The way Tera Bjorklund has started off with the new San Diego Siege, it would appear that she's paving the way for another shot at the WNBA.

“Hopefully,” Bjorklund says, “that's the plan.”

Bjorklund is leading the Siege through its first three games in the National Women's Basketball League with a scoring average of 18.7 points, heading into the club's home opener tonight at 7 against the San Jose Spiders in the Harry West Gymnasium at San Diego City College.

The 6-foot-5 center is back for her second season in the NWBL, having switched from San Jose to San Diego, where she's been reunited with coach Fred Williams. They were last together in 2004 when Williams served as an assistant coach with the Charlotte Sting and Bjorklund played her rookie season with the club.

Bjorklund had stints in training camp last year with Charlotte and the Los Angeles Sparks but didn't make a WNBA roster for the regular season. So playing again in the NWBL offers another chance to perform before WNBA scouts and coaches.

“You have no idea who's going to be there watching and you just want to make a good impression,” said Bjorklund, who received All-America honorable mention as a senior at the University of Colorado. “Even if you're not having a great game, at least you're still going hard and doing the little things that coaches are looking for.”

Already, three WBNA teams have scouted the Siege.

Williams notes that it's to Bjorklund's advantage that it's not a strong year in the college draft for post players. Also, beyond her impressive early statistics, he gives high marks for her demeanor.

“She's a very hard-working young lady who really understands the game and understands people,” Williams said. “She knows how to treat her teammates. And she has that mean streak on the court, where she'll get after you and play some hard defense.”

Bjorklund has doubled her scoring average from last season, when she averaged 9.8 points, while again shooting nearly 56 percent from the field. In the Siege's most recent game, on Tuesday, she scored 26, going 9-of-11 from the field, in San Diego's 81-70 victory over the defending champion Colorado Chill.

Over her rookie WNBA season, Bjorklund had just two points in four games with Charlotte, where she found herself behind established centers.

“I didn't get to see much floor time,” said Bjorklund, a native of St. Peter, Minn. “Still, playing against those players in practice every day, I improved a lot just in a couple of months.”