Ashland to face Ohio State UConn in one week span
Ashland to face Ohio State, UConn in one-week span NCAA.com
Andi Daugherty and Laina Snyder are all-conference, and Snyder is preseason player of the year! — Ashland Eagles (@goashlandeagles) While the focus is on opening night 2017, neither Fralick nor Snyder forget that March 24, 2017 night that the championship became theirs. But that night was about so much more than a banner. With so many returners and one of the division's top coaches, Ashland will be the clear favorite to repeat as national champions. While we know the Eagles' basketball skills are at an elite level, is there a little magic that makes them a team looking to start a record-setting win streak of its own? "We don't really have superstitions but there are things I know that will happen every game," Snyder said. "Jodi [Johnson] is going to have a sweet pair of shoes. Renee [Stimpert] is going to have cornrows. Brooke [Smith] is going to say a cheesy joke in the locker room before the game. Sara [Loomis] will pull a one-liner at halftime. I will be the last one ready. Andi [Daugherty] will be the first one ready. Sarah [Hart] will have her music playing, and we will all have a lot of fun together and give God the glory at the end of the game." There is no denying that the expectations are high in Ashland. Fralick and her Eagles wouldn't have it any other way. "I think it's good to have expectations of youself, and it's good for a team to have expectations of themselves," Fralick said. "What we talk about a lot is that we want to climb that same mountain, but we have to take a different path. We have to figure out that path and how we are going to tackle it together." and . His work has appeared on Bleacher Report, MLB.com, AJC.com, SB Nation and FoxSports.com and in publications like The Advocate and Lindy's Sports. Follow him on Twitter at . The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.
CHAMPS
PRESENTED BY Thirty seven wins and no losses. The Ashland women’s basketball team put together some numbers last season, running the table as they stomped to a second national title in five years. So what to do for an encore? RELATED: Head coach Robyn Fralick is wasting little time getting her team back into the swing of things. The defending champs hit the road Sunday to take on Ohio State before heading to Storrs, Connecticut a week later for an exhibition bout with the iconic UConn womens's basketball team. " “The biggest thing for us is the experience we can get," Fralick said. "Both of these teams are the top women’s teams in the country. UConn, they’re the best. Any sport, any gender. Let’s go see what that looks like, let’s go see what that experience is like. Hopefully we can use that moving into our own season. "I just hope to see our team fight and compete," senior center Laina Snyder said. "I want to see us fearlessly rise to the challenge. Coach always says to control the "controllables"; effort, being a great teammate, communication, that's what I expect our team to bring to these games." To put anyone in the same sentence as Auriemma is a seemingly unfair comparison. That said, Fralick has built quite the resume to start her young career. Snyder is one of three returning starters for Ashland, who has the luxury of returning five more role players from the championship squad as well. As comforting and exciting as it may seem, Fralick knows there is a lot of work to be done. We're slotted 1st in the preseason poll!Andi Daugherty and Laina Snyder are all-conference, and Snyder is preseason player of the year! — Ashland Eagles (@goashlandeagles) While the focus is on opening night 2017, neither Fralick nor Snyder forget that March 24, 2017 night that the championship became theirs. But that night was about so much more than a banner. With so many returners and one of the division's top coaches, Ashland will be the clear favorite to repeat as national champions. While we know the Eagles' basketball skills are at an elite level, is there a little magic that makes them a team looking to start a record-setting win streak of its own? "We don't really have superstitions but there are things I know that will happen every game," Snyder said. "Jodi [Johnson] is going to have a sweet pair of shoes. Renee [Stimpert] is going to have cornrows. Brooke [Smith] is going to say a cheesy joke in the locker room before the game. Sara [Loomis] will pull a one-liner at halftime. I will be the last one ready. Andi [Daugherty] will be the first one ready. Sarah [Hart] will have her music playing, and we will all have a lot of fun together and give God the glory at the end of the game." There is no denying that the expectations are high in Ashland. Fralick and her Eagles wouldn't have it any other way. "I think it's good to have expectations of youself, and it's good for a team to have expectations of themselves," Fralick said. "What we talk about a lot is that we want to climb that same mountain, but we have to take a different path. We have to figure out that path and how we are going to tackle it together." and . His work has appeared on Bleacher Report, MLB.com, AJC.com, SB Nation and FoxSports.com and in publications like The Advocate and Lindy's Sports. Follow him on Twitter at . The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions.