Finally Home!

Hi Friends,

Well we are finally getting to host our first game at Leede Arena this season. While we certainly hoped to come home with a better record than 0-4 after the first two weeks, we know that this team has already been battle tested against some of the top athletes out there. That's especially true for our post players who have already been banging around with two of the top centers in the Big 10, Northwestern's Amy Jaeschke, and ACC, BC's Carolyn Swords. I think they have the bruises to prove it but they've stayed strong and tough.

Tonight we host Vermont at 7 p.m. in a little Thanksgiving Eve showdown. Dartmouth and Vermont were forced to renew their rivalry by the WNIT selection committee in 2008 and have since kept it up, playing each season since. This year each team is participating in the other's tournament, but won't meet again since they have been set up with predetermined opponents. It's become a good regional rivalry for both teams - in the fall of 2008, at Vermont's tournament, the game went to triple overtime before Vermont won.

My game notes/preview are available here.

The team will spend Thanksgiving together tomorrow with a morning practice and afternoon dinner out and back to Coach Wielgus' house for some relaxation, games and football on TV. We all miss our families at this time of year, but we've got something special here too and it makes up for it.

Check back tomorrow morning before your turkey for a little Thanksgiving edition of the blog!

-Dara