|
| Mary Merg says the battle was
a lot harder this year for UW-Whitewater, and that included playing
tournament games on the road. Photo by Ryan Coleman, d3photography.com |
By Josh Smith
D3sports.com
WHITEWATER — The UW-Whitewater women’s basketball team has won a third place trophy. The Warhawks also have a runner-up finish after reaching the national championship game last season.
Now, after knocking off the defending NCAA Division III national champions, UW-Whitewater has its sights set on the title.
Whitewater will get that chance this weekend when the team returns to the Final Four for the second year in a row.
“(We’re) extremely excited, but I will say on the flip side of that, we’re extremely focused and driven. I think we have a much different attitude going into it this year,” said UW-W head coach Keri Carollo, who led the Warhawks to third in 2008 and second in 2013. “We’re not just happy to be there this year. I think the girls are ready to win this.”
The Warhawks — who enter this weekend with a 26-4 overall record and are ranked No. 13 nationally — have reached the NCAA Tournament seven years in a row. But this is the first time the team has reached the national semifinals in consecutive seasons.
Senior guard Mary Merg said it was difficult to repeat the accomplishment this season, but didn’t think the players put additional pressure on themselves to duplicate their success
“It was definitely a lot harder this year,” said Merg, who leads the team with 13.7 points per game. “It was a battle. But the battle made it a little more special for us.
“For our senior class, I think we just wanted to go out having fun and doing the best we can. And if the results happen, they happen. We’ve just been playing really good right now and that’s a good feeling.”
Carollo said it was important for her team to put last year behind them and turn the attention toward a new conference season.
|
| Senior Amy Mandrell is one of
four Warhawks in double figures and leads the team in
rebounding. Photo by Eric Kelley, d3photography.com |
“I think it was difficult for us to get over last year and get refocused and figure out how we were going to make this run again,” Carollo said. “We had to talk a lot about how last year is over, and we have to really focus on what we need to do this year.
“In basketball, you’ve got 25 regular season games and then you’re getting into the conference tournament — there’s so much that has to happen to get to this point,” she continued. “We (couldn’t) put the cart before the horse and expect to get back.”
Although the Warhawks went 16-0 in WIAC play, a loss in the conference tournament semifinals meant an at-large bid in the NCAAs. Unlike last season, UW-Whitewater had to travel for its first and second round matchups as well as its Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games.
But playing away from the comforts of home did not discourage the Warhawks.
“It actually feels like the tournament,” said senior Kaitlyn Thill, who scores 12.7 points and collects 5.0 rebounds per game. “Last year, having home court advantage was awesome. But that didn’t really feel like the tournament.”
“It feels even more special that we did it all on the road,” Merg added.
Last weekend, the Warhawks played at DePauw — the team that defeated UW-Whitewater in the 2013 national championship game. UW-Whitewater topped the host Tigers, 88-71, to reach the Final Four.
“We never talked about it, but I think when the game was over they were feeling pretty good about it,” Carollo said of avenging last season’s loss. “I think they wanted to beat DePauw, but I think they just wanted to win regardless. They knew it was going to be a tough game. They knew they were going to have to play nearly perfect to win it, and we were going to have to score a lot. They definitely had it in them.”
“We wanted our revenge, but that doesn’t mean we’re done,” Thill added.
Now Whitewater will play a close-to-home game at the Quandt Fieldhouse at UW-Stevens Point when the Warhawks take on No. 7 Whitman in a national semifinal. FDU-Florham, ranked No. 6, and No. 4 Tufts will play the other semifinal game.
“I told the girls, this is kind of like a reward for having to go on the road and play against some really, really tough teams,” Carollo said. “This is (our) opportunity now to shine in (our) home state.”
Carollo expects a fast game, noting that both her team and Whitman like to get up and down the court. But she is confident in her team’s ability.
“This time of year, it’s all about what we do. We have to do the things that we do and do them well,” Carollo said. “We need to get the ball inside, we need to attack the rim, we need to get to the free throw line and then we need to make sure that we own the glass. Those are the things we’ve been talking about the whole tournament.”
If Whitewater plays to its potential, Carollo believes the team can reach its goal of winning the program’s first national title.
“It’s just a different mentality. It’s almost like they expect it. And they really, truly believe they can do it,” Carollo said. “I don’t know how you gauge that. It’s just a feeling that I have and it’s a feeling they have.
“We’ve brought home silver, we’ve brought home bronze — that’s enough of that,” she added. “We need to bring home gold. We need to represent ourselves the way we expect to.”