Sept. 10, 2009
2009-10 Women's Basketball Schedule in PDF Format
Norfolk, Va. - One team. One dream. One goal. The Lady Monarchs have united as one with a common goal in 2009 - to return to the NCAA Tournament. The 2009-10 schedule, released on Thursday, will provide a definitive test to the unified Lady Monarch basketball team. The non-conference slate will feature three NCAA Regional finalists from a year ago, including national runner-up Louisville, and seven teams that reached the postseason in 2008-09, while the conference schedule features three more postseason squads.
"This is the most difficult schedule we have had in a decade, top to bottom," said head coach Wendy Larry. Larry is entering her 23rd year at the helm of ODU Lady Monarch basketball.
Old Dominion will open the 2009-10 schedule with a string of home games and a trip to Cancun, Mexico for a pair of true tests. The regular season opens at home on November 13 against Final Four participant Stanford, followed by a road trip to NCAA Regional finalist Maryland on November 19. ODU will then host the ACC's North Carolina State on November 23 before heading on the road to Cancun, Mexico.
The Lady Monarchs will travel to Mexico for the Cancun Thanksgiving Classic on November 26 and 28 in games featuring tough competition. ODU will face WNIT participant Syracuse on the 26th and NCAA National Runner-up Louisville on the 28th. Both games will be at 10:15 p.m. (EST).
Ole Miss (Dec. 6), Florida (Dec. 11) and Hampton (Dec. 20) will then come into the Ted Constant Convocation Center before the Lady Monarchs wrap up the non-conference schedule with a pair on the road, against St. Joseph's (Dec. 22) and Tennessee (Dec. 30). Mississippi reached the third round of the WNIT, while Florida and Tennessee both reached the NCAA Tournament in 2009.
CAA action heats up right away for the Lady Monarchs as the road trip continues with games at Delaware (Jan. 3) and Northeastern (Jan. 7). Other CAA road dates include James Madison (Jan. 17), Towson (Jan. 24), William & Mary (Jan. 28), UNC Wilmington (Feb. 4), George Mason (Feb. 14), Georgia State (Feb. 18) and VCU (Feb. 28).
"Our CAA schedule presents a tremendous challenge with a road game every week with no exception," said Larry. The team will have no more than two consecutive home games throughout the conference season.
ODU's first home conference game will be against 2008 CAA Champion Drexel on Sunday, January 10 at 2:00 p.m. The Lady Monarchs will also host George Mason (Jan. 14), Georgia State (Jan. 21), Hofstra (Jan. 31), VCU (Feb. 7), Delaware (Feb. 11), James Madison (Feb. 21), and William & Mary (Feb. 25). The final regular season home game, Senior Day, will be against Towson on Wednesday, March 3.
ODU will once again play in its annual HOOPS FOR A CURE game in February. Tickets to the James Madison game on February 21 will be sold in part to help support breast cancer programs and research.
The one dream, the one goal of the Lady Monarchs in 2009 will be to reach the NCAA Tournament again after falling short for the first time in 17 years last season. The CAA Tournament, and the automatic bid awaiting its champion, will take place Thursday, March 10th through Sunday, March 13th at JMU Convocation Center at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va.
All times and dates are subject to change. The television schedule will be released at a future date.
The 2009-10 Lady Monarchs return four players who started double-digit games last season and eight letterwinners in all. Among the returners is second team All-CAA senior forward Jessica Canady (Williamsburg, Va.). Canady ranked second in the league in rebounding and 9th in the CAA in scoring. Other key returners will be junior guard Jasmine Parker (Norfolk, Va.), Mairi Buchan (Stirlingshire, Scotland) and Shadasia Green (Patterson, N.J.).