HOUGHTON — The Michigan Tech women’s basketball team is nearing the opening tip-off of the 2017-18 season and the Huskies look to build upon another solid finish a year ago. The Huskies were 20-8 overall and finished third in the GLIAC North Division thanks to a 15-6 record against conference opponents.

Michigan Tech is picked to finish first in the North Division in the 2017 GLIAC Basketball Preseason Poll, announced on Thursday by the conference office. The Huskies earned 58 points with four first-place votes. Grand Valley State is a close second in the North Division with 57 points and an identical total of four first-place votes. Northern Michigan rounds out the top three in the North Division with 52 points and four first-place votes.

In the South Division, defending NCAA Division II National Champion Ashland University was the favorite to finish first this season, garnering 66 points and 11 first-place votes. Saginaw Valley State checked in second with 51 points followed by Northwood in third with 48 points and one first-place vote.

Michigan Tech advanced to the GLIAC Final Four last season before falling to the eventual NCAA Division II National Champion Ashland University in the semifinals. The Huskies return a wealth of talent and experience off of last year’s team. Four of the five starters are back with all four players averaging 10 points per game or more.

In the backcourt, seniors Kelli Guy, Lindsay Winter, and Brenna Heise will provide solid offensive production as well as being tough on the defensive end of the floor for opponents. Heise averaged 11.6 points per game last season and knocked down 47.3 percent of her shots from the field. Heise paced the Huskies in rebounding, hauling down 5.1 boards contest last year and was named to the All-GLIAC Second Team. Heise was named to the 2017 Preseason GLIAC All-Conference Team.

Like Heise, Guy started all 28 games for Tech in 2016-17 and posted 10.0 points per game while dishing out 2.4 assists per night. Winter, who was slowed by an injury at the beginning of last season, bounced back to play in 23 games and average 10.6 points per night. She was the leading three-point shooter percentage wise at 43.1 percent and was named to the GLIAC All-Tournament team.

Junior Elizabeth Kelliher will anchor the middle again for the Huskies in 2017-18. Kelliher averaged 10 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in 2016-17. She also averaged 2.7 blocked shots per game and set a new Tech record for most blocked shots in a game with nine at Northwood.

Michigan Tech added two new players to the roster during the offseason with Cassidy Trotter and Sloane Zenner joining the team as freshmen following outstanding high school careers. Trotter is from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin and prepped at Beaver Dam High School. Zenner played locally at Houghton High School and is very familiar with Michigan Tech’s program.

The Huskies tip-off the 2017-18 season at NCAA Division I Wisconsin-Green Bay in an exhibition game Thursday, Nov. 2nd followed by the regular season opener against Davis & Elkins Friday, Nov. 10 in the Pepper Pike, Ohio.