After one year away from the post season, Roy Dixon will lead his University of Montevallo women&8217;s basketball team back to the Gulf South Conference Tournament today in Southaven, Miss.

Dixon, who took over the program as head coach in the spring of 2004, returns for his third trip in four years, when the Lady Falcons meet Henderson State University today at 2:45 p.m.

&8220;I don’t know much about them except they still have Shondra Bush,&8221; Dixon said of the Lady Reddies&8217; leading scorer who averages 17.5 points per game.

Dixon&8217;s first trip to a GSC Tournament came in March 2004 as an assistant coach for the UM men&8217;s basketball team that captured the tournament championship.

He returned the following year as women&8217;s head coach with Malissa Harris and Jennifer Hendricks on the court.

Harris, a senior, is second on the team in scoring this year with 10.5 points per game behind Veronica Jackson&8217;s 10.7 points per game. Hendricks follows in third with 9.6 points per game and 82 assists.

The three were forced to step up their play mid-way through the season after Dixon lost a pair of players to injury and one to eligibility.

&8220;I think we did a good job of staying in and playing the way we did with the limited players that we did,&8221; Dixon said. &8220;Even though we reached goals we wanted to, we know we could have done better. I think going into the tournament we have a little bit of high hopes.&8221;

Games will be broadcast live on www.montevallo.edu/athletics