Page 2 Section 2 Free Press Thursday, September 13, 2012
E£u3' ern women get le,00s time to prepare for Big Sky basketball grind
New additions to conference
mean non-conference schedule
gets trimmed for 2012-13
By PUL DELANEY
Staff eporter
The 2012-13 Eastern Washington University
women's basketball schedule appears to have a
slightly more slimming, lighter look to it - at least
on the non-conference side.
With the addition of North Dakota and Southern
Utah as new members to the Big Sky Conference,
Eastern's league schedule had to expand and the
warm-up games had to shrink.
The schedule, released Sept. 6, includes 20 games
against BSC teams and nine more non-league con-
tests. There's also a Nov. 4 "exhibition" game versus
Carrgll College from Helena, Mont. that does not
coun on the overall season record
The added games in conference, plus shaving
the n0n-league schedule concerns EWU head coach
Wen, ty Schuller, who likes to have ample games-to
help prepare the team for the grind of Big Sky play.
Schu Cler, who will begin her 11th season as Eastern
head coach, was 16-14 overall and 10-6 in conference
play last season.
Ir the BSC's previous life there was room for 13
non-..'onference games. "You kind of had a second
seasc n when you came to the Big Sky; I don't know if
I wm tld consider the non-conference season a second
seascn because it's so short," Schuller said.
Now "It's a very minor tune-up and you better be
ready to go," she said. "Before Christmas you better
be ready to go because we've got two conference
games before Christmas, Weber and Idaho State."
"It was a challenge to even put together a non-
conference schedule because with holidays there's
not much time between November and the start of
league play," Schuller said.
Schuller knows every team is in the same boat,
however.
While there's not a lot of quantity, there's cer-
tainly quality, she said. "Cal's a very good team,
Pacific is another team that's very, very good,"
Schuler said.
Eastern doesn't have games where they can
"take off," as Schuller said. In other words, have it
easy, because the Eagles travel to Gonzaga where
H
the crowd will be big and loud. When theseason
starts we know it's going to be four months of really
grinding."
The Eagles open the season at home on Veteran's
Day, Sunday, Nov. 11 at what will be an entirely
"new look" Reese Court. They play against Pacific,
one of eight national tournament opponents the
Eagles will play in 2012-13. Eastern's home court
now features new seating on the. bench side of the
building and plan to have video replay screens up
and running by then as well.
Following a road game, the Eagles will enjoy one
more home game Nov. 18 against WCC-opponent
Portland before heading out on a seven-game road
swing.
Over Thanksgiving, the Eagles will play in the
Cal Classic by Doubletree in Berkeley, Calif. East-
ern opens the tournament against host-Cal,:which
advanced to the second round of the 2012 NCAA
Women's National Championship. Eastern's final
game in Berkeley will be against either Cal State
Fullerton or Georgetown - another second-round
team in last year's tourney.
Eastern's final three opponents Of the non-confer-
ence schedule are all former members of the Big Sky.
The Eagles will play at Idaho on Nov. 27, at Gonzaga
on Dec. 4 and at Boise State Dec. 7.
Staying in the Northwest for non-conference gives
Schuller the perfect level and style of competition the
team needs to prepare for BSC play.
"I don't know how much good it would do for us
to go down and play a Texas Tech or Florida Inter-
national," Schuller said. "That's just not the type of
competition we're going to see in the Big Sky."
Schools like Pacific and Portland are teams Eastern
recruits against and ones who feature players with
similar skills and characteristics to what they see
in the Big Sky. "In terms of getting us prepared for
conference, I think it's an excellent schedule," Schul-
ler said.
She'd just like a few more opportunities to test the
tune-up.
"I think 20 conference games is a lot," she said. "I
know how much we put into preparation and how
long the season can get," Schuller said. "And I know
other people in our league put in just as much work
as we do."
It's a real chore, she sai d, "Because you have to get
after it; it's not that you don't get after it for non- con-
ference games but every single Big Sky game means
a ton."
And to hav 20 of them means a ton, Schuller said.
"We all have to do it, it's not just us who has to do it, but
it's a lot and mentally and physically we put a lot into
every contest, it'll be tough but that's the Big Sky."
"You have to be warriors and you have to be tough
in every aspect to be successful in our league," she
said.
Paul Delaney can be reached at
pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.
Eastern volleyball
begins Big Sky play
It
was
not the smoothest preseason
but the Eastern Washington University vol-
leyball team survived, and now looks ahead
to conlerence play. Eastern begins Big Sky
play today, (Sept. 13) at Sacramento State.
