Excitement was the word at the Northwestern’s final home practice Tuesday before its NCAA semifinal showdown again Duke on Friday.
From the very start of practice, the team showcased its enthusiasm, laughing during stretches and shouting out the countdown to their departure for Boston, then less than 24 hours away.
“There are no words (to describe it),” freshman Meredith Frank said. “I’m so excited. I can’t wait.”
There was a buzz, both energized and focused, among all the players that seemed to indicate a sense of urgency about the team, one that has only grown since a 16-10 loss at Duke in early April.
Senior Laura Glassanos, who was wearing a silver necklace fittingly featuring a flip-flop charm, said the team will be approaching this game differently from last time, which resulted in the Wildcats’ only loss this season.
“We’ve been scheming a little bit,” Glassanos said. “(A) couple of new defenses, (a) couple of new plays, and yeah, I think we’ve put in a few things that will help us for the game.”
Perhaps more than anything, the Cats are just anxious to have another chance to play Duke. In a game that many consider the unofficial national championship game, NU will be able to play for something they haven’t been well acquainted with – payback.
“We’re pumped,” junior Kristen Kjellman said. “When you lose a game to someone, you always want to get back and try to get a win. So you know, overall we’re excited for it. It’d be a great win. They’re a great team, and hopefully we’ll do our best.”
WILDCATS WISDOM
So what will it take for the Cats to down Duke?
Senior Lindsey Munday: “I think just smart decisions. I think that’s going to be the biggest thing going into the Final Four, just how we can take care of the ball on the attack. And once we have possession of the ball, just taking care of it and maximizing on our opportunities.”
Freshman Morgan Lathrop: “Just mostly what we’ve been doing all year: keeping high pressure on the ball, at all times, and just marking their cutters tighter and just what we’ve been stressing all year.”
Frank: “We need to take it harder to net, and we just need to be more aggressive. And we need to play our game and not their game.”
FIELD FLIP-FLOP
Before flying out to Boston on Wednesday morning, NU spent its final day in Evanston not at the Lakeside Fields but by Ryan Field.
After watching tape both from previous NU and previous Duke games, the team did its drills on the FieldTurf practice field opposite the Sharon J. Drysdale softball field and Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Cats were preparing for the conditions at Boston University’s Nickerson Field, which uses artificial turf.
Reach Ben Larrison at [email protected].
