COLLEGES:

All Russ Davis wants for Christmas is a healthy roster. Give the Vanguard women’s basketball coach that and he just may attain the NAIA national title that has slipped from the Lions’ grasp in recent years.

Despite losing four senior starters from a squad that went 31-1 and was upset in the NAIA semifinals a year ago, Davis, coming off four straight 30-win seasons and three trips to the national semifinals in the last five seasons, has clearly assembled the kind of talent that can make another run at the top trophy awarded every March in Jackson, Tenn.

Even without 6-foot-2 junior TCU transfer Marissa Rivera, who is scheduled to return from a minor knee injury some time after Christmas, the Lions (5-1, 2-0 in the Golden State Athletic Conference), ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll that will be updated for the first time Wednesday, dominated No. 18-ranked The Master’s for a 92-64 GSAC home triumph Saturday night.

In addition to reigning NAIA Player of the Year Jessica Richter (21.8 points per game), fellow senior Melissa Cook is healthy and brining her special brand of versatility to the starting lineup. Cook appears equally at ease bringing the ball up, pounding the boards, driving to shoot or create, or shooting from distance. She is currently playing the power forward spot vacated by Rivera, but will be valuable in whatever role she fills.

Cook was one rebound and three assists away from a triple-double Saturday, when she led the winners with 21 points. She did not have a turnover in 33 minutes.

Senior Lindsey Rinke, comes off the bench to add energy, a dangerous outside shot, and another aggressive member of Davis’ patented two-three zone defense that is creating 23 turnovers per game.

The newcomers, however, are among the many reasons Davis was beaming after Saturday’s romp.

Lauren Gregory, a 6-1 junior post who transferred from Drury University in Missouri, has a strong inside game and an athleticism in the paint that may have been the Lions’ Achilles’ heel in past years.

Freshman point guard Sarah Boyd is another Oregon City High product (as were the Lions’ last two point guards, as well as Richter). Boyd’s strong handle and court vision should help Davis sleep soundly the next four seasons.

Sophomores Jaclyn Blied and Bridgette Reyes are solid backcourt performers, while freshmen Molly Pfohl, Paige Halberg and Kelsey Carlson all showed they will be strong contributors, if not stars.

Youth may make it more difficult to sustain the level of play Vanguard exhibited against The Master’s, so the GSAC regular-season winning streak that sits at 48 may not last much longer. But the long-term potential for this unit may be the best the program has produced. No small statement.

 Kelly Schmidt, a four-time All-American at Vanguard who was the NAIA Player of the Year as a junior in 2005-06, also seems to be enjoying this year’s squad as one of Davis’ assistant coaches, along with veteran sidekick John Barney, who is in his sixth season.

Schmidt fills a coaching void left by Lisa Faulkner (the 2004-05 NAIA Player of the Year), who is now an assistant coach at Northern Arizona.

 Corona del Mar High product Lindsey Ensign earned first-team All-Ivy League recognition after helping Princeton earn its first outright Ivy title since 2000 with a 14-0 league record in women’s volleyball.

Ensign, a 6-foot junior middle blocker, helped lead the Tigers into the NCAA Tournament, where they fell in four games to Delaware Friday night at St. John’s University.

Ensign, who had a team-high 19 kills Friday, ranked eighth nationally with a .428 hitting percentage in the regular season, helping Princeton (21-3) win its final 20 regular-season matches.

Ensign’s .386 hitting percentage in Ivy competition led the league.

Princeton also benefited from the play of Newport Harbor High product Emily Turner. Turner, a 5-7 outside hitter, had 51 digs, eight aces and two kills in her final campaign.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.