Ready for the final season

I am so excited for conference play...it is a great feeling to know that we are to being considered as a top team, when we where predicted to finish around 6th before the season started. Now it is time to show everyone that we deserve a top team placement because I know there are some teams that believe otherwise. I am very interested to see how this year plays out, we are a very special team and we will be having a very special year. So come out to see how special we really are.
Get ready for what’s coming,
T

Being considered as a top team in our conference is something that hasn't come easy. St. Bonaventure, through our eyes, is a well respected school with great academics and hard working sports teams; to outsiders we're just seen as a private school, lucky enough to be in a well-known conference with top grades. The past three years of hard work, dedication, sweat, and tears has all worked out to get past the criticism and has gotten us to where we are today. People on the outside looking in have doubted us every year and thought that we would remain at the bottom. This created a chip on each of our shoulders and drove us to work hard everyday on and off the court to get the respect we deserved.

Andi and I both came in our freshman year after leaving successful high schools seasons expecting to have the same success that year for Bonaventure. We did have success by having a winning season but knew much more could be accomplished and so did our coaches. After losing in the second round of the A-10 tournament we knew that with the group of us returning (all but one with four newcomers) knew something special was bound to happen for this small private school.

The following two years were able to provide a solid foundation for what was to lead to us becoming more respected. We have had three straight winning seasons, beaten ranked teams, and made it to postseason play in the WNIT for the first time in school history and went as far as the sweet sixteen round. So being considered a top team in the A-10 conference? I believe we belong there.
Go Bonnies!
- Dana

Hello everyone! After finishing 12-3 in non-conference play, the conference season has finally started! Since it has been awhile since we have blogged, I thought I’d keep you up to date with what the Lady Bonnies have been doing for the last few weeks. Christmas break is probably one of the best times of the year, in my opinion. Although there aren’t a ton of things to do in Olean during this time of year, we always make entertainment for ourselves and find a way to have fun. We did a Secret Santa exchange in Devereux Hall which was very entertaining. Since the store of choice in Olean is WalMart, three of my teammates walked away from the exchange with the exact same present (a home pedicure kit but at least their toes will be looking good!), while two walked away with the exact same picture frame. We played the Just Dance game on Wii, which Megan dominated (Sorry Arm) and several other Bonnies showed they have moves both on and off the court! I highly recommend the game to you all and I might even suggest it as a conditioning method to our strength coach!

Now that you are updated, you should know that we started off A-10 season with a win against St. Louis last Saturday at home and we look to keep it going in what will be a dog fight with Duquesne. This time of year brings mixed emotions for me. A-10 season is definitely the most exciting time of year and we were picked by the coaches in the conference to finish in the top of the conference this year. This does mean a lot to us, especially the seniors. Dana and I always talk about how far we have come and many times it comes with laughs. I don’t even know what we finished in conference our freshman year, but I know our final record was 16-15 and at the time we thought that was pretty good! Now, looking back, we know that each year has been a stepping stone for us as a team and a program. We definitely have come along way since then, with making it to the quarterfinals of the WNIT last year, and we hope to continue to build on what we have already accomplished in the past.

Although we had a successful non-conference season, that is in the past. The New Year brings a new season -- conference season. The past does not matter anymore and just like our team and program has improved since my freshman year, the Atlantic 10 as a conference has as well. We know how competitive this conference is and how on any given day, any team can beat anyone. No matter what a team’s national rankings, RPI, conference rankings are, or who they beat or lost to this season, no one is safe. Every game in the A-10 is a big game and I believe this is what makes the conference season so exciting and fun. I know that Dana and I (and T for the past two years) have been through a lot, both on and off the court. We have celebrated upsetting ranked opponents and handled tough losses and now it is here, our final A-10 season.
We do not know what this confernce season will bring. Just like a rollercoaster, I’m sure this conference season will bring both ups and downs. But I know the three of us, and the rest of the Bonnies, will continue to work hard and get better everyday in practice and do everything we can so that we finish our senior year off the right way and we won’t forget to enjoy the ride along the way! Go Bonnies!

-Andi