Toledo Announces 2007-08 Women?s Basketball Schedule
8/21/2007 4:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
TOLEDO, OH - The 2007-08 Toledo women's basketball schedule was released today and head coach Mark Ehlen feels it will provide another season full of challenges for the Rockets.
"I feel as if my staff and I have put together a very competitive schedule," said Ehlen, who enters his 13th year at the helm of the program. "Our hope is playing a lot of tough teams early should really benefit us down the stretch."
The Rockets will be looking to bounce back from an 11-19 overall record in 2006-07, their fourth-consecutive losing campaign and only Ehlen's ninth in 21 seasons as a coach.
"Our last four seasons have not been very successful and quite frankly our goal this season is pretty simple ? we have to right the ship and turn this thing around," Ehlen said. "We want to have fun this year, but having fun comes when you are successful. Our team has to become more competitive and tougher."
New challenges and goals, though, certainly await this year's Toledo team. Gone from last year's squad are three starters - Danielle Bishop, Savannah Werner and Diana Reindl ? as well as Lacey McNulty and Chelsea Kane. The starting trio accounted for 53.5 percent of UT's scoring, 44.6 percent of its rebounding and 60.9 percent of its blocked shots a season ago.
Still, the Rockets return seven letterwinners (Ta'Yani Clark, Tamesha Scotton, Nacole Stocks, Olivia Terry, Kristi Zeller, Allie Clifton, Lisa Johnson) in 2007-08, who are committed to returning the Midnight Blue and Gold to the upper echelon of the Mid-American Conference. Toledo also ushers in a new era with the addition of four talented and versatile newcomers (Jessica Gonzales-Campo, Melissa Goodall, Amber Heistan and Jessica Williams).
After hosting two exhibition games in mid-November, the season will officially tip off on Nov. 10 when UT hosts IPFW. The Rockets' non-league home schedule also includes games against Eastern Illinois (Nov. 24), Detroit (Dec. 5) and UTEP (Dec. 21). The Miners are coming off their most successful season in school history and won 22 games a season ago.
Prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, Toledo will travel to New Jersey to participate in the Seton Hall Basketball Classic on Nov. 16-17. George Mason, San Diego and the host Pirates are the other teams taking part in the two-day tournament. Seton Hall finished last season with a 19-12 record and qualified for the WNIT.
UT's remaining non-conference schedule includes road games at Youngstown State (Nov. 29), Bradley (Dec. 8) and Memphis (Jan. 4).
The Rockets are also slated to play in a holiday tournament in Miami (FL) on Dec. 29-30. Other teams scheduled to compete in the field are Maine, Central Arkansas and the host Hurricanes.
In league action, UT will play two games against each of the five other West Division schools, while facing each of the six East Division teams once.
Ehlen and the Rockets will open the 16-game conference slate on Jan. 9 when it hosts Central Michigan. UT will then play two of their next four games at home against Western Michigan (Jan. 15) and Ball State (Jan. 19). A six-game stretch vs. East Division opponents will follow, beginning with a home match-up vs. Akron on Jan. 26. UT's other two home games vs. the East Division will be against arch-rival Bowling Green (Feb. 2) and Miami (Feb. 16), while its three road games are at Kent State (Jan. 30), Buffalo (Feb. 9) and Ohio (Feb. 13). Following that stretch, UT will play three of its final five conference contests away from Savage Hall with its regular-season finale coming at Western Michigan (Mar. 5).
