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2008-09 Lady Bulldog Preview LADY BULLDOG BASKETBALL The 2008-09 season appears to be shaping up as another memorable campaign for the Union College Lady Bulldogs. Union is coming off back-to-back Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament championships and consecutive NAIA Division II National Championship Tournament appearances. In addition, the Lady Bulldogs only lost one key member to last year’s squad that went 25-9 overall and 15-3 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. “Obviously, we’ve got quite a bit of experience returning, which is something that we haven’t had here in the past,” said Union coach Tim Curry. “Although we lost one key player, she was a big contributor in regards to the numbers she put up.” The player in question is Allison Fowler, who finished her career second in program history in points (1,427), assists (421) and steals (268). She also ranks ninth all-time in rebounding (425). While trying to fill the void left by Fowler will not be easy, this is not a new situation for the Lady Bulldogs. Heading into the 2007-08 season, Union had to find a replacement for Andrea Hillard, who is the program’s all-time leader in assists (654) and steals (321) and ranks fifth all-time in rebounding (567) and sixth in scoring (1,308). “We were in the same position the year before, having to replace Andy, and obviously, we were able to do that with the returning players we had,” Curry said. “That’s part of the evolution of a college basketball team. You’ll always have to replace somebody in your program. It’s just part of life.” Still, Union has plenty of experience returning, including four starters from the 2007-08 squad and seven players who made back-to-back trips to the national tournament. Curry’s biggest concern for the 2008-09 season is complacency. “One of the biggest fears you have as a coach is that a team just expects to win rather than doing the things it takes to win,” the Lady Bulldog coach explained. POINT GUARD Carley Blankenship (Lexington, Ky.) is back for her junior season after starting all 34 games last season at point, averaging 10.3 points per game and dishing out 116 assists. The 5-foot-5 guard really turned up her game during the conference tournament as she had 45 points, nine rebounds and six assists in landing on the All- Tournament Team. “Carley had a great year last year, and there’s no doubt she can handle the pressure of running the point,” Curry said. “She just needs to be more consistent in the things she provides as the point guard.” That said, Curry is more concerned about who will 6 • Union College handle the point when Blankenship is not in the game. Right now, Blankenship’s backups have been out of commission for various reasons. Freshman Nikki Jeck (Berea, Ky.) is coming off an injury and is not 100 percent yet, while freshman Kara Pile (Fairdale, Ky.) spent much of the fall as part of the Lady Bulldog golf team and only recently rejoined the team on the court. Blankenship averaged nearly 28 minutes of playing time in 2007-08. SHOOTING GUARDS The Lady Bulldogs will have a number of options to choose from at the shooting guard positions. “We return the bulk of our experience at this position,” Curry noted. Leading the pack is senior Susanna Todd (Eubank, Ky.) who now owns every 3-point record in program history. Last season, the 5-foot-6 guard hit 48.7 percent from behind the arc, draining a school-record 73 treys en route to becoming the all-time leader in 3-pointers made. A Third Team All-AAC selection in 2007-08, Todd currently has 202 long-range bombs to her credit and is the newest member of the 1,000-point club. Junior Ashley Lunsford (Orlando, Ky.) started 31 of 34 contests last season, averaging 8.24 points and 5.41 rebounds. At 5-foot-9, Lunsford showed her versatility by also dishing out 106 assists and stealing 41 balls. Juniors Allyson Campassi (Frankfort, Ky.) and Jessica Baker (Canmer, Ky.) saw considerable at the different guard positions. Campassi averaged 4.54 points per game and made 40.8 percent (29 of 71) from 3-point range. Baker, meanwhile, averaged 4.91 points per game and had 59 assists and 41 steals to her credit. The
