Oregon State women's basketball coach LaVonda Wagner doesn't mince words in describing what she expects from the 2009-10 Beavers.

"My expectations are to win, period, the end," Wagner said. "We are really looking to build a successful foundation by putting in a lot of extra time. So we want to be successful.

"At the end of the day we want to see where that takes us, whether it's to the WNIT or to the NCAA tournament. We just want to be in position to be successful. The most important thing is to get the new people into the system, to understand it and execute it well.

"We want to attack, execute and finish."

The journey begins Friday night, when the Beavers open Year 5 of the Wagner coaching era against the Cal Poly Mustangs of the Big West Conference. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Gill Coliseum, where the Beavers haven't lost a home opener since the 2005-06 season.

There is no such thing as a rebuilding year, even if the Beavers graduated three long-time starters from the winningest (20-12) team in Wagner's four seasons at OSU. The six new players - one anticipated contributor, forward Amaya Gastaminza, will miss the season with a knee injury - are expected to mature quickly and become key cogs in the playing rotation.

"I think that we all agree that we have a bunch of new faces with a lot of talent," Wagner said. "It is our job to take that new talent and put it toward the right direction, at the right time. "

One of those new faces is 5-foot-10 freshman guard Kate Lanz of Central Catholic High in Portland, who scored 16 points in both of OSU's lopsided exhibition victories.

"We have people that can do array of things, players who can get the ball on the floor, get to the rim and score, and who are great rebounders," Wagner said. "We have players who can take some great shots. We have all these pieces that just need to be put together and make that puzzle."

Returning junior guard Talisa Rhea, one of the top 3-point shooters in program history, and returning sophomore forward Kirsten Tilleman give the Beavers a good inside-outside combination. Sophomore Brittney Kennedy, a versatile backcourt sub last season, moves into the starting point guard position.

"I like ball-handling, that's where I feel most comfortable," said Kennedy, who spent countless hours in the offseason working on her ball-handling skills to minimize the loss of three-year starting point guard Mercedes Fox-Griffin, whose 491 assists rank third all-time at OSU.

"Coach always says that champions are always made when no one is watching. That's where you get better, in the offseason. That's what I have to do. I am healthier and feel more confident, and my mental game is much better."

Rhea averaged 13.5 points in 2009 and has 131 3-point baskets in two years, second all-time to legend Felicia Ragland (178). She was also third on the team in assists, and has prided herself in becoming more of an all-around player.

"I've tried to work on offense by improving on my shot, getting a quicker release and learning how to get open better with teams are guarding me closely," she said. "It's just about learning new things, little hints every now and then.

"I'm excited. I've put in a lot of work getting ready, I'm very confident in where I'm at and confident in my teammates that if other teams are focusing on me we'll be able to get open shots to other people. They'll help me out and fill the roles we lost from last season."

Size is always a concern and the Beavers took a hit with the graduation of three-year starter Tiffany Ducker, their top rebounder the last two seasons, and the transfer of forward Alex Mitchell. El Sara Greer, a 6-2 transfer from Kirkwood (Iowa) Community College started both exhibition games and 6-3 senior forward Anita Burdick, a part-time player last season, should see appreciable minutes.

Senior Stacey Nichols, a 6-1 forward, started as a freshman and sophomore but was limited by injuries last season. She's healthy again and had nine rebounds in 33 minutes in the two exhibition games. Tilleman became a starter midway through her freshman year.

None is a proven scorer, though.

"We have to be more of an inside threat, rebound, get some second-chance plays and score on the low blocks," Wagner said. "We have to make people guard us. We don't just want to go through our perimeter game, we have to make people guard us inside.

"El Sara Greer is one of the most prolific rebounders I've seen. She's long and lanky and has a nose for the ball. We score a lot of offense off our defense. That's been our mantra here and we have to continue that."