TEN QUESTIONS WITH...

This year, your team stumbled a bit out of the gate, winning just four of the first 23 games before recently putting together a school-record seven-game winning streak, including stunning MAC frontrunner Central Michigan on April 20. What helped the team turn things around?
Basically, we kept the focus on MAC games. Our senior class, with the experience we have, we really understand how important MAC games are. Even though we struggled tremendously during the preseason, we understood that in no way effected how we were going to play in the MAC and determine if we made the playoffs or not.

Last year, the Bulls finished 11-10 in the MAC, the seventh-best mark in the conference, two wins from reaching the conference tournament. This year, you are 8-8 in MAC play and tied for sixth overall in the conference. How important is it to you and the rest of the seniors to make the MAC Tournament?
That's out No. 1 goal. Besides obviously making it, we want to win it. Our biggest goal is actually making it because we felt, as a class, since our freshman year, we've had the talent to make it. For some reason, we just haven't been able to make it there. Our No. 1 goal is to bring UB softball to the MAC tournament.

In 295 chances this year at first base, you’ve made only three errors. What is some of the best advice you can give to younger players about how to successfully make a play?
You're definitely going to jinx me on this one. As far as advice for younger players, just stay aggressive really. Team communication really helps a lot. At first base, it's really important to communicate with everybody, where the ball is going next and if you get the ball, you're going here.

As a California native, you were able to play outside year-round. How hard was it for you to come to Buffalo and know that you weren’t going to get outside until late March?
Until my freshman year, I never even knew that playing inside a gym was even possible. It was a huge adjustment for me to make. As far as how hard it was, a lot of the people on the team, Julie Hibner and Lisa Wheat, all three of us had sort of the same experience with being in the gym for the first time. It's just about adjusting, basically.

Last year, you hit .275 after struggling as a sophomore. What turned things around for you at the plate last year?
I joked with my team when I was talking to the underclassmen about after struggling so much my sophomore year, there was nowhere to go but up, so I just really focused last year on working hard at everything, trying to improve. I realized I had a lot of improvement to make and the coaches worked with me a lot. I really put in a lot of work to turn things around.

You played in the Amateur Softball Association’s Nationals while you were in high school. How important do you think the ASA was in your development as a player?
Playing travel ball was really important, particularly because the talent level is a lot higher than in high school. Also, that's where you get recruited from, from your travel ball experience. Playing with more talented girls, travelling to a bunch of different places, it was really important in my development.

Coming from Long Beach, CA, what was the recruiting process like for you and what made Coach Marie Curran’s Buffalo team the right fit?
The recruiting process was actually really funny for Buffalo. My twin sister and I, we both wanted to go somewhere on a softball scholarship. She actually didn't care if we were at different schools. I really wanted to be at the same school. For a while, we were sending out separate tapes to separate schools. I sent my tape to Coach Curran first and she saw mine and called me. Then my sister sent her tape out and Coach Curren called me again and asked why I had sent two tapes. I explained that there were two of us. The school was a great fit. My sister was a nursing major and Buffalo has a great nursing program. Academically and athletically, the school was just a great fit for both of us. It was the ideal situation.

Along with yourself, Ann Magur, Julie Hibner and Stacey Evans were all named UB Scholar Athletes in all three previous years. What can you say about the other three seniors as far as their dedication to being student-athletes?
All four of us, really, we've been really focused on being student-athletes, particularly the student end when it comes to the classroom. We all realized there's not really much out there for us in the professional softball arena and school is what's going to matter in the future. We all have paid a great deal of dedication and attention to academics.

In the past, you have also written for The Spectrum, Buffalo’s student newspaper. Having been on both sides, is it harder to ask the questions during an interview or be asked the questions?
Coming up with the questions is difficult sometimes, but I would definitely say having to answer the questions is a lot harder. You have to worry about what you're going to sound like.

What has been your favorite moment as a student-athlete at the University at Buffalo?
I would definitely have to say my first home run as a college player. It was in Arizona. It was a walk-off home run against New Mexico State and my parents were there and my sister. That was a really good experience for my first home run and to have my family there.

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