LAKE CHARLES—For McNeese women's basketball first year head coach Kacie Cryer- it's a dream come true to be in the position she will be in come Saturday afternoon as her Cowgirls open the season against Louisiana-Lafayette at 2 pm at Burton Coliseum.
 
It's also the Cowgirls' White Out game and fans are encouraged to wear white. The game will be streamed on mcneesesports.com and aired on the McNeese Sports Network (KLCL-1470/1290 AM).
 
The game will be filled with plenty of emotions, as the Cryer era will begin after having spent the last five years as a Cowgirl assistant. Mix that in with Cryer beginning her collegiate coaching career against her high school coach and a former McNeese assistant coach Garry Brodhead who is in his fifth season at the helm of the Ragin' Cajuns.
 
The last time the two teams met during the regular season was in 2011-12 when McNeese defeated the Ragin' Cajuns 80-59 in Lake Charles. That same year, the Cowgirls advanced to their second NCAA Tournament. Both teams last met in the WBI Tournament in Lafayette during the 2014-15 season. McNeese dropped the game 63-58 and the Cajuns eventually went on to win the WBI championship.
 
"This is going to be a really big challenge for us early on," head coach Kacie Cryer said. "We are going to ask a few young kids to do a whole lot for us because of injuries but they have accepted the challenge."
 
McNeese returns three starters from last year's team that posted a 20-13 record and will have to fill the scoring void by Jayln Johnson and Allison Baggett who were the top two Cowgirl scorers last year.
 
Cryer will have to rely on a complete team effort to produce the scoring in each game instead of one or two players this season and she feels that her team has the potential to do that.
 
"I have been really pleased with our effort and intensity in the preseason. The seniors have done a good job of being leaders to the younger players and that is a good sign."
 
The Cowgirls' returning starters are senior Amber Donnes (9.0 ppg.,) and juniors  Mercedes Rogers (4.3 ppg.) and Frederica Haywood (5.9 ppg.) Haywood led the Cowgirls in rebounds last season with 9.3 per game and enters the season ranked 11^th in McNeese career rebounds.  
 
UL-Lafayette posted a 25-10 record last year and is picked to finish fifth in the Sun Belt this season. Like the Cowgirls, the Cajuns lost their top two scorers (Keke Veal, Kia Willridge) from last season and have five freshmen new to the team this season.
 
The Cajuns enter the game with a 101-55 exhibition game victory over LSU-Alexandria they picked up Thursday night.