Point Loma women's basketball doesn't enter the 2026-27 season needing to build a winning program because the Sea Lions already have one.

PLNU has reached three consecutive NCAA West Regionals, the longest such streak in program history, and finished last season 21-9 overall and 17-5 in PacWest play.

The challenge this season is maintaining that success while recognizing that many of the pieces responsible for it changed.

Charity Elliott departed after five seasons as head coach to join TCU as an assistant, and PLNU didn't just replace its head coach. The Sea Lions will have an entirely new coaching staff, led by former Point Loma player Carlotta Kloppenburg-Pruitt.

On the floor, PLNU must replace its leading scorer in Eiley Tippins and its primary facilitator in Izzy Navarro, who transferred across the city to join DI San Diego State.

There are still plenty returning, including Ruby Vlahov and Hannah Golan, while a group of newcomers gives PLNU more options throughout the roster.

For a program accustomed to playing into March, the question isn't whether change is coming.

It's how much PLNU can change without losing the identity that got it there.

Kloppenburg-Pruitt may be new to the PLNU sideline, but she isn't new to The Point.

She returns to her alma mater after five seasons as the head coach at Southern Oregon, where she compiled a 134-31 record and led the Raiders to the NAIA National Tournament in each season.

Her 2024-25 team started 34-0 and reached the national quarterfinals, earning Kloppenburg-Pruitt WBCA NAIA Coach of the Year honors.

And she's bringing some familiar faces with her.

Assistant coaches Richard Vasey and Kami Walk both previously worked with Kloppenburg-Pruitt at Southern Oregon. Vasey spent all five seasons alongside her, while Walk played for Kloppenburg-Pruitt before later joining her staff.

That means PLNU isn't simply introducing a new head coach into an existing operation. A new staff will be responsible for taking over a program that has already established itself as a consistent NCAA Tournament contender.

The transition creates one of the biggest questions surrounding this year's Sea Lions: What changes?

Kloppenburg-Pruitt's Southern Oregon teams developed a reputation for defense, but she's inheriting a Point Loma team that already held opponents to 62.1 points per game and 38.4% shooting last season.

Rather than rebuilding PLNU's identity, the new staff gets an opportunity to reshape one that was already working.

“We want to strive to be the best defensive team in the conference and one of the top in the nation,” Kloppenburg-Pruitt said. “Our foundation is set on the defensive end and we want to be known for every time we step on the floor, we are going to bring energy and intensity to that side of the ball.” 

The coaching staff isn't the only significant change.

PLNU also loses two of its most important players from last season in Tippins and Navarro.

Tippins finished her senior season as Point Loma's leading scorer, averaging 13.8 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 56.7% from the field. Her efficiency gave PLNU a reliable option around the basket and helped her earn First Team All-PacWest recognition.

Navarro leaves an entirely different hole.

The guard averaged 11.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 6.8 assists while starting all 30 games. Her 203 assists were more than double any other Sea Lion, making her the central distributor in an offense that averaged 17.7 assists per game.

She also provided disruption defensively, finishing with 96 steals.

Together, Tippins and Navarro accounted for more than 25 points per game, but replacing them isn't simply about finding 25 more points.

PLNU must replace its leading scorer, its primary ball-handler and two players who influenced how the Sea Lions operated on opposite areas of the floor.

The answer may have to come from several places.

Jocelyn Pascual is one of the most intriguing returning players because PLNU already has experience using her behind Navarro.

Pascual appeared in all 30 games last season, making four starts and averaging 20.4 minutes. She finished with 47 assists, third most on the team, while averaging 4.8 points.

Those numbers aren't close to Navarro's production, and expecting one player to immediately replace 203 assists would be unrealistic.

But Pascual isn't being asked to enter an unfamiliar role.

She regularly provided guard minutes behind Navarro last season and now enters her junior year with an opportunity for those responsibilities to expand.

There were also glimpses of additional offensive potential. Pascual scored a career-high 21 points off the bench against Western Oregon last November, showing she can provide more than distribution when given the opportunity.

Whether Pascual becomes PLNU's primary ball-handler or Kloppenburg-Pruitt distributes those responsibilities throughout the backcourt will be one of the biggest questions entering the season.

While PLNU searches for its next facilitator, it doesn't have to search far for established scoring.

Ruby Vlahov and Hannah Golan return after both averaged double figures last season.

Vlahov averaged 11.9 points while shooting 48.8% from the field and 39.3% from beyond the arc. At 6-foot-3, her combination of size and perimeter shooting creates an unusual matchup for opposing defenses.

Golan averaged 11.1 points while also contributing 8.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

Both earned Third Team All-PacWest honors last season.

Their roles, however, could look different without Tippins and Navarro.

Vlahov and Golan were already important pieces of PLNU's offense. Now they could become the players around whom that offense is constructed.

How they handle that increased responsibility, and how Kloppenburg-Pruitt chooses to use them, could determine how smoothly PLNU navigates its offensive transition.

