2008 Woodie Awards
UPS women's basketball team defying the odds
Will Holden
Issue date: 3/23/07 Section: Sports
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Stories about underdogs are great. We all want to hear them and in this month they all come flooding to the forefront. But so many of these tales of teams defying the odds go unknown, their scope of glory and significance left unappreciated. This year, one of these stories just happens to fall in our backyard, in the form of our women's basketball team. And just in case you didn't know, let me tell you the tale. For while it ended in the Elite Eight last week, it was perhaps more astounding than any upset story CBS may fling your way.
At every turn these Loggers defied the odds. No one gave them much of a shot at even making it to the NCAA's at the beginning of the season as all the experts, myself included, believed the team would struggle with the loss of last year's backcourt which included first team All-NWC selection Sarah Carnahan and UPS' all time leading scorer Kilty Keaton. But how did this resilient UPS squad respond? By producing two first team All-NWC guards in Allison Craven and Laura Hirsch.
The duo was perhaps even stronger than Carnahan and Keaton as they both averaged over 10 points a game to lead UPS in scoring.
But this team wasn't about individuals. UPS battled as one throughout the year and was able to secure a high seed in the NWC tournament and a share of the NWC title. But George Fox stood in their way.
George Fox denied the Loggers their NWC championship and automatic berth by beating UPS twice during the regular season and then again in the NWC title game. It was obvious to the experts that UPS couldn't handle the schemes of Scott Rueck, voted NWC coach of the year, or the play of George Fox's impressive trio of Robin Taylor, Katy Campbell and Melissa Marek-Farris, who all averaged more points per game than any individual Logger.
But the Loggers were granted an at-large bid to the NCAA's because one of those experts finally got it right. One of the experts must have seen that Morgan Harter was ready to explode for 19 points as UPS downed 12-ranked McMurry, with their All-American center Tarra Richardson and fourth-team All-American guard Symbri Tuttle, in the first round of the tournament. They must have known UPS would dominate the affair, holding the Indians to 27 percent shooting and winning by 12 points.
At every turn these Loggers defied the odds. No one gave them much of a shot at even making it to the NCAA's at the beginning of the season as all the experts, myself included, believed the team would struggle with the loss of last year's backcourt which included first team All-NWC selection Sarah Carnahan and UPS' all time leading scorer Kilty Keaton. But how did this resilient UPS squad respond? By producing two first team All-NWC guards in Allison Craven and Laura Hirsch.
The duo was perhaps even stronger than Carnahan and Keaton as they both averaged over 10 points a game to lead UPS in scoring.
But this team wasn't about individuals. UPS battled as one throughout the year and was able to secure a high seed in the NWC tournament and a share of the NWC title. But George Fox stood in their way.
George Fox denied the Loggers their NWC championship and automatic berth by beating UPS twice during the regular season and then again in the NWC title game. It was obvious to the experts that UPS couldn't handle the schemes of Scott Rueck, voted NWC coach of the year, or the play of George Fox's impressive trio of Robin Taylor, Katy Campbell and Melissa Marek-Farris, who all averaged more points per game than any individual Logger.
But the Loggers were granted an at-large bid to the NCAA's because one of those experts finally got it right. One of the experts must have seen that Morgan Harter was ready to explode for 19 points as UPS downed 12-ranked McMurry, with their All-American center Tarra Richardson and fourth-team All-American guard Symbri Tuttle, in the first round of the tournament. They must have known UPS would dominate the affair, holding the Indians to 27 percent shooting and winning by 12 points.
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