Back in the YO!

After our long 13 hour car ride from Montreal, we finally made it back in Youngstown. We were all exhausted and glad to be back, but we will never forget the memories made on this trip to Canada. It started in Niagara Falls with some quality team bonding, and it ended with our touring the streets of Montreal together. Along with seeing the Falls, we also got to tour Canada’s Parliament, where we had the opportunity to stand on a $14 million book! We all got to try different types of foods that we would not normally find here in the states. We also got to tour around many of Canada’s Catholic churches on our days off from basketball.

While we all had fun touring the cities, we knew that that was not the only reason we went to Canada. We had come on a mission to play basketball and win games, and we ended up doing just that! Our first three game days were a success; we went 5-0! Then came the real challenge. Our sixth game did not go the way that we all had hoped. We could not pull out a victory, and this was a real eye-opener for all of us. We came back the next day with a chip on our shoulders and something to prove, and we ended up winning. Our overall record was 6-1 for the week. We arrived back in Youngstown with a pretty good idea of what we need to work on and what we were good at. This trip really helped us all, and I can only imagine how well the season will go with the help of these games under our belts. 

Day 7: Amanda Barger's Perspective

Today was more of a laid back day. We ate breakfast as a team, which was fantastic as it has been every day, then got to explore a little of Montreal on our own. Some of the ladies went shopping and got some great new items and others went back to their rooms and took a little nap to rest up for our last and final game.

Today we had a chance to learn and make up for our loss last night. I think we responded pretty, well seeing that we won the game with a pretty comfortable margin and putting our record for the trip at 6-1. Our main focus this game was to work on our “toughness,” and we did a pretty good job. We got after rebounds on the offensive and defensive end, we got the majority of the loose balls, our defense was ten times better, and we played with a lot of energy. All of these things led to the offensive end and is what made us have such a successful end to our trip!

Montreal has been amazing and we are all so thankful for such a wonderful experience. 

Game 7: YSU 71, McGill 54

Points-Rebounds-Assists-Steals

Brown 25-7-0-1; Davis 2-3-4-2; Gardner 1-2-2-0; Hornberger 4-4-3-1; Hvisdak 0-2-1-3; Matkin 4-7-2-1; Newman 3-6-0-1; Schlegel 14-5-3-3; Thompson 6-3-0-3; Touvelle 5-3-2-0.

Day 6: Brooke Gardner's Perspective

Today was very interesting. We visited Parliament Hill in Ottawa and went on a tour throughout the whole building. We saw the House of Commons, House of Senate, and the historic library that has survived a fire. The most unique thing we learned about the library is that has bright and cheerful architecture, unlike every other room in Parliament. Because the other rooms were built in the time of World War I, a very sad and striving time, they are in gothic style. Gothic style is a very dark and serious architecture. The library however, is the exact opposite. The library is bright, colorful and very cheerful. We also saw the House of Commons, which was all green. We saw the House of Senate to follow, which was all red. Every room in the building was extremely enticing to all of us.

We played our game later against the University of Carleton and lost. This was definitely the most difficult team we’ve played and we needed to do more things to win, such as crash the boards, box out and communicate. Even though we lost, it was a good wakeup to what we will likely see in the Horizon League. We are looking to end the last game tomorrow on a strong note, focusing on the things we need to work on. Even though we should have won today, it was still a learning experience, and we will grow from it.

Game 6: Carleton 83, YSU 64

Points-Rebounds-Assists-Steals

Brown 13-6-1-0; Davis 4-4-2-2; Gardner 1-3-1-1; Hornberger 9-0-1-1; Hvisdak 0-1-0-3; Matkin 4-4-2-0; Newman 8-1-0-0; Schlegel 8-3-0-3; Thompson 6-3-0-0; Touvelle 11-6-0-1.

Day 5: Monica Touvelle's Perspective

Another day has ended here in Montreal and may I say that it was yet again a successful day. The team was fortunate to only play one game today rather than two and let me tell you it was a relief. Although we had a shaky start, we turned it on the second half and ended up winning by a large margin. It is very different competing in Canada than the states because our competitors speak French. I was taken back when we first stepped on the court but I guess it just takes some getting used to.

On the other hand, Coach gave us some free time prior to the game to and of course I took advantage of this time and went shopping with some of the girls. It is fun to explore the city on our own and it experience what it has to offer. After the game, we went to a Lebanese restaurant, which was a new experience for many. My father is French but my mother is of Lebanese descent, so I knew exactly what to order. I am proud that some of teammates were open to the idea of trying new things because I am all about that. This trip is not just a basketball trip but is also a chance to experience other cultures. I am so thankful to partake in this great experience and I know my teammates and coaches feel the same way. This would not be possible without the support from our family, friends, and fans. Thank you so much and GO PENGUINS!

