Bulldogs hopeful with MVC Tournament on the horizon

STORY BY CARLY GRENFELL

Carly Grenfell can be reached at carly.grenfell@drake.edu or @Car1y_g

Guess what? Your lady Bulldogs made it to 20 wins this weekend and ended conference play without losing at home to a conference opponent. We have officially locked in the no. 2 seed for the Missouri Valley Conference tournament and will play our first game on Friday.

We have positioned ourselves perfectly to do something really special. We have talked about being number one since the beginning.

It starts with a great week of practice and mentally preparing for three straight games. There is no doubt in my mind a sharp, efficient week of practice is going to carry over into game time. I absolutely love this time of the year.

This will be my fifth and final conference tournament, which I can hardly believe. I have been to the title games on two separate occasions and we came up short both times.

We upset higher seeds both years, but still, being that close to a conference title and losing still stings. Our entire senior class knows what it’s like to be that close to the big dance. We are thinking one thing and one thing only: third time is the charm.

I could not have possibly asked or even imagined a better senior season up until this point. Senior night has already come and gone, but this journey is not quite over. This is by far the most talented team I’ve played on. Our depth is going to be huge for this weekend. Playing three games in a row is not easy.

Actually, it is never easy. The Valley is and always has been a dogfight. As our strength and conditioning coach told us the other day: The toughest, freshest and most talented teams rise to the top.

We have to play with grit and need to stick to the core of who we are as a team. We have used these last few months to establish our identity.

Now is the time to take what we know and run with it. When that happens, winning seems to take care of itself.

Stay tuned and go Bulldogs!