The Eagles (0-11) make their home debut
this Monday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. against
Portland State.
In the first month of the 2012 season,
the Eagles were hit with a rash of injuries,
as we I as an unexpected coaching change.
Easte played its first nine matches of the
year vithout a veteran setter, while also
deali t with limited personnel and experi-
ence n tte I)act "ow.
S mior setter Laney Brown was able
to rel Im to the starting lineup during last
weeh nd's tournament at Iowa State. But
!Ii iil
='!Hi
almost as, soon as she was back in the
rotation, the Eagles lost two more impor-
tant players.
Freshman' defensive specialist Ser-
enaAh Choy suffered an injury to her right
hand during Eastem's match against Syra-
cuse and senior Shelby Puckett exited the
final match ofthetoumey against Iowa last
Saturday with a sprained ankle.
Puckett is questionable for the match
at Sac State. Ah Choy is expected to be
out for at least two weeks.
"Despite these continuing injuries, we
are improving with every match," EWU
head coach Lisa Westlake said. "But the
most important thing for us right now is the
mental game."
llli;'il
Iiili£I
|i'ilIl!!lii.l
lllillie
:iiillIll
I!i1£ii
After the PSU game the Eagles hit the
road for a pair of contests at Montana State,
Sept. 20 and Montana Sept. 22 before return-
ing home for four sb'aight matches beginning
with Southern Utah, Sept. 27.
EWU's Black rides
earns Big Sky Soccer
playerof week award
Sophomore forward Cassie Black,
from the Eastern Washington University
women's soccer team, was recognized
by the Big Sky Conference as Offensive
Player of the Week for her performance at
the Viking Classic in Eastern's two games
against Utah State and Boise State Sept.
7-9.
Black was particularly impressive
against Boise State last Sunday. She con-
tributed two goals in 75 minutes of play,
which helped Eastern secure a 3-1 win
- its first ever against the Broncos and
first in the 2012 season.
Black is Eastern's top point producers
with four so far in her second year. She
also led Eastern as a freshman in 2011,
with six goals for 12 points.
Eastern soccer
finally home versus
Idaho, Hawaii
After five straight games on the
road, the Eastern Washington University
women's soccer team will return home
this weekend to face Idaho, Friday, Sept.
14 at4 p.m. and Hawaii Sunday, Sept. 16
at 1 p.m. Both matches will take place
at EWU Sports and Recreation Center
Soccer Field.
The Eagles are coming off their
first win of the season - a solid 3-1
victory against Boise State which
was the first ever against the former
Big Sky member. The match saw the
same strong performance Eastern had
been showing all season, but this time,
4he Eagles were able to find the bake
of the net.
"We have been ;)laying really
strong," head coach George Hageage
said. "Hopefully we get a boost from the
goals we scored against Boise State,
and that keeps our offense going."
Last season, the Vandals made
it to the Western Athletic Conference
Tournament Semifinals, but lost to No.
1 Utah State.
Eastern and Hawaii have only met
twice in school history and have not
competed since 2001 and have split
those two contests.
Danny's Harvest Foods ,-,
proudly sponsors
Medical Lake
CARDINAL
Athletes of the Week
Kelbv
Wegner
Cross CounW
/tome Owned&
SperlFddlY;
Honestly Caret 7 Days aweek
215 E. SR902, Medical Lake, WA • 299-3251
m
,,We TosS 'era, I[11teJ"re j[Oy ® WE DELIVER
(j[)],, 7, (](' 509-299-9100
o ° Polo " Cokone ° ,,vesome$O o ° Sondwk'nes We deliver open to ClOSe
LUNCH BUFFET - Mon:-Fri • 11:30 am-1:30 pm
DINNER BUFFET - Sun, Mon & Tues • 5-7 pm
SUNDAY LUNCH BUFFET - 12 Noon-3 pm
Party/Meeting Room • 3 TVs & Video Games
www.medicallake.pizzafactory.com or text PFAC69 to 87365
, (Coupons available on our website)
4*
g
Cheney
Athletes
of the Week
Ky/e
Lerch
Cross Country
Cheney Federal Credit Union
520 First Street, Cheney
Phone 235-6533 • www.cheneyfcu.com
Anika
Kuula
Cross Country
Where others have branches, we have our roots.
ff you live, work, worship or go to school in Cheney, you are eligible to join Cheney Federal Credit Union.
1
