Back At It Again

Women's Basketball Season-Opening Weekend

The Manhattanville women’s basketball team has officially begun their season. They played two away games over the weekend to get their season underway. The first game resulted in a loss against Gwynedd Mercy (67-61) on Saturday. However, their efforts on Sunday helped them win their first game against Haverford (64-60).

“The first game jitters were definitely there. Everything is up for grabs, it’s in the first game that you realize that you have to intensify everything you've been practicing in the off-season,” said Shayna Robinson. “Communication is very important, all the little things matter more.”

This year the Manhattanville women’s basketball team has a handful of freshman who are getting their first taste of the collegiate life. The transition from high school sports to college sports can be tough. It is certainly a factor that comes into play when the first game of the season comes up.

The 2014-2015 season will be Shayna Robinson’s last season playing with the Valiants before she graduates in May. “After all these years things don’t change when it comes to getting back on the court. I know we tend to get ahead of ourselves but we always learn from it,” said Robinson. “I think this weekend proved that to be true.”

While they may not have managed to win the first game, they quickly managed to turn things around during the second game. They made the right adjustments and set the tone for the rest of the season to come. They had seen their strengths and weaknesses from the previous games and they acted on them.

“Everyone contributes something. I feel like the goal of every game is to win and grow as a team. Growth is important as far as a long term goal. That might not always be seen on a win-loss column,” said Shayna Robinson.

As a senior there are many things that come to Robinson’s mind when it comes to reflecting on her collegiate athletic career. “As a senior for me, every day is my last of something. I can’t take anything for granted. You start counting down the days, but at the same time I don’t want to think about how things will end,” said Robinson.

Shayna Robinson and the rest of her team looks forward to playing at home next Tuesday against Purchase. “Playing at home is different. You will go above and beyond to defend your turf. That is exactly what we plan on doing. Defend our turf,” said Shayna Robinson.