This Saturday the Belles will play their first conference game against Adrian College, which is currently in fourth place in the MIAA.
The Bulldogs come to Saint Mary's with a record of 2-1 in the conference and 6-7 overall. The Belles are 1-4 in the league and 1-6 on the year.
A win could help them gain some ground in the conference where they sit third from the bottom.
"We still need to focus on winning," Michelle Gary said. "If we have fun and continue to put everything together then we will play our game and give ourselves a chance to win this year."
Last year, Saint Mary's split with Adrian, falling in the first match of the season, but winning the second. In the first meeting, the Belles lost in three straight games. However, they were able to pull out the second contest by winning the fourth game by a score of 34-32. Once again, the girls will have their hands full against another difficult opponent.
So far this year, the Belles have had a number of players contribute key roles on both the offensive and defensive sides of the court. Michelle Turley has played remarkably well both offensively and defensively. She is first on the team with 92 total digs and has recorded 71 kills. Meanwhile, teammate Ann Cusack has also been a force on defense, recording 92 digs. Elise Rupright along with Shelly Bender have consistently performed well on offense, leading the way for the Belles' scoring attack.
The Belles schedule is comprised of mostly conference opponents now that it is just about halfway complete. Even with the slow start, Saint Mary's still has the ability to gain ground and secure a berth in the league tournament, which begins in early November.
After Saint Mary's faces the Bulldogs, the Belles next game will be played at the University of Chicago on Wednesday evening. Saint Mary's dropped its first scrimmage of the year to the Maroons. This time around, the Belles will be looking to avenge the loss now that it is the regular season.
The Adrian game is set for 4 p.m.
