Unranked, unvoted, but
not untested

By Mark Simon

Had you seen the Ohio Wesleyan women's basketball team prior to its sectional final matchup with No. 3 ranked Baldwin-Wallace, you never would have believed it was ready to play.

"You'd have thought we were going dancing,'' said OWU coach Nan Carney-DeBord. "They say laughter cures everything. There was a lot of it. We had a great time at the team meal, really enjoying each other's company.''

What a strange and wonderful dance it has been for the Battling Bishops, who, after never having previously won an NCAA game, emerged triumphant through four road games in 11 days to make it to a 25-6 record and their first Final 4.

"This year, we just decided to keep winning,'' said Carney-DeBord, now in her 16th season as head coach. "Last year we went 23-3 and didn't make the NCAAs because we lost in the (North Coast Athletic Conference) finals and didn't get an at-large bid. That lit a fire in our players. We didn't sleep during the offseason."

Their wasn't much time for rest come postseason. First up after winning the conference championship in overtime over Earlham, came a 7-hour bus trip from their home city of Delaware, to face Lake Forest, where the team won its opening-round game, then bused back to campus immediately afterwards so that those players with 8 a.m. classes would have an hour to get ready for them. Then came a six-hour trip to face No. 5 Hope, where OWU's defense forced a miss on the final possession to escape with a one-point win in a game in which the Battling Bishops were outrebounded by 16. Then came narrow triumphs over Centre and Baldwin-Wallace, with the outcome of both games in doubt until the final seconds.

Travel is nothing new to this team, though there wasn't as much during the regular season as usual. The last three seasons featured trips to Chicago, New York, and California. This year, it's time to go to Danbury.

"We have an amazing group of individuals,'' Carney-DeBord said. "They continue to improve every time we go out on the floor.''

That starts with the play of seniors Jessica Viertlboeck and Katy Sturtz. Viertlboeck, a shooting guard who scored 28 points in the sectional finals, averages 18.5 ppg and shoots 80 percent from the foul line. Sturtz, the 5-11 center, averages 17 points and 10.9 rebounds, and had 23 points and 15 rebounds to supplement Viertlboeck's efforts versus. B-W. She happened to be the NCAC Player of the Year in both soccer and basketball.

The remainder of the team's seven-woman primary rotation doesn't contribute statistically as it does intangibly. Point guards Elizabeth Edinger and Talia Brader provide the steady hand. Small forward Leslie Welsh is the unsung hero — the team's best defender and most physically fit player. Power forwards Anissa Haynes and backup forward Michelle Wolfe are the leaders on the floor. OWU likes to push the ball up the floor quickly on defense and take advantage of its athleticism.

"We are great athletes, working to become great basketball players,'' said Carney-DeBord, who noted that much of the credit for the success goes to assistants Cynthia Holliday, Eileen Reading, and Laura Bump, the latter of whom came out of retirement to join the staff when Carney-DeBord did. "One thing that has come through wherever we have been is the heart that we play with. Everyone loves this game and loves each other.''

Some might call the Battling Bishops, who were unranked and didn't even receive a vote in the final regular-season D3hoops.com Top 25, the Cinderella story of the NCAA Tournament. The ball's not over yet. Someone's been saving the last dance for them.

"Cinderella,'' said a laughing Carney-DeBord, "is just polishing her slippers.''

'No. 2 pencils' face season's biggest test

By Mark Simon

Rather than come onto the floor with a theme song blaring in the background, the Messiah women's basketball team creates its own music.

Every pregame warmup begins with team co-captain Kate Butler calling out a chant — one of praise and worship to the powers above and a reminder that the game is supposed to be enjoyable.

If that doesn't seem odd, maybe what follows does. The women all come together and yell out "No. 2, Dixon Ticonderoga!'' That's not a player found on the Messiah roster.

"It's for the pencil,'' said senior forward Amy Hitz. "If you break one pencil, it breaks easily. But if you try to break a whole box, it doesn't break. (The chanting) may sound funny too. But we spend a lot of time focusing on unity and it has a huge impact on our play. We like to say that like the pencils, we're pre-sharpened and ready for action.''

The 26-4 Falcons, based out of Grantham, Pa., are ready for prime time too, where they'll face Ohio Wesleyan in the national semifinals on Friday night. This is a group that is relaxed and ready to go, especially when it remembers how it got here.

Messiah trailed Marymount by three points in the waning moments of its sectional semifinal game and seemed headed back to Grantham after reserve forward Melissa Ehst missed a long jumper. Somehow the ball was punched back out near midcourt as the clock ticked down. Ehst recovered and flung a 25-foot shot that dropped in to tie the score with three seconds remaining.

Ehst followed that up with a pair of three-pointers in the second overtime to ensure a 93-82 win, then hit four consecutive trifectas in a four-minute second-half stretch to bury the favored hosts, The College of New Jersey, 72-61 in the sectional final. In her last three games, the 5-11 Ehst has made 13 three-pointers.

Not too shabby for someone who as a junior lost her starting role to sophomore Christina Vouriotis, who did such a good job replacing Ehst that she was named MAC Commonwealth League Player of the Year.

"She's been on fire,'' said Messiah coach Mike Miller. "She is a tough kid to handle and match up with because of her size.''

Vouriotis, a 5-11 forward, leads the team in both scoring (17.3 points per game) and rebounding (6.8 per game). Hitz is right behind her at12.9 ppg. and 5.9 rpg.

The Falcons try to always remember that they are a team first. When the starting lineups are introduced, everyone huddles together. When a player's name is called, she leaves to shake hands with her opponent, then rejoins the rest of the group.

"No role means more than anyone elses,'' said fellow starter Jess Mulberger, whom Miller called the Larry Bird of the squad for her love of the game. "Without any of the 13 girls, we wouldn't be going to Danbury.''

The first half of the win against New Jersey was a reminder of that, particularly because the team increased its lead after Vouriotis sat with two fouls in the game's opening six minutes. Any tension that was felt was eased when, at right around the same time starting guard Erin Wedemeyer came out for a breather and promptly headed to the wrong team's bench. She immediately burst out laughing.

"That was the difference in that game,'' said Miller. "They were tight and we were very loose. We're back to just having fun. When we lost to Elizabethtown in our conference championship, we started playing tight. We have to be enjoying the game to be free to use our talents.''

Wedemeyer and Amie Kretzing form the backcourt tandem that isn't afraid to slash to the basket in this motion offense. Reserves Jess Unick, Leanne Brofee and Heidi Marks, provide versatility, toughness, and a willingness to run through walls, off the bench. Size has been a big help, leading to many second-chance points. It helps to start two six-footers and bring another off the bench.

It also helps to know that no matter what, this team always feels like it has a chance to come through.

"They understand the ebbs and flows of the game,'' Miller said. "They make sure that we're focused, not on winning on losing, but on just playing the best that we can.''