This year already seems like it is going to be a successful one. I can tell because we all have one common goal and that’s to win. As a senior and someone who has been playing this game a long time I have always said that to be great, you have to be willing to not only play for yourself, but for your teammates and coaches and after this experience at Michigan and Bowling Green I can tell we are already on the right track! Although the scoreboard might not have shown it after each of our exhibition games we had a successful weekend. We learned a lot about one another and as a whole, we learned our strengths and weaknesses and what we had to work on. So it was back on the court or “office” I like to say, in preparation for our home opener Saturday.
After a week full of practice our team was more than ready to step onto the home court for the first time this season against Urbana University. The music was blasting in the locker room and we were all getting into our zone while breaking out into some dance moves. However, as soon as we stepped onto the court for warm ups it was strictly business. It was great to look into the stands and see a great amount of supporters there to cheer us on for our home opener. Before I knew it the national anthem had been played and the starters names had been announced and it was tip off time. It was a back and fourth intense game. There were many ties and lead changes throughout the game leaving the outcome hard to predict. But I knew after playing one half that we were going to win. Even when we were down by five with less than two minutes left to play I knew we weren’t going to lose. We were playing too well as a team and getting big contributions from everyone not to win the game. The conclusion of the hard fought battle was point guard Alexis Brown hitting a jumper as the buzzer went off. She made the shot look effortless and had us all going crazy in celebration. We ended up winning the game by two points. It was one of the best games I have ever been apart of as a player. It was a great test with a positive outcome for our first game and it was just a preview of what is to come for this season.
After the win it was time to celebrate with our families. I took my parents to a local restaurant in Slippery Rock called Red Rock Falls. As we were seated other rock women’s basketball members and their families who were enjoying a meal greeted us. It was comforting seeing most of my teammates enjoying time with their families. These are the feelings and memories, which make being a part of a college basketball team so meaningful and worth it.
After a great night it’s back to work so, stay in tuned as we keep this momentum going forward.
Go ROCK!
#3 Erinne Cunningham
