When the University of South Florida women's golf team begins NCAA Regional play Monday as the No. 6 seed at Bermuda Run, North Carolina, it can rely on a trio of veteran players. Melanie Green, Alizee Vidal, and Leonor Medeiros were catalysts for last season's regional team — USF's first since 2012 — and an obvious reason why the Bulls have returned to the postseason.

But USF's hopes are also boosted by a pair of newcomers — Virginia Tech graduate transfer Alyssa Montgomery and freshman Emma Falcher from France.

"They have both been awesome,'' USF coach Erika Brennan said.

Montgomery, part of two regional teams with the Hokies, had her lowest round as a Bull (4-under-par 68) to help USF close out a team victory at the Mountain View Classic, the team's most impressive showing during the regular season. She matched that 68 in the middle round of the American Athletic Conference Tournament, where she tied for 10th individually.

Meanwhile, Falcher had three top-10 finishes, including a ninth-place showing at the American Athletic Conference Tournament, where she opened with a first-round 69.

"I think they bring their own characteristics and individual aspects that really help us,'' said Green, a senior All-American and the 2024 AAC Women's Golfer of the Year. "Lys (Montgomery) has been in this (regional) environment before and she's always going to come up clutch for us. This is Emma's first time playing at this kind of level so I'm excited to see what she gets from it. I know it will be a good catapult into the rest of her college career.''

Brennan has marveled at Falcher's composure, saying, "Nobody told her she was a freshman, which was awesome.''

"She's fiercely independent,'' Brennan said. "She's incredibly mature in how she analyzes her game. She listens, but when she has something to say, all of the people on our team really do sit up and take notice because she's incredibly intuitive and very insightful."

"We've always said you can lead from any position. She has no idea that she's a freshman. And that's a beautiful thing.''

Falcher said her confidence has grown after an expected period of early adjustments.

"I am generally mature, but I didn't come here with another freshman,'' Falcher said. "I was matched with a lot of juniors and seniors. That helped me to match their energy and personality and say to myself, 'OK, I have adults around me now, so I need to grow."

"It was difficult for me at first because I was so far away from home and my family. I didn't really know how playing golf at a university works. But I picked it all up very fast and I feel great now.''

Then Falcher said with a smile, "Now I feel like a sophomore.''

Montgomery had adjustments of her own to make after being entrenched with Virginia Tech. But she said USF's welcoming atmosphere — and an ambitious, talented team — has made for an unforgettable final year of college golf.

"I really love being here at USF and living in Tampa,'' Montgomery said. "I've explored the area and it seems like I learn something new every day."

"This is a program on the rise. It has such a great location and great amenities, along with being a really great school. It has been a very productive season, but we're not done yet. I think we're capable of the biggest things.''

USF is shooting for its first trip to the NCAA Championships since 2002. To achieve that lofty goal, the Bulls must finish in the top five of the regional's 12-team field, which includes champions from the ACC (Wake Forest), Big 12 (Texas) and SEC (Mississippi State).

Brennan is undaunted by the challenge, even with a weather forecast that calls for wind and rain.

"Closing out golf tournaments is incredibly hard to do, but that's something our team was able to achieve three times this year,'' Brennan said. "What's great is the expectations are actually lower right now. This isn't a tournament we have to go out and win. The top five teams advance, so if you finish fifth, you still go to Nationals. And that's something we've done in every tournament except for one this year.

"Bermuda Run is going to be a really tough test of golf. It's going to be windy. It's going to be raining. And all three of the tournaments our team has won this year were in adverse conditions. It actually excites us to play in bad weather. It's bizarre, but we're a team full of 'mudders.' As the challenge gets higher, we get tougher. When they put that rain gear on, it's like warriors going into battle. They turn it up to a different level.''