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AMES, Iowa (U-WIRE) -- Iowa State has a hole in the heart of its roster to fill.

	Megan Taylor has helped Iowa State maintain its top-10 ranking.

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 important, leadership.

Coach Bill Fennelly knows that it will take a group effort to fill the void, but one player who might stand out for the Cyclones could 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," Taylor said. "She's been very vocal and stuff, and then there's Erica Haugen and Sarah Robson. I think that mostly those three will be the leaders.

"And me every once in a while."

Taylor's career numbers are solid. She has scored 1,391 points in her 99 games as a Cyclone, averaging 14.1 points. She also sinks 40 percent of her 3-point attempts, and 77 percent of her foul shots.

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

"I think Megan 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. "I think that she is as good as anybody in the country."

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

Taylor, despite her 5-foot-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.

"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 most fun 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," Taylor said. "It's so easy for her. She's just too nice. She doesn't want to shoot the ball."

Overall, Taylor is looking forward to the upcoming season, which is a question mark for Iowa State as to whether it 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 Cyclones' success in the NCAA Tournament.

Last season ended when Taylor missed a leaner against Penn State in the Sweet 16. Iowa State lost the game 66-65.

Taylor acknowledges that she thinks about that missed shot from last March, 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," Taylor said. "I think about that more than I think about the shot, actually."