Game 5: YSU 78, UQAM Citadins 44

Points-Rebounds-Assists

Brown 2-5-0-1; Davis 8-6-5-2; Gardner 3-3-1-0; Hornberger 14-4-3-2; Hvisdak 3-3-0-3; Matkin 4-5-3-2; Newman 10-6-1-2; Schlegel 9-4-0-1; Thompson 4-8-2-1; Touvelle 18-4-3-3.

Day 4: Liz Hornberger's Perspective

After spending Monday, our day off, visiting famous Montreal locations, our team woke up Tuesday morning ready to play another two games. After eating breakfast and having two hours to ourselves, we headed to a local college to play our first game at 1 p.m. against the first of two all-star teams. The game got off to a rocky start due to our lack of effort and communication, and we ended up being down by one at halftime. However, we turned things around immediately after the half, and by the end of the third quarter, we were up 15. We ended up winning by 34 and then headed back to the hotel before the second game.

The second game began later in the evening at 7, and our opponents were the Dynamo All-Stars. This team was composed of older women's basketball players, some of whom had previous experience on the Canadian Olympic team! The second game was a much better collective effort from our team. We had a large lead and kept it for the whole 40 minutes!

Tomorrow we are preparing for a single game at night. I think the most impressive thing about our team so far on this trip is the fact that we are able to turn things around and learn from our mistakes and lack of effort. Today, we kept both leads, and, while we still have many things to improve upon, we are growing as individual players and a whole team. That's what this trip is about. I hope we continue to have fun, learn and grow, and most importantly, win (because we’re undefeated; 4-0!!!!!!)!

Game 4: YSU 75, Dynamo Quebec 60

Points-Rebounds-Assists

Brown 11-8-3-5; Davis 6-8-2-2; Gardner 2-4-0-1; Hornberger 5-6-8-0; Hvisdak 3-1-0-0; Matkin 4-1-4-0; Newman 9-4-1-0; Schlegel 12-4-0-2; Thompson 5-4-3-1; Touvelle 18-3-0-0.

Game 3: YSU YSU 89, CEGEP All-Stars 55

Points-Rebounds-Assists

Brown 14-7-1-0; Davis 11-3-5-1; Gardner 7-0-1-3; Hornberger 6-1-4-1; Hvisdak 3-3-3-1; Matkin 14-2-4-4; Newman 0-2-2-1; Schlegel 22-8-1-4; Thompson 4-2-2-1; Touvelle 8-2-0-1.

Day 3: Heidi Schlegel's Perspective

Hey everyone! After a long drive and arriving at the hotel at 4 a.m., we rested up for a few hours and were ready to sight-see for the day. We started our tour with walking from our hotel down to Old Montreal, passing Chinatown and on to see the Old Port where boats are docked. We also saw the Notre-Dame Basilica where Celine Dion was married! We then walked down Saint Catherine Street, which is where all the stores are located. Cool fact: Due to the fact that the weather is so brutal in the winter, there are underground hallways that connect the shops and some hotels.

After walking all afternoon, we hopped on our bus and took a drive up the mount to see Saint Joseph’s Oratory. We learned many people go to Saint Joseph's to pray for healing and many people believe it has helped them! This cathedral was gorgeous and had a beautiful view overlooking the city of Montreal. Our final stop for our tour was Mount Royal. We parked the bus and trekked into the woods to a lookout point with another amazing view looking over the city! We had an awesome day touring the city and learning some history of Montreal! Now we are going to get some rest to be ready to play tomorrow!

Day 2: Taylor Hvisdak's Perspective

Day number two in Canada; time to let the real fun begin! As we prepared ourselves for the first two games we played as a team, we were all anxious to get on the court. Pre game went very smoothly, and you could tell everyone was ready to play. As our first game began, we came out strong and took the lead. We set numerous team goals in which we worked hard to accomplish over the course of the first half. This game was a great opportunity to see our potential because it was the first time we were playing together as a team. Throughout the second half our opponent began to cut the deficit. It was our job as a team to pull together and secure the win. The final score was 89-83.

With only a short break in between, we were ready to begin our second game of the evening. Remaining focused, we were determined to work just as hard and limit the mistakes we previously made. Now that we had one game out of our system, our team was becoming more comfortable playing with one another. Fighting hard to the end, we came out on top with the final score being 72-50. We have now proven that we possess the skills to win, so now we are all looking forward to see what the rest of our week has in store. We will continue to set our goals high and work hard to remain undefeated throughout our trip. Now after a long day of basketball, we are all thrilled to travel all the way to Montreal! Canada, the Penguins are taking over!

