BELOIT (23-2, 13-0; away January 29th)....1997-98 Scores: Beloit 69-63, Beloit 91-55 (MWC Tournament)....The Bucs defeated Monmouth twice last year, including an opening-round romp in the MWC Conference Tournament....Beloit leads the all-time series 10-8 and has won eight straight against Monmouth....The Scots’ last victory came during the 1988-89 season, a 79-78 victory at home....Beloit has won three of the last four MWC titles and advanced to the NCAA Division III tourney last season after completing a perfect 13-0 league schedule

CARROLL (7-15, 3-10; home January 22nd, away January 30th)....1997-98 Score: Monmouth 69-66....Monmouth evened the series 2-2 with a three-point victory last year against the Pioneers....The teams have alternated wins in the series which began in 1993-94 with Carroll’s introduction into the Midwest Conference....Pioneers return First Team All-MWC forward Crystal Grosskopf, the league’s top returning rebounder.....Carroll is expected to start an entirely underclassman lineup for new coach Kris Jacobsen

GRINNELL (5-17, 1-12; home January 8th, away February 10th)....1997-98 Scores: Monmouth 61-56, Monmouth 36-35....Monmouth has a 27-14 lead in the all-time series against the Pioneers and last year’s sweep extended the Scots’ winning streak to nine games....Scots claimed a 36-35 victory at home on a last-second three-pointer in their lowest-scoring game of the season....The 36 points was the lowest-scoring winning total in team history....Grinnell’s only conference victory last year came in overtime against Illinois College...Pioneers return center Mandi Hill, a Second Team All-MWC selection in 1997, and guard Amy Walters, a Second Team pick last year

ILLINOIS (3-19, 2-11; away January 26th, home February 17th)....1997-98 Scores: Monmouth 70-64, Monmouth 77-73...Monmouth won both games last year to snap a 12-game IC victory streak....Despite the two losses Illinois still leads the series by a 20-18 margin...Monmouth’s last sweep came in the 1987-88 season....The Lady Blues struggled last year, winning only two conference games after qualifying for five consecutive MWC tournaments....IC won the league title in 1992-93, lost in three straight MWC tournament semifinals (1994-96) and were beaten in the championship game in 1997 by Beloit....All-MWC forward Martha Vest returns as the top player for coach Brenna Kelly....With talent and experience, the Lady Blues should return as a conference contender

KNOX (7-15, 5-8; home December 5th, away February 20th)....1997-98 Scores: Monmouth 64-50, Monmouth 72-61....Knox leads the all-time series 28-25 despite dropping both games last year....Monmouth’s season sweep was the first for either team since the 1993-94 season....The Prairie Fire finished third in the MWC South Division after advancing to the postseason tournament the year before....Knox returns All-Conference guard Brooke McKinney, who led the league in scoring with 17.4 points per game, and forward Tara Miller, the conference’s top free-throw shooter

LAKE FOREST (20-4, 12-1; away December 2nd, home January 9th)....1997-98 Scores: Lake Forest 76-54, Lake Forest 77-60....The Foresters enjoy a 7-1 series advantage in the schools’ eight previous meetings....LFC defeated the Scots twice last year on their way to the MWC South Division title in their first year as a South member....The Foresters’ Alison Grubbs captured divisional Player of the Year honors as a freshman and returns as coach Jackie Slaats’ top player.....Grubbs shot over 50% from the floor and behind the three-point line in her rookie season.....Lake Forest must find a way to replace several talented seniors who led the team into the league championship game, where they were defeated 74-67 by Beloit

LAWRENCE (5-16, 3-10; home January 23rd)...1997-98 Score: Monmouth 63-51....Monmouth won last year’s meeting but trails 2-3 in the short series with the Vikings.....MC’s only other victory came in a thrilling 78-74 double-overtime defeat of Lawrence to open the 1988-89 season....LU’s Joy Rogatzki was a Second Team selection at guard last year....Coach Amy Proctor is expected to field an underclassman lineup in another rebuilding year for the Vikings

RIPON (14-10, 9-4; away January 15th, home February 6th)....1997-98 Scores: Monmouth 74-62, Monmouth 78-67 (MWC Tournament)....The Fighting Scots bested Ripon twice last year, including an 11-point decision in the conference tourney to capture third-place league honors....After dropping four straight to the Red Hawks, Monmouth’s two wins brought the Scots to within two in the all-time series, which Ripon leads 6-4....The two teams first played in the 1984-85 season....Ripon looks to be facing a rebuilding season after graduating three All-Conference players from last year’s team

ST. NORBERT (13-9, 7-6; away January 16th, home February 5th)....1997-98 Score: Monmouth 66-51......The five-game series stands in SNC’s favor 3-2....The Scots won last year convincingly at home by 15 points....Coach Connie Tilley returns a veteran squad with two seniors and two juniors in the starting lineup