including eight transfers.

However, one constant from last year's roster remains the same—Vernell Atamah.

The reigning Southland Conference Freshman of the Year is back after posting one of the most productive rookie campaigns in the history of the program. She was the first NSU player since Janelle Perez in 2013 to earn the conference player of the year.

Her 440 points and 220 rebounds last season finished third in school history in those categories for a freshman.

"I am really excited for the start of the season," Atamah said. "I think this team has the potential to do things that we haven't done here yet. Playing Nebraska, it's the first game of the season, so we are all ready to get the season started. On top of that, they are a Big Ten team, and it gives us a big chance to prove to everyone in our conference and everyone in the world to know what we're like. I can't wait."

Nine new players are in the program for the Demons, and they focused on a few key areas—size, defense and 3-point shooting.

Of the nine newcomers, four stand at least 6-feet. At 6-feet-0, Stephie Salumu can play either the guard or forward spot. The transfer from South Georgia Tech fills multiple of those areas, as she earned Co-Defensive Player of the Year as a freshman last season.

A New Orleans transfer, guard Alexis Caldeon led the SLC in steals in 2023-24, which earned her an SLC All-Defensive Team spot. She finished in the top five in steals last season. Dasia Turner also made it to an all-defensive team during her time at Philander Smith.

The Demons love to launch from deep, as they are coming off a season in which they recorded the most 3-pointers made in the history of the program for a single season.

Mika Jarrett and Jay Scott each can bury shots from long range, as Jarrett shot 37.9 percent from deep at Moorpark College, while Scott shot 40 percent from beyond the 3-point line, being named NJCAA Second Team All-American, First Team All-Region and First Team All-Conference for Moberly Area CC.

With so many new faces, chemistry may be an issue for some teams, but Atamah raves about the chemistry the team has built up through the offseason and into the preseason.

"I think our chemistry is really good," Atamah said. "Off the court, we have developed a very strong chemistry, and on the court, we're able to talk to each other and we understand it's not from a place of hate and it's not personal. We know we love each other and want each other to get better. It all started with us having a good chemistry off the court."

Following the game, NSU heads to Wichita State for the second game of the three-game road trip to begin the season.