VERMILLION, S.D.—After three consecutive home games, it's time for the University of South Dakota women's basketball team to get its feet wet. The Coyotes initiate a six-game road trip this weekend, Nov. 26-28, with three games in Colorado.
USD travels to Denver for an 8 p.m. (Vermillion time) contest with Metropolitan State on Friday. The Coyotes then visit Colorado School of Mines at 8:30 p.m. Saturday in Golden. The excursion concludes with a 3:30 p.m. bout vs. Northern Colorado in Greeley.
"We're looking at a very tough trip," declares USD Coach Chad Lavin. "It's very difficult to go on the road and play three games in three days – especially Saturday night and then Sunday afternoon.
"Depth could be a problem. Our freshmen will have to get their feet wet. The sooner they come around, the better off we're apt to be.
"While we really don't know anything about the opposition, I look for us to have good games with all three foes. It's good for us to get the experience of playing games on the road that we haven't played before. It's also going to be the first road start for three sophomores – and the first collegiate road game for seven newcomers, which will be good experience for them."
South Dakota will take a 2-1 record into this weekend's action. The Coyotes opened with a 70-61 win over Morningside and an 85-47 verdict over Dakota State, before dropping a hard-fought 79-68 decision to powerful Central Missouri State this past Tuesday (Nov. 23).
Lavin is expected to start sophomores
Ann Pancoast (5-10) and
Katie Dailey (5-7) as his starting guards this weekend, with sophomore
Robin Schamber (5-11) and junior
Karrie Wallen (5-9) at forwards and senior
Pam Olerich (6-3) at center. Pancoast has been brilliant in the early-going, leading the club in scoring with 19 points per contest and shooting better than 52 percent from the field. Dailey, a brilliant playmaker, easily leads the squad with 24 assists. Schamber has contributed eight points and a team-high 9.3 rebounds per outing, while Olerich adds 12 points and 6.3 boards and Wallen 11.3 points and 6.3 caroms.
"Right now, Pancoast and Dailey are playing very good basketball," notes Lavin. "They've adjusted really well to our new system. We now have to get more scoring out of our post people."
Metropolitan State features a lot of new faces but more talent is on board than ever before in the program's history. Mary Jo Horvat, a 5-10 junior pivot player, averaged 17 points and 13 rebounds last year. Coach Sheila Westcott nursed the Roadrunners through a 2-23 season last year after the previous coach quit one month into the season. With three newcomers in the starting lineup and tremendous depth at guard, she is looking for drastic improvement this season.
Colorado School of Mines got off to a fast start last year but lost several key players due to academic difficulties and the Ore Diggers finished 6-15. Mary Meagher, a 5-10 senior, who missed much of last year, netted 17.9 points and 10.3 rebounds as a sophomore. Julie Berg (10.4 ppg), Kathy Theisen (9.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg) and 5-10 playmaker Claudia Fonio give third-year coach Gail Klock a talented group of experienced starters. In addition, Klock welcomes her most talented recruiting class to date, giving the Ore Diggers their best and deepest team ever.
Coach Terri Caswell led Northern Colorado to a 12-16 overall finish, second place in the Continental Divide Conference, and second place regional finish last year. With four starters among eleven letterwinners returning, things look even better for 1982-83. Diane Worner (12.1 ppg), Kristin Moreland (11.4, 6.7) and Lora Morgan (11.3, 2.9) are the key returnees. In addition, freshman guard Jamie Schrier looks to crack the starting lineup.
