March 13, 2006

Head coach Brenda Frese:
On how she feels about the start of the tournament:
"I'm excited...we're headed to University Park where our fans are going to be able to travel and support us. I like our bracