TEN QUESTIONS WITH...

This week, you open up your conference home slate with games against Bowling Green and Ohio. How much is this year’s team looking forward to getting the chance to start the MAC portion of the schedule?
I think we’re really excited. We’ve had a lot of games to learn from. I think we’re all ready to just get going with the season and ready to come back from last year. Being a freshman, I saw their record last year and I think everybody is ready to make large improvements, especially with the new coaching staff.

You entered the starting lineup in your second game and have averaged 7.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Did you expect to make this big an impact so soon for the Bulls?
I didn’t know what I expected. I just came in here to work hard, just trying to get whatever playing time I could and help the team as much as I could. To be able to start as a freshman, I think it’s a great accomplishment for me. I appreciate it and I am trying to take advantage of it as much as I can.

This year, you’ve gotten to play next to Heather Turner, the 2004-05 MAC Freshman of the Year, underneath. What are some things that Heather has been able to help you with as you’ve adjusted to the college game?
One of the biggest things I think is being able to hang in there with the big post players. Heather is very strong and I think guarding her in practice has helped as far as being strong and helping me adapt to what games are like because practice and games are totally different. She’s helped keep me focused and keep me strong and not give up.

You’ve picked up the nickname “Squeaks” from your teammates. Where did that come from?
Actually, it didn’t come from my teammates, it came from our lovely team personel, Stacy Ross and Dina Atanas, I think, because I tend to fall on the ground a lot. I got the nickname because when you fall on the wood floor you make a squeak sound. Stacy always heard me and saw me on the ground so Stacy and Dina came up with “Squeaks.”

The Bulls have players from five different countries on the roster. How have you been able to gel with your teammates so far?
I think it’s been really good. I’ve learned a lot, you know, because there are players from the Czech Republic, Australia, Mexico and Finland. It’s really exciting to meet different people from different places. I’ve never met anyone from outside the country, so it’s new and exciting.

All the winter sports teams have to make a couple pretty large sacrifices during the season, having a shortened Thanksgiving and a five-day Winter Break. Is it tough not going home for the holidays?
I am a big family person, and I hated only being able to spend five days at home for Christmas, but we do have a second family here so it’s nice to bond with everyone here over Christmas, too. You bond as much as you can when you are home and enjoy it as much as you can.

The team has taken a different look this year from even when you were recruited due to the change in the coaching staff. What were some of the things that made you decide that University at Buffalo was still the right place to be?
One of the big things was Brooke (Meunier). She was here. She helped me get through a lot of tough times. She was one of the biggest parts. I was interested in the academics here. The coaching staff coming in, I read about them and saw a lot of things that I liked, and thought it would be a good opportunity for me.

In your sophomore year, your high school team won the state championship in Michigan. What was that experience like for you as that team went through the state tournament?
It was unbelievable. It was so fun. It will be a memory I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I learned a lot and learned from other people. It was very, very exciting and something I’ll always remember.

This year, you are playing with Brooke Meunier from your high school, Heritage. How nice is it to have someone with the same background, even if you never played on the same squad together before this year, to be able to work with on a daily basis?
It’s helped a lot. If I need someone to talk to, we have that bond already and we can talk. She’s been where I’ve been and she knows what I’m going through and I just connect with her. It’s helped tremendously.

What has been your favorite moment as a UB athlete?
It’s probably all of the things that happen at practice. There’s so many little events that happen at practice, just funny moments, comments that are made by a lot of people that are just funny and random.

- “The 10 Questions With…” feature is compiled by Joe Guistina.