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Entry No. 4 – Nov. 27, 2009 (Debbie Ryan’s Postgame Interview with Bahamian Television)

Question: Tell me about tonight’s game and playing South Dakota State.
Debbie Ryan
: It was an awesome challenge. South Dakota State is a very well-coached team. They play a systems game and their players are very tough. They played a great game tonight. We matched up well. We did a good job defensively.

Question: You played two tough games here on Grand Bahama Island. How much will that experience help moving forward?
Debbie Ryan
: Anytime you get a chance to play your young players, it helps for the future. This was great competition and this was a great event. We had a great time while we were here.

Question: Looking forward to ACC play, how will the league shape up this year?
Debbie Ryan
: Well the ACC is always tough. We still have a lot of tough games coming up. We have to play Purdue on Thursday (Dec. 3). It doesn’t get any easier for us and we play tough game after tough game. So these games will really help us prepare for that.

Question: Any adjustments you see need to be made with your team?
Debbie Ryan
: We’ve been able to be flexible. And I have a lot of young players. Tonight we made an adjustment to our starting line-up – and started Paulisha Kellum – and she ended up being the tournament’s most valuable player.

Question: Talk about your time in the Bahamas, other than on the court.
Debbie Ryan
: It has been a fabulous experience for us. Our dinner last night was a traditional Thanksgiving meal. The turkey and pumpkin pie were awesome. The hospitality here has been second to none, and the way that the island has embraced us has been fabulous. I just want to say thank you to everybody here on Grand Bahama Island. We’ve had a great time and we want to come back!

Entry No. 3 – Nov. 26, 2009 (Postgame Comments by China Crosby)

Freshman China Crosby gave her postgame comments about the Cavaliers’ 84-79 victory over Indiana in the first game of the tournament. UVa advances to play South Dakota State on Friday, Nov. 27 at 8 p.m. Check out the clip here.


Entry No. 2 – Nov. 25, 2009 (Video Diary by Chelsea Shine)

Forward Chelsea Shine spoke for a few minutes about the first day and a half in the Bahamas. Check out the clip here.

Entry No. 1 – Nov. 24, 2009 (Assistant Coach Angel Elderkin)

Greetings from Grand Bahama Island! The team and travel party arrived safely after a long travel day on Tuesday. The day started at 4 a.m. at the Charlottesville airport. The players arrived bright-eyed and ready to go :-). First stop was Charlotte, N.C., were we had a four-hour layover. During that time we discovered sporcle.com … thanks to team managers Jackie Saunders and Lindsay Clark. While the players slept, the support staff enjoyed sporcle. For those of you that don’t know about that website, it asks you a series of questions (such as: can you name all 12 of Madonna’s No. 1 hits) and you answer as fast as you can. It’s kind of a mix between Family Feud and Trivial Pursuit. Anyway, the staff was very into it and Coach Ryan provided the back-up music as The Material Girl 🙂

Finally we boarded the plane from Charlotte and landed in the lovely Bahamas. Upon arriving we were greeted by the Junkanoo Jam staff who provided us with a tour of the hotel and surrounding area. It is a beautiful resort on the beach, with pools, outdoor activities, restaurants, shopping – everything you could want within walking distance!

We had a workout with the team on the beach with strength coach Ed Nordenschild. It incorporated running on the beach and a pool workout to help get the lactic acid out of the legs. It was a success!

Last night concluded with an outstanding team meal at Prop Club. The players topped off the evening with some ice cream and then bed! Looking forward to a great day tomorrow.

– Coach E.

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