HELENA — With Carroll College coming off a conference-opening win over No. 5 Providence, MTN Sports' Jonny Walker sat down with Fighting Saints head coach Rachelle Sayers.
A full transcript from the video interview is available below:
MTN Sports: Given that Providence was the team that ended your season last year in the national semifinals, did this one hold a little bit of extra weight?
Rachelle Sayers: You know, any game that ends your season is going to be a tough one. And then to face them the first game out of the chute in conference play obviously was a big one for them. But in the big scheme of things, this is the first of many.
It’s important to understand that yes, it was a big win to get your first win at home in conference season. But it's just the first conference game of the year.
MTN Sports: But now you're into the conference season. And obviously non-conference play didn't start the way you guys envisioned. But to be where this team is now, what does that tell you about just how far this team has come from the beginning of the season to now?
Rachelle Sayers: Well, we knew the non-conference schedule that we had in place was going to be a challenge, especially knowing that we had to really figure things out. We had players that hadn't played a lot. We had new players that are playing new positions. And so, when you're playing a challenging non-conference schedule, which I truly believe in, you don't really have the ability to sometimes work through those things.
And so I think we're still continuing to get better. I like the growth of our team where we're at. I don't feel like we're where we can be. Players are still working hard. They're still working to get to where we want to be at the end of the year. And that's exciting.
MTN Sports: Speaking of excitement, there was a lot of it on the sideline, on the bench when the buzzer went final against Providence. How do you take that momentum and keep it rolling into conference play?
Rachelle Sayers: Well, every game is going to be probably that intense. I mean, this is the best conference in the country in the NAIA and every game is going to be a battle. And so, that's one of the things we talked about, you know, after the game that, yes, enjoy this. This is special.
For some of those players, it meant a lot. But in the big scheme of things, it's one of 15. And so, we've got to make sure that we keep that same intensity, that same focus, that same determination every time we step on the floor.
