Iowa State has a hole in the heart of its roster to fill.

Three key seniors from the Sweet 16 squad have graduated.

Monica Huelman, Desiree Francis and Stacy Frese are gone, and with them go points, minutes and most importantly leadership.

Head Coach Bill Fennelly knows that it will take a group effort to fill the void, but one player to stand out for the Cyclones will be Megan Taylor.

“I’m watching the baseball playoffs and they are interviewing [Alex Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners] and now it’s his team because [Ken] Griffey left. I think now it’s Megan’s team because Stacy left,” Fennelly said.

Taylor, a senior who excels on both sides of the ball, approaches the role rather modestly.

“Angie [Welle] has really stepped it up this year. She’s been very vocal and stuff, and then Erica Haugen and Sarah Robson. I think that mostly those three [will be the leaders],” Taylor said.

“And me every once in awhile,” she adds.

Taylor’s career numbers are good. She has scored 1,391 points in her 99 games as a Cyclone, for a 14.1 average. Her career three-point percentage is right at 40, and free-throws are 77.

She has amassed 111 career steals and 766 rebounds to complement her offensive numbers.

“I think [Taylor] is someone who has done a lot since the day she came on campus, and I think now people are going to look at it as her team,” Fennelly said.

Rebounding is one of the main concerns for Fennelly, and it may be one of the most important roles that Taylor will have to fill.

“I think that [Welle] is as good as anybody in the country, but we don’t have a proven other player,” Fennelly said.

Taylor, despite her 5-10 stature, has averaged 7.7 rebounds per game throughout her career, and seems capable of doing whatever it takes for the Cyclones to continue their success, until another proven post player steps up.

“I think we all have the ability to go in there and rebound. That’s just something you have to put your mind to,” Taylor said. “It’s not the funnest thing in the world, but it’s something you have to do.”

Taylor knows that if the Cyclones hope to win as many or more games than last year, other players will need to improve scoring.

Tracy Gahan is one of the players that Taylor points to as being capable of scoring more.

“Tracy, she needs to score a couple more points a game, and she can. It’s so easy for her. She’s just too nice. She doesn’t want to shoot the ball,” Taylor said.

Overall, Taylor is looking forward to the upcoming season, which is a question mark for Iowa State as to whether or not they will be able to defend the Big 12 title.

Several teams in the conference recently lost key players to graduation, so right now there is no clear-cut favorite. Iowa State, however, is picked near or at the top by many publications.

“Other teams lost just as much as we did,” Taylor explained. “Last year’s senior class was very impressive, and every team had a big loss.”

But defending the conference crown isn’t the only goal Taylor has for her team.

“Hopefully we’ll make it a little farther this year,” Taylor said of the national tournament.

Last season ended when Taylor missed a leaner against Penn State in the Sweet 16. Iowa State lost the game 66-65, ending their hopes for a Final Four berth.

Taylor acknowledges that she thinks about it, but being defensive-minded, it is not the most disappointing thing to her.

“I remember it, but even more than that I remember me not hanging on to the ball and them putting it in, and that’s what put them ahead. I think about that more than I think about the shot, actually,” Taylor said.

She may get a chance to do it all over again, because what this team may lack in leadership it more than makes up for it with talent.

That talent could take the Cyclones deep into postseason play, led every step of the way by Megan Taylor.