Diary

Ashley
Kahler

Past Entries

January 26, 2004

While the rest of the East Coast was blanketed by snow last weekend, Mother Nature had different plans for the city of Atlanta. After we dropped a tough game on Friday, we played in front of a "standing room only" crowd on Sunday and pulled out our first conference win of the season.

On Friday we faced the challenge of playing the No. 1 ranked team in the country, the University of Rochester (N.Y.). Thanks to the on-campus promotions last week, we had more fans than usual, as well as a few family members in the stands. We started the game very strong, exchanging baskets with Rochester for the first couple minutes.

Unfortunately we didn't maintain the same intensity throughout the game, and the chance to deal our opponent its first loss of the season slipped out of our grasp. After the game, everyone was at a loss for words. We had worked so hard in practice leading up to Friday and it was hard to pinpoint where we went wrong.

While the rest of the girls on campus woke up early Saturday morning to go to sorority rush, we headed straight to the gym. We knew that as a team, as our own sisterhood, it was time to fight the urge to turn negative and instead to make contact and redouble our efforts towards our game on Sunday. After a brief team meeting, shoes started squeaking, sweat started pouring, and a sense of hunger filled the air. We got after it that afternoon, and as Lynn pointed out at the end, it was the most fun we had on the court in awhile.

That afternoon some of us headed out to the Mall of Georgia to take part in our second-favorite pastime, while others enjoyed dinner out with their parents, or another night back at the dorm. Everyone was safe and sound at Emory....but then came the rain.

Sunday morning we all arrived soaking wet at the PE Center for our shootaround. It had rained all Saturday night and showed no signs of stopping. We went through some drills, ran our offenses, and got ourselves mentally prepared to face Carnegie Mellon that afternoon. Freshman breakfast ensued at the DUC, with a special appearance by the sophomores. With Beth recovering from her disease, and Bergie's love of the waffles, our pre-game meal was nothing short of spectacular.

As we headed back to the gym to suit up and watch the guys take on Carnegie before us, we learned that due to certain water emergencies, our game was moved to the SAAC at Emory's Clairmont Campus, about a three-minute drive from the PE Center.

When we got to the SAAC, the games were further delayed until they were able to bring down one of the baskets from the ceiling. My twin and I passed the time by chatting up a Harry Potter look-a-like, while Bergie showcased more creative ways to, uh, put on her shoes. Beth Bergmann worked on perfecting her And1 moves (very popular in Wisconsin), and Lynnio had her own little dance party.

The rest of the team sat around and had some "good rhetoric." The guys set the stage with a game-winning shot by Teddy with 1.5 seconds left in the game. We fed off of their intensity and came out during warmups not only ready to win, but ready to fight.

As coach told us in the locker room, Sunday's game was the first game of the rest of our season. From the moment the ball was tipped, our defensive pressure was the best it has been all season, and our posts dominated inside. Caroline shot the lights out, while Sprague's underhand drive to the basket will undoubtedly make the highlight reel at the end of the season.

You can look at the stat lines or the personal accomplishments, but what really stood out about our win on Sunday was that it was a team effort. We beat Carnegie Mellon by 26, and everyone contributed something to our hard-earned win. It was a long day, but the thrill and pride of victory made it all worthwhile. Afterwards, some of us headed for pizza at Everybody's, and then it was back to the books to get ready for another week of class...and even more rain.

Last weekend we observed first hand how much outside forces can affect and change a situation. From our nomadic journey to the SAAC, to playing our game on a different floor, we adapted to the change and showed the maturity we need to carry with us the rest of the season.

Most importantly, however, we learned what's even more influential are the forces that come from within.. The desire to win and the desire to fight until the very end characterized our win last weekend. And if that's not biscuit, I don't know what is.

Ashley Kahler is a freshman from Bowie, Md. She would love to answer e-mail questions from Emory recruits and fans.