Game 2: YSU 72, A-Game Basketball 50

Points-Rebounds-Assists-Steals:

Barger 2-3-0-3; Brown 24-12-2-8; Davis 6-3-3-2; Gardner 0-2-2-2; Hornberger 8-2-3-2; Hvisdak 0-1-2-0; Matkin 18-2-1-0; Newman 7-5-1-2; Schlegel 3-14-2-2; Thompson 4-6-0-2; Touvelle 0-3-2-0.

Game 1: YSU 90, Ex D1 Stars 83

Points-Rebounds-Assists-Steals:

Barger 5-4-2-4; Brown 17-9-2-1; Davis 9-4-7-1; Gardner 4-4-1-2; Hornberger 5-1-3-2; Hvisdak 2-1-0-2; Matkin 5-6-1-3; Newman 4-4-0-0; Schlegel 19-7-3-1; Thompson 8-2-1-0; Touvelle 12-5-3-0.

Day 1: Niagara Falls and Brampton

Lots of driving and lots of sight-seeing in day one on our week-long trip through Canada. We left YSU about 8:30, got to the Canadian border around noon and made it to Niagara Falls about 1 p.m. We ate at a Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, and one of the workers there made a lot of us hats and swords from balloons. Melissa’s was a hat with a heart on it, and it provided some entertainment for us. It blew away at one point since it was really windy, and we ended up seeing it on a random guy in line for the Maid of the Mist a little later. We convinced the worker to make a hat for Coach Boldon, and she gave him one with a shark. He didn’t keep it on as long as the rest of us.

The Maid of the Mist was a really neat experience, something that a lot of people have on their “bucket list”. It was especially memorable since we were all able to experience it as a team. It was incredible to see the falls up close, even though we all got soaked. We also spent some time walking along the edge of the falls and around the resort area before we got back on the bus and drove to Brampton for the night. Brampton is a suburb of Toronto, and it’s where we’ll play the first two games on our trip tomorrow. We had dinner at a local restaurant called Jake’s Boathouse and got back to the hotel around 9. Tomorrow will be a long day with our two games, and we’ll be making a six-hour drive to Montreal afterward. We’ll definitely need lots of rest!

We’re looking forward to playing against players on other teams tomorrow, and it will be a good measuring stick for us to see our strengths and areas that need improvement. We’ll catch you soon!

Go Penguins!

Melissa Thompson's Perspective

The beginning of our journey was spent touring Niagara Falls, and it was a blast! After getting hat balloons made at a nearby restaurant, hats that would soon be worn by other tourists, we got to experience the falls up close and personal. We rode the Maid of Mist, a boat ride that allows you to see and FEEL the falls. This ride allowed us to see the true beauty of Niagara, and though we got a little wetter than expected, we were able to take in a small dose of what the beautiful Canada has to offer...successful day one!

 

We're Going to Canada!

Hi Friends in Basketball!

Thanks to our dedicated supporters throughout the community, our team will be taking a tour of Canada over the next eight days! We’ve been fundraising for this trip through our annual golf outing for several years, and thanks to great turnouts at those outings, we are able to make this trip without any financial dependence on university funds. It is our hope that, because of the contributions from our community, that this trip will help us be a better basketball team both on and off the court.

We’ll play seven games over our eight-day trip, which should help us tremendously once the season starts in November. Going on the trip has allowed us to have periodic practices over the past month, and we’ve already seen a big improvement from when we first started. We should be way ahead of schedule when practice for the season begins in October, and, with nine newcomers on our team, having some game experience to draw from could be invaluable.

Off the court, we have a very exciting week planned. Tomorrow we’ll spend a few hours touring Niagara Falls before heading to Toronto. We’ll tour Toronto tomorrow evening, and we’ll play two games on Sunday. After our second game Sunday, we’ll make a six-hour drive to Montreal, which is where we’ll spend most of our time on the trip. We play two games on Tuesday and one on Wednesday in Montreal, and we’ll travel to Ottawa for a game and a tour of Parliament on Thursday. We’ll play one more game in Montreal on Friday before coming home on Saturday.

Throughout the week, we’ll update this page with blog posts from our student-athletes as well as videos and photos from our journey. Along the right side you’ll be able to see Twitter posts and photos posted to Instagram by everyone in the travel party. We think allowing our players to have an area to showcase their experience will provide a neat perspective that you’ll enjoy.

We hope you’ll be with us all week! Go Penguins!