Nov. 15, 2017
By Zac Ellis
VUCommodores.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt women’s basketball opened the 2017-18 season with a 65-54 loss to Middle Tennessee last Friday at Memorial Gym.
It wasn’t the way in which the Commodores had hoped to begin coach Stephanie White’s second season. But going forward, the setback serves as a chance for Vanderbilt to utilize its team motto for the season:
#AsOne
“‘As One’ is a phrase that we termed just so everybody knows that it doesn’t matter what happens, it doesn’t matter what we believe, we’re always going to stick together,” senior Christa Reed said. “Even though we went out there and may not have played well and lost [vs. MTSU], it’s an opportunity for us to recuperate, come together and get it back.”
The Dores followed up with a 92-75 loss at Central Michigan on Tuesday. Vanderbilt hopes to snap its opening skid this Friday, when it travels to Tulane for its second straight road contest. Much as it did during the offseason, Vanderbilt is using nonconference play as a chance for its new-look roster to gel.
The Dores have added six new faces to its program in 2017-18: freshman center/forward Blessing Ejiofor, freshman guard Chelsie Hall, freshman forward Autumn Newby, freshman center Paige Warren, Purdue graduate transfer Bree Horrocks and Boston College transfer Mariella Fasoula. Fasoula is sitting out the season to fulfill NCAA transfer requirements.
That roster enjoyed a trip to Costa Rica in August, which allowed for extra practice time, team-building activities and service efforts sponsored by Soles4Souls. White said such a trip offered a number of benefits, all of which fall under the “As One” mantra.
“One of our core values is team-first,” White said. “We talk a lot about service, whether that’s serving one another on the floor or off the floor, taking care of our teammates, servicing our community or making those around us better. The only way you can do that and serve is to have a collective vision and a collective unified voice and goal.”
Vanderbilt now looks to unify and shake out of its slow start to 2017-18. Against Middle Tennessee, the new-look Commodores were a bit sloppy in committing 19 turnovers and 29 fouls. Vanderbilt allowed Central Michigan to hit five of eight 3-pointers in the first quarter on Friday, after which the Chippewas led by 13 points.
Despite early setbacks, Reed said she already sees Vanderbilt coming together “As One.”
“I think that we’re getting a lot better each and every day,” Reed said. “We’re working together and working harder.”
Now Vanderbilt expects to come together and make noise in the SEC this season. But White hopes “As One” becomes a rally cry for Commodores on and off the court. The coach views her players as more than just student-athletes; she sees the Dores as engaged citizens with the power to affect global change. But White said working together is the most profound way in which to make a difference in the world.
“I thought about ‘As One’ just because we’re not a team with a lot of great individual players – we have a lot of really good players – but we can be a great team,” White said. “It reminds us in everything that we do that we are in it together, that we have to sacrifice for one another. As we start talking in a bigger picture in our community and in making a difference in our world, we all have to be that way and we all have to have that vision or motto and we all need to serve one another.
“We’re not helping mold and empower future followers,” White said. “We’re helping mold and empower future leaders.”
Zac Ellis is the Writer and Digital Media Editor for Vanderbilt Athletics.