Junior forward Jenny Van Kirk will be blogging throughout the 2008-09 season.  Van Kirk provides a preview of the Braves season opener against Loyola.

            Thank goodness it is Friday!  This has been a busy week for our team, as we attended the Pre-Season Gala on Wednesday night, and have been preparing for our season opener tomorrow against Loyola.  The Gala was an extremely enjoyable evening for all of us, and it was a great way to kick off the season.  For those who were in attendance, I hope you enjoyed our video as much as we loved making it.  If you weren't able to attend the Gala, I would definitely suggest getting a copy of it!  Our team is multitalented, to say the least.  We would like to extend a big thank you to Dave Snell, Mary Lou Janssen, and everyone involved in the production of our video. 

            Now that the off-the-court business is taken care of, it is time to do the same on the court.  We have had a great week of practice, and are ready to take the court against Loyola tomorrow at 2:05 at ICC.  To give you a little insight into our game-day preparation, I would like to share our schedule for tomorrow.  The team will have a shoot-around at 9 a.m., which is an hour-long practice session to get loose and focus on the task ahead.  Immediately following that, we head to our pre-game meal.  There, we receive a short devotional from our team chaplain, Doug Pollock, which helps to keep our minds on important components of leadership and teamwork.  Believe it or not, our team has some very good eaters!  After that we all return to our apartments to relax for a while before heading out to ICC around noon.  Upon arrival at the gym, everyone has their own routine.  Warm-ups begin at 1 pm, followed by the opening tip-off at 2:05 pm.  I have full confidence that Sonya will get the opening tip and we'll never look back.  I hope to see you all at the game tomorrow!

- Jenny