Big road trip ahead for Women of Troy
After a thrilling victory against crosstown rival UCLA on Jan. 17 at the Galen Center, the Women of Troy hope to carry that momentum into Washington starting tonight.
Involvement · Senior guard Hailey Dunham is part of a balanced attack that has helped the Women of Troy to a 4-1 record in the Pac-10. - Tim Tran | Daily Trojan
“We’re definitely feeling good about ourselves and I think we’ve won some games that were really difficult,” coach Michael Cooper said.
The Women of Troy are currently sitting in second place in the Pac-10 with a 4-1 record in conference play, but are looking to solidify their position in the standings tomorrow against the Washington Huskies.
The Huskies (8-8, 3-3) return four starters from last year, but the Women of Troy have won their last three meetings.
Traveling to Washington will not be an easy task though.
Sophomore guard Ashley Corral, a Washington native, said she is “really excited” to be going home and playing in front of her hometown but understands the gravity of the situation.
“[Washington] is tough to beat at home, so we need to come out and take care of business,” Corral said.
The upcoming road trip will be an important test for the Women of Troy, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
“Going to Washington is definitely important, but we have to take it one game at a time,” Cooper said. “We have to get it done from a defensive standpoint, because defense can win you games on the road.”
The Women of Troy have been led by Corral and sophomore guard Briana Gilbreath but have also received steady and solid contributions from the rest of the supporting cast.
Senior guard Heather Oliver has been shooting the ball well this season, providing the Women of Troy an outside threat to complement the inside games of senior guard/forward Aarika Hughes and junior center Kari LaPlante.
But the Women of Troy will need a team effort tomorrow night if they want to stay in contention for a Pac-10 conference championship.
“These games are very important. Corral said. We’ve played the top four ranked preseason teams in the Pac-10 and beat them. All of that work that we put in goes to waste if we don’t win these two games.”
The upcoming road trip may prove to be a challenge, but the team has a positive attitude about its recent play and the effect its recent success will have on the upcoming road trip.
“We’re playing with a lot of confidence and we know that we’re good, and I think that will carry over,” Corral said.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.