TicketsApril 15, 2011
By Jeff Gentil
GoBEARCATS.com
The UC women's golf team will descend upon the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Florida beginning on Sunday to compete in the BIG EAST Championship. Head coach Janet Carl and her team has had a very successful season thus far and now they are looking for a crowning achievement.
"I feel very comfortable with where they (players) are," she said. "And I think they feel comfortable also. We don't specifically identify where we want to finish, we have a game plan and as long as we stick to that game plan I think they recognize on any given day they can play well."
It won't be easy, however. There is some stiff competition mainly from Notre Dame, Louisville, and South Florida, but Carl is confident her team can rise to the occasion.
"If you simply look at stats, realistically, (winning the tournament) is probably not going to happen," she admitted. "But I do believe the teams ahead of us are beatable. The stars have to be aligned, but `you never know' is part of our philosophy."
The stiffest competition is the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, ranked 25th in the country according to Golf Week: "They have the leading candidate for BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, Nicole Zhang. But like everyone else in the Midwest, they suffer from the same weather issues (that we do)."
The Louisville Cardinals, currently ranked 36th: "They have two key players in Sara-Maude Juneau, who was an All-American last year and Laura Anderson, who has suffered from foot issues and has been up and down."
Finally, the South Florida Bulls, ranked 95th: "Shena Yang, their No. 1 player and Freshman of the Year in the BIG EAST last year; her play dictates how they finish."
Unlike those three teams, Carl believes the balance of her squad could play to their advantage.
"(Senior) Bambee Dela Paz is our No. 1, but we have depth," she said. "We are not reliant on one person like the other teams. We have players who have the ability to do it. With our depth, we have the potential to do some great things."
Individually, the Bearcat women are playing some good golf at the right time of the year (ranked 122nd by Golf Week). There is no better time to be playing well, but for some, however, the BIG EAST Championship has been a major stumbling block.
"Bambee has been our No. 1 for four years," Carl said. "But she would tell you she has never played well at the BIG EAST (tournament). She's coming into this tournament with a good mindset and is looking forward to redeeming herself.
"(Senior) Jenny Linville was our top finisher in the BIG EAST Tournament last year. She brings a great deal of course management; she was the best at course management last year and she brings a solid foundation toward the tournament.
"(Sophomore) Alex Carl is finally getting everything together and she is going to be able to lean on her experience last year. (Freshman) Olivia Dose has been our lead freshman this year and had some strong finishes this spring. We have tweaked a few things and she is much more confident now. She is a good course manager as well. And (freshman) Andrea Malek has gotten off to a slower start, but the last round of the last tournament I think she felt like she stumbled upon something. I hope that can carry over; she is a player who could surprise some people."
Carl's team has seen all three teams ranked ahead of them several times in the fall and spring, so they know what it will take to beat them. But will the stars be aligned is the big question.
"I know they have talked about (their expectations) and they would be happy with placing in the top-three," she said. "I think they have it in their thoughts that they could finish even higher. As a coach what will make me happy is we follow through with what our goals are and stick to our game plan, and at the end of the day they all recognize they gave the best effort they could."