Ally Disterhoft

Ally Disterhoft:

Tough stretch of games…

It’s definitely taking it one day at a time and one game at a time. This is obviously an important stretch and we’ve played a lot of games in a short amount of time. Every day in practice we’re coming in focused and preparing the scout for our next opponent. We’re excited for this opportunity to play at Louisville; they’re a great team. If we prepare well, we’ll be able to get the win.

How can we compare last March to now? The game against them versus Thursday’s contest?

We’re a bit better prepared with the experience of having played them once already. We know a little bit of what they’re going to throw at us. We know what we’ll have to focus on and we’ve been doing that in practice. The preparation is there, we have the extra experience, and we’ll be ready to go come Thursday.

Louisville among the elite programs… what does this program need to do to keep moving in that direction?

We just need to keep getting those signature wins. Last year getting the big win at No. 9 Penn State was one of them. This would be fairly similar; Louisville is ranked No. 7 and we’re playing on their home court and clearly the underdogs. It’s just going into each game and proving yourself and you want to do that against some of the best competition. We have a chance to do that Thursday night.

Melissa Dixon:

Tough stretch of games...

It’s a lot of games in a short amount of time so it’s really important for the team to stay together. It’s great for our team to have so much experience with understanding as to how these weeks work. It’s important to take it one game at a time. If you look too far ahead you’ll just get overwhelmed.

Does a trip like Las Vegas bring a team together moving forward?

Trips like that are really good for team chemistry, especially when you’re adding four freshmen into the mix. It takes a little longer for those kinds of things to happen so trips like that really help out.

Louisville among the elite programs… what does this program need to do to keep moving in that direction?

Last year when we played them at home we obviously didn’t play our best game. We’re really looking forward to this opportunity of a rematch. This year we are really focusing on what we need to do, which will help us take that next step.