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.''