Football
Associated Press 17y

Sioux women make pledge to stay in Grand Forks

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- The University of North Dakota women's
basketball team left Kearney, Neb., in late March with a feeling it
rarely had experienced in nearly two decades.

Florida Gulf Coast beat the Sioux 83-64 in the quarterfinals of
the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, a lopsided loss that stunned one
of the country's perennial women's basketball powers.

One-sided setbacks are almost nonexistent for the Sioux, who
have competed on the postseason national stage for more than a
decade.

"We had an off night," UND senior Ashley Langen said.

Langen helped organize a players-only meeting after the team
arrived home. They decided then to commit themselves to improving
over the summer.

"I talked to the girls and said, 'This will be the last year we
can play in the Elite Eight,' Langen said. "And I told the
freshmen it'll be their last year they can play in the Elite Eight,
too," since UND is in the process of moving up a class from
Division II.

The summer commitment began and will end in Grand Forks.

For what's believed to be the first time in the program's
history, every returning UND player voluntarily chose to stay in
Grand Forks to train for the upcoming season.

"The summer is the time when you get better as a team and as an
individual," Langen said. "The summer is also when you learn from
last year."

UND players have been lifting weights four days a week beginning
at 6:30 a.m. They've also worked at all of UND's summer girls
basketball camps. And they have played pickup games whenever they
can.

Sioux coach Gene Roebuck said his players' decision to train
together over the summer will only help the team.

"That's what it takes to win," he said. "You can't be
successful if players scatter and do their own thing. Here, they
get to work out together. They get to be together and that builds
chemistry. They also get a great job in working with the camps and
interacting with the players."

Most of UND's players don't live too far from Grand Forks.
However, freshman Mallory Youngblut has to drive 10 hours to reach
her home in Davenport, Iowa. But the redshirt freshman said it was
an easy decision to remain in Grand Forks.

"If we're all up here, it'll help our team chemistry," she
said. "We need to work harder. We got down there (Kearney) and saw
what we needed to do. Hopefully, that can push us to the point
where we can get to the next step.

"The Florida game wasn't what we were expecting," she said.
"We didn't expect to go down there and go out like that. I know
everyone wants it real bad. We're willing to do whatever it takes.
And if that means having everyone stay up here (for the summer),
that's the way it is."

^ Back to Top ^