The Point Park women’s basketball team is continuing to make milestones and strides in their first season under Head Coach Tony Grenek.This past week, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics released their top 25 teams for Division II and for the first time ever, the Pioneers were on that list.”It’s the best feeling that you can ever feel,” senior guard and forward Kristen Beatty said in a phone interview on Wednesday. “I feel like we came together as a team and are enjoying it together. We’ve all gotten so much closer, we’re all best friends now and we’re just taking it as it comes.”Previously, the Pioneers could use the role as an underdog to their advantage, but now that they are in the top 25, they are viewed as a target. The Pioneers first played Tuesday, Jan. 31 against the Wilberforce Bulldogs. Although Grenek did not think the team played particularly well against Wilberforce, the team won by an 83-58 score. Beatty led the Pioneers with 14 points while senior center Joncelyn Peterkin added 13 points of her own.Along with the win, Grenek was able to empty the bench, allowing all 15 players on the team to see playing time.”Being a former athlete myself, I know that it’s tough sometimes being a reserve player and everybody wants to play and contribute,” Grenek said in a phone interview on Sunday. “At Wilberforce and Houghton, we’ve been able to get all 15 players in the past two games and that’s huge because down that stretch run, we need to rest people. We have some minor injuries nothing major, so we need to get some of our players some rest.”The team then came back to Pittsburgh, preparing itself for Houghton College before playing the Highlanders last Saturday. The two teams previously played a competitive game until the Pioneers pulled away with a 65-50 victory.”I was so nervous about the game because we struggled with Houghton the first time around and they’re a very good team,” Grenek said. “I was very hesitant about how we were going to come out, but our team responded well. In fact, we may have played our best game of the year.”The Pioneers were able to defeat the Highlanders by a 77-49 score and extend their winning streak to 13 games. Peterkin scored 14 points in the game while junior guards April Austin and Emily Schartner scored 13 and 10 points respectively.The Pioneers, still on top of the American Mideast Conference are very close to clinching a spot in the AMC Tournament. Fifth place Carlow University will have to win all of the rest of their games – including one against the Pioneers – while the Pioneers would have to lose all of theirs to create a tie.Up next for the Pioneers is a matchup against Walsh University. While Walsh will not qualify for the AMC Tournament, they played a very close game losing 54-47 when they played at Community College of Allegheny County South, the Pioneers’ home gym. The Pioneers expect a tough test but hope to continue the streak.”We know what type of team they are and we know that we can beat them,” junior forward Maeve Gallagher said in a phone interview Saturday following the Houghton game. “We just need to go down there and play hard defense just like we did the last time we played against them, and we’re hoping for the same outcome.”Following the Walsh game is a home game on Saturday Feb. 11 against Roberts Wesleyan, a team Point Park defeated on the road 57-39. Grenek understands the importance of this game.”Saturday’s game is going to have huge implications in deciding where seeding is going to take place,” Grenek said. “If we can come out on top on Roberts Wesleyan, then we’re really putting ourselves in a good position to probably host at least one playoff game.”Following the Roberts Wesleyan matchup is Senior Day on Sunday Feb. 12 against Fisher. The three seniors on the Pioneers roster Beatty, Peterkin and Kristen Veseleny will be honored before the game for their accomplishments in Point Park women’s basketball. While emotions will be high and Fisher is down to seven or eight players on their roster, Grenek says that the game needs to be taken seriously. It will get them one step closer to their goal of hosting at least one playoff game.As of before the Walsh game, Point Park had 18 wins on the season. The Pioneers are close to achieving the most wins in a season and are one win away from tying the 1993-1994 mark of 19 victories.The Pioneers have not lost a game since Dec. 3, a 77-67 loss at University of Rio Grande and the whole team hopes that this trend continues.”April and I were talking the other day, and I told her, ‘I don’t remember what it’s like to lose and I think it’s going to be a very big letdown when we do lose,'” Beatty said. “Last year we didn’t have this mentality at all and this year every single one of us on the team has the mentality that we don’t want to lose at all, and we’re giving it whatever it takes to make sure that we don’t lose.”With the implications of the weekend pretty clear, and the debut of the new student section “The Herd,” Grenek is hoping for a lot of cheering and support.            “If we can have a crazy crowd, then we’d greatly appreciate it and it should be a great atmosphere this weekend,” Grenek said.