TOLEDO, Ohio - Toledo completed its 10th and final full-team practice on Friday in advance of its upcoming trip to Italy. The Rockets are slated to visit Venice, Bologna, Sorrento and Rome from Aug. 3-13.

"I was very pleased with how quickly this team picked things up over the course of these 10 practices and how they were able to follow through with what we were teaching," said head coach Tricia Cullop. "They got along very well and have continued to grow and improve. I can't wait to see them apply those skills in our exhibition games in Italy."

The NCAA allows teams to take a summer foreign trip every four years. This is the Rockets' first opportunity since their trip to England and Spain in 2015.

The Midnight Blue & Gold departs tomorrow for an 11-day basketball and cultural excursion to Southern Europe. Toledo will play three exhibition games and do some sightseeing in the home country of senior Mariella Santucci. The Rockets will compete against the Bologna All-Stars on Monday, Aug. 5, the Sorrento All-Stars on Thursday, Aug. 8 and the Rome All-Stars on Saturday, Aug. 10.

Junior Tatyana Davis thought the 10 practices were extremely beneficial to build team chemistry and is excited to get started on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"These 10 practices have been great, especially since we have six newcomers in our program," Davis said. "I feel like we're taking the right steps to build our team chemistry and this trip will only make it stronger."

Davis added, "I'm so excited for this opportunity to travel to Italy. I can't wait to see where Mariella grew up and experience a culture that is different from my own." 

The 11-day excursion was entirely funded through fundraising efforts by the women's basketball program.

"We can't thank the generosity of our Fan Club (The Igniters) and Toledo community enough for making this trip a reality," Cullop said.