BOONE, N.C - Highlighted by 14 home contests, a Thanksgiving trip to Pittsburgh, Pa. and an ever-challenging Southern Conference slate, Appalachian State University women's basketball has yet another difficult set of opponents scheduled for the 2009-10 season.
Head coach Darcie Vincent is pleased with the schedule and has much anticipation for the upcoming campaign. "We are really excited and anxious to get the 2009-10 season underway. As a program we are looking forward to facing tough opponents in both conference and non-conference action. The early non-conference contests will test our young squad and really force us to play together and work with one another and prepare for what is always a difficult Southern Conference schedule."
The season begins on November 8, as Lees McRae travels to the Holmes Center to take on the Black and Gold in a pre-season exhibition game, before the season-opener at Marshall on November 13. ASU will be looking for revenge, as the Thundering Herd defeated the Apps in a heart-breaking fashion last season, capturing a two point win on ASU's home court.
After a brief road-stint, the Mountaineers' return to the comfy confines of the Holmes Center for their home opener against Charlotte. The two squads haven't faced each other on the hardwood since 2005.
Appalachian's homestand does not last long, as a three game road swing begins on November 24 with a game at Gardner-Webb, and then a trip to Pittsburgh, Pa. for Thanksgiving weekend to play Miami (Ohio).
The Black and Gold's ever-grueling Southern Conference slate begins on December 2, as the Apps host Georgia Southern. The two teams split the series during 2008-09, with ASU earning an impressive 68-59 win over the Eagles on senior day. The schedule is not any kinder to the Apps who head to Davidson to take on the Wildcats on December 7. Appalachian earned a resounding 20 point win over DC in the squads' last meeting.
A two game homestand awaits ASU on its arrival home, with contests against East Tennessee State and Furman, before heading up north to take on five-time defending MAC champion and WNIT participant Bowling Green.
The new year starts with a bang, as the Apps host Elon on January 2, before traveling to Cullowhee, N.C. to play Western Carolina, the 2009 SoCon Tournament Champions. ASU has not defeated its SoCon rival since the 2004-05 season.
The schedule then brings the Mountaineers' back home for three games in six days, as the Apps are slated to face Richmond for the first time since 2006 on January 6, then play SoCon regular-season champion Chattanooaga on January 9, and cap off the homestand with a contest against top-tier SoCon competitor Samford on the 11th.
The latter part of the schedule consists of trips to Greensboro, N.C. and Charleston, S.C. along with five more home matches, starting January 23 with a game against Davidson, and then the regular season home-finale against the College of Charleston on February 22. The Apps final regular season game of the 2009-10 campaign is on February 27 at Georgia Southern.
With a change in location, the Black and Gold head to Charlotte, N.C. for the 2009-10 Southern Conference Tournament, which begins on March 4 and last through March 8.