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The Virginia field hockey team, ranked ninth by women’s field hockey.com and No. 10 by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association, are in action this week against Big Ten foes Iowa and Penn State. The Cavaliers will battle the fifth-ranked Hawkeyes (10-2) at 2 p.m. Saturday before taking on No. 13 Penn State at 1 p.m. Sunday in University Park, Pa. Third-year Traci Ragukas recently caught up with VirginiaSports.com to talk about the upcoming weekend, how she has grown as a player and what she likes to do in her free time.
Question: Did the game against top-ranked Maryland, though a loss, give the team some confidence?
Ragukas: We showed we can compete with the No. 1 team in the country. We were right there with them. I thought during a lot of the game we dominated. They have some really good players, and it just showed that, obviously, so do we. I’m just so excited for the rest of the season. Maybe some thought Virginia was a little shaky but we showed everybody that we’re here. I think we had confidence before but now we are all thinking, “We can definitely do this.”
Question: What will Big Ten teams Iowa and Penn State bring to the table this weekend?
Ragukas: The Big Ten is a different style of play than the ACC. Both of them are strong teams. They are more physical but they are both very different teams. We just have to worry about our game plan and not concentrate on them so much.
Question: How do you think you have grown as a player from when you came in as a freshman?
Ragukas: My attitude has changed. When I came in I didn’t really care as much. My first year, the coaches were always on my back saying I wasn’t trying at practice, and I would get really upset with myself. Now I realize I can try so much harder. If you don’t play well at practice, you’re not going to play well in the game. Before I came here, I thought that it doesn’t really matter what I do in practice, I’ll just go out and do it in the game. You can’t do that here.
Question: How has the coaching staff impacted you and what do they bring to the program?
Ragukas: They pretty much bring everything. Their personalities make them so easy to talk to. I don’t have to be afraid that my coach is going to yell at me. I can go up to Michele (Madison) and say whatever I feel. She knows us as individual people. You can talk to all of them about anything. (Alex) Kyser is just like one of us and Chris (Spice) keeps us all laughing while making sure we are still focused.
Question: How did your get started playing field hockey?
Ragukas: It’s really big in our area back home. I like the competition. When you watch it, you don’t always know what’s going on. There are so many fouls, and it’s actually more physical than what people think. I just think it’s really fun.
Question: What do you like to do in your free time?
Ragukas: A lot of us are together all the time. We pretty much like to hang out together. We go to dinner, to the movies; we go shopping a lot. I listen to music; I watch TV and movies. My favorite movie by far is “Super Bad.” It’s hilarious. There was one time when we didn’t have cable so we just played it straight through the week. Over the weekend I saw “Burn After Reading” and enjoyed it.
Question: How would you describe the team chemistry this season?
Ragukas: Last year I feel like we were separated. There were just as many first years as there were second, third, and fourth-years, but we were really separated. This year, you can’t tell. If you were to come into our locker room, you wouldn’t know who is a first-year and who is a fourth or fifth-year. I think we all get along better. We all know each other more.
Question: What is your major?
Ragukas: I’m majoring in psychology. I think it’s very interesting. I don’t really know what I want to do later, I just really like the subject.
Question: What has been your favorite class at UVa?
Ragukas: My first year, I was in a class called Sociology and the Family. It was really interesting. It was about different kinds of families there are in society.
Question: What is your favorite spot on Grounds?
Ragukas: I like the Lawn. I think it’s really pretty and relaxing.