One of the most noticeable differences between last year's roster and this year's group is the number of options PLNU has around the frontcourt.

Vlahov returns at 6-foot-3, while 6-foot-2 Northern Colorado transfer Louise Dykstra gives the Sea Lions another true post option.

Dykstra, along with Kamiyah Hurd, was originally recruited by Elliott before the coaching change. Hurd arrives from Southwest Baptist after averaging 10.9 points and 7.5 rebounds and gives PLNU another physical rebounding presence.

Those additions were initially made to provide more production in the post.

Now they'll be incorporated into a different coach's system.

“Both of them bring in great experience and both bring very different experiences which I love. They both work extremely hard and will do whatever they can to help the team,” Kloppenburg-Pruitt said about the duo. 

That's an important distinction because Tippins' departure isn't simply a matter of replacing height. She was one of the most efficient offensive players on the roster and provided proven production around the basket.

The additional frontcourt depth, however, could give Kloppenburg-Pruitt more combinations to work with alongside Vlahov.

Rather than relying on one or two primary interior options, PLNU could have more flexibility in how it matches up with opponents and manages its frontcourt throughout the season.

Of all PLNU's newcomers, Sage Winslow may have the smallest learning curve.

The 5-foot-8 sophomore followed Kloppenburg-Pruitt from Southern Oregon after averaging 9.2 points as a freshman and starting 24 games.

That familiarity could become particularly valuable early.

While returning Sea Lions are learning Kloppenburg-Pruitt's terminology, expectations and system, Winslow has already spent a season playing for her.

She also fits the defensive profile associated with her new coach. Before college, Winslow set Crater High School's career records in both points and steals and earned conference Defensive Player-of-the-Year honors.

Kloppenburg-Pruitt described Winslow as a high-motor guard capable of making an immediate impact when PLNU announced her signing.

How large that impact becomes remains to be seen, but Winslow gives the Sea Lions something no other newcomer can provide: experience playing for the person now running the program.

For all the attention surrounding PLNU's offensive departures, defense could become the most interesting part of the transition.

The Sea Lions already defended well last season, limiting opponents to 62.1 points per game, 38.4% shooting from the field and 29.3% from beyond the arc.

They also held a 5.5-rebound advantage over opponents.

Now that group is being handed to a coach whose Southern Oregon teams consistently built their success around defense.

There will be something important missing, though.

Navarro's 96 steals are gone.

Replacing her ability to pressure the ball and create transition opportunities will be another responsibility for PLNU's new-look backcourt.

Winslow's defensive background could help. Pascual's increased role could matter. So could the additional options and size available behind them.

The question isn't whether Kloppenburg-Pruitt wants PLNU to defend.

It's what that defense looks like with her fingerprints on it.

There are easier situations for a first-year coaching staff to inherit.

There are also much harder ones.

Kloppenburg-Pruitt takes over a program that already knows how to win. PLNU has made three consecutive NCAA West Regional appearances and enters the season with established players such as Vlahov and Golan rather than beginning a complete rebuild.

But maintaining that standard isn't automatic.

Tippins is gone. Navarro is now across town. A new coaching staff is installing its system, players recruited by the previous staff are being incorporated into it and several returners will be asked to take on responsibilities they haven't previously held.

“I hope they notice the way we communicate and play hard for each other,” Kloppenburg-Pruitt said. “They see that when things get tough, we become more together. I hope they can see the passion and energy we play with and represent PLNU well.” 

That makes 2026-27 less about starting over and more about determining what parts of Point Loma's recent success can carry into its next era.

The goal remains familiar.

How the Sea Lions get there may look different. 

Nov. 13 vs. Cal State San Marcos: Kloppenburg-Pruitt's first countable game inside Golden Gym couldn't provide a much better local storyline. PLNU hosts Cal State San Marcos in the PacWest/CCAA Conference Challenge just four days after opening the season at San Francisco State. It also gives the Sea Lions an early test against another NCAA West Region program.

Nov. 21 vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills: The Toros give PLNU another early West Region measuring stick before conference play begins. These nonconference matchups can become particularly valuable later when NCAA regional rankings enter the conversation.

Dec. 9 vs. Westmont: PLNU's first PacWest home game will offer an early look at how the Sea Lions stack up within the conference under their new staff.

Dec. 29 at San Diego State: It may be an exhibition for Point Loma, but it could be one of the most interesting local games on the schedule. Navarro transferred to SDSU during the offseason, setting up the possibility of facing her former teammates less than a year after helping PLNU reach another NCAA Tournament. It will also give the Division II Sea Lions an opportunity to test themselves against an Aztecs program beginning its first season in the Pac-12.

Jan. 16-20 — Hawai'i road trip: Three games in five days against Hawai'i Hilo, Hawai'i Pacific and Chaminade will test PLNU's depth and ability to handle travel during the middle of conference play.