WINDSOR, Ont.- The pursuit of a fourth-straight Bronze Baby Trophy begins this weekend in the nation's capital, where the Windsor Lancers women's basketball team start their conference schedule against the Carleton Ravens and Ottawa Gee-Gees.

The three-time defending national champion Lancers are looking to become just the second team in CIS women's basketball history to win four consecutive CIS banners. The last team to do so was the Laurentian Lady Vees, who won five straight titles from 1975 to 1979.

The women are coming off a historic campaign in 2012-13 where they became the first team in OUA women's basketball history to go undefeated in regular season play since the conference went to a 22-game schedule. Windsor defeated regular season opponents by more than 10 points in 16 of their 21 season matches along the way. The Lancers carried their unblemished record through the playoffs, defeated Carleton to re-claim the OUA banner, and capped off their perfect season with a 66-57 victory over the Regina Cougars in the CIS Final 8 championship game.

The Lancers, who will host the CIS championship in March, debuted at No. 1 in the preseason CIS basketball rankings for the second straight year and for the third time in the last four seasons.

Head coach Chantal Vallée is entering her ninth season at the helm of the women's basketball program, and garners an incredible 209-64 overall record with the Lancers heading into the 2013-14 campaign. Vallée was happy with Windsor's preseason play that saw the women go 7-2 and 6-0 against CIS opponents.

Windsor is returning two of the top players in the CIS, as Jessica Clemençon and Miah-Marie Langlois are entering the fifth and final years of their illustrious university careers. Clemençon, a multiple CIS all-Canadian and OUA all-star, was second in the conference and eighth in nation scoring last season, averaging 19.6 points per game. The St. Rambert, France native brought down 7.3 rebounds per game in 2012-13, and is a former BLG Award winner as CIS Female Athlete of the Year.

Langlois was named the CIS defensive player of the year in each of the last two seasons, and averaged 12.0 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game and 6.0 assists per game, ranking her second in the nation in that category. In addition, she was ranked third in the CIS with 67 steals on the year. Langlois was also named the CIS Final 8 Tournament MVP in both 2011 and 2012.

"They (Clemençon  and Langlois) have contributed immensely to the program, amassed three national championships and a lot of personal records," said Vallée. "And what is interesting with these two women is that their careers are not over, they will continue to play professionally and maybe as part of their national program, so I think that for them this season is not an end but only a beginning and a stepping stone for the future."

Korissa Williams rounds out Windsor's "big-three", as the hometown native earned CIS Tournament MVP honours in helping the Lancers claim their third-straight national banner last spring. Williams earned an OUA second-team all-star nod in 2012-13, and averaged 15.2 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game and 2.8 assists per game during the regular season. She also ranked ninth in the country with 56 steals and was eighth in the CIS with a 52.0% field-goal percentage. Both Williams and Langlois were named to Canada's FISU Summer Universiade team, and represented the Red and White in Russia this past summer.

The Lancers will be without Bojana Kovacevic and Laura Mullins, both of whom were major impact players for the women throughout their championship runs and concluded their eligibility last year. However, with up and comers such as sophomore guard Caitlyn Longmuir, who was named to the OUA West division's all-rookie squad last season, third-year centre Tessa Kreiger who also represented Canada at the 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan, and an impactful recruiting class, the women will again be a top contender for a fourth national championship in as many years.

"We probably have one of the strongest recruiting classes in the country, with Kristine (LaLonde) coming from a division I school, Emily (Prevost) coming from CGEP and Cheyanne (Roger) playing international basketball for Team Canada," said Vallée. "I think all three will have an impact and play right away. This recruiting class makes our team probably the deepest it has ever been and also shows we have a bright future ahead of us."

LaLonde is a five-foot-ten guard out of Sudbury, Ontario who transferred from the NCAA Division I's University of Vermont, where she started for two seasons from 2010 to 2012 and was one of the America East's conference's top play-makers. One of the top athletes coming out of CEGEP, Prevost led the Quebec Conference in points per game and rebounds last season. Roger, considered to be one of the top junior players in Canada, is a two-time Canadian national team member who averaged 6.8 points per game and 4.6 rebounds per game at the FIBA Americas U18 tournament in 2012. 

There is plenty of hype and pressure surrounding the women as they gear up to defend their national title for a third consecutive season, this time on home court. However, Vallée is confident that the seasoned Lancer squad is up to the challenge.

"Fortunately, we are experienced in this situation. At least half our team has won a national championship on home court, and nine out of our 12 players are national champions. So we know how to maneuver through the year with the ups and downs, the excitement and the pressure and manage all of it. I expect us to have great outcomes as a result of that."

The Lancers begin the season on the road this weekend where they will take on Carleton and CIS No. 10 ranked Ottawa. Both games are set to tip-off at 6:00 p.m., and are available live online at SSN Canada.

In addition, the women will host the York Lions next Friday, November 8 in their home opener, and there will be a pre-game banner raising ceremony to commemorate Windsor's third-straight national title.