2008-09 Lady Bulldog Preview duo also combined to pull down 153 rebounds. Junior Tara Tucker (Whitley City, Ky.) also saw some playing time last season, averaging 1.29 points in limited action. POST Brooke Smith (Pineville, Ky.) put together arguably one of the best individual seasons in program history last season as a sophomore. All the 6-foot forward/center did was set the singlegame records for points (54) and field goals made (20) as well as eclipse the single-season marks for points (778), field goals made (287) and free throws made (188). Smith also joined the 1,000-point club. For her efforts, Smith racked up the accolades. She was named to the NAIA All-American Third Team, the AAC Player of the Year, twice named the AAC Player of the Week and the NAIA Player of the Week once. In addition, Smith made the 2008 WBCA/State Farm NAIA All-Region 6 Team. “Brooke fits our system perfectly, and she’s got a tremendous work ethic which is not an easy thing to find,” Curry said of Smith, who averaged 22.9 points and 7.38 rebounds per game. She also blocked 65 shots and had 34 steals. “We expect bigger things out of her. And given her last two years, that is a lot to ask.” Smith already ranks fifth on the all-time scoring list with 1,357 career points and should move up to second within the first week or so of the season. What will help improve Smith’s game is the added depth to the post positions. Senior Carrie Bistline (Frankfort, Ky.) missed the majority of the 2007-08 season due to medical reasons. Seeing action in 12 games and starting three, the 6-foot forward/ center averaged 4.67 points and 2.67 rebounds to go along with seven blocks. The Lady Bulldogs added freshman Rachel Underwood (Bremen, Ky.) to the mix. The 6-foot-2 center helped Muhlenberg North High to a 24-9 record and to the 3 rd Region championship game last season. “With the added depth down in the paint, it will help open things up more for Brooke,” said Curry. “Teams won’t be able to focus on solely her. If they do, we have the personnel to take advantage of the situation.” THE AAC Having been a part of the Appalachian Athletic Conference for 13 years now, Curry says the league is as tight as ever from top to bottom. “The conference continually has gotten stronger and deeper every year, and there’s no question that that’s the case this year,” he said. The Lady Bulldog coach said that this year’s race for the championship could be tightest one in a long team, adding that the regular-season champion could have five or six conference losses. According to the coaches’ preseason poll, Curry isn’t alone in that thinking. While Union is the favorite, it garnered only six of the 10 first-place votes and 96 total points. Milligan (Tenn.) College received three first-place votes and 83 total points. King (Tenn.) College, Covenant (Ga.) College and Tennessee Wesleyan College rounded out the Top 5 and were separated by a total of four points. Montreat (N.C.) College and Bryan (Tenn.) College came in sixth and seventh and were separated by just three points, while Bluefield (Va.) College and Virginia Intermont College tied for eighth. UVa-Wise rounded out the field in 10 th . THE 2008-09 SCHEDULE The road back to the AAC championship and to the national tournament will not be an easy one. The Lady Bulldogs have games against five schools which advanced to the NAIA Division II National Tournament last season and will play 10 games against teams that were received votes in the final poll last season. In addition, Union has five games slated against teams from the Mid- South Conference, a NAIA Division I league. To make things even tougher, 13 of the team’s first 17 games – including three of its first four conference games, are on the road. “If you want to compete nationally, you have to play those people,” said Curry. “That’s part of life of a team that wants to be considered a Top 25 program year-in and yearout.” Union will open the season Nov. 4 at St. Catherine’s (Ky.) College. The Lady Bulldogs will host their annual tournament Nov. 7-8 and take on Midway (Ky.) College and Ohio Dominican University. On Nov. 19, Union opens conference play at UVa-Wise. Union College • 7 WWW.UCBULLDOGS.COM
Page 1 and 2: Union College • 1 WWW.UCBULLDOGS.
Page 3 and 4: Quick Facts/Contents 2008-09 QUICK
Page 5 and 6: 2007-08 Union Athletics Review The
Page 7: Media Information The Union College
Page 11 and 12: 30-BRIANN BARGO Senior - Forward 5-
Page 13 and 14: 22-CARLEY BLANKENSHIP Junior - Guar
Page 15 and 16: Player Profiles - Freshmen 15-CASSA
Page 17 and 18: Assistant Coach Zack Vogelsberg Zac
Page 19 and 20: The National Association of Interco
Page 21 and 22: 2008 NAIA Division II National Cham
Page 23 and 24: Union College Lady Bulldogs Basketb
Page 25 and 26: 2007-08 AAC Statistics Summary Team
Page 27 and 28: 2008-09 Opponent Information ST. CA
Page 29 and 30: Lady Bulldog Record Book TEAM SEASO
Page 31 and 32: Bulldog Cheerleaders 2008-09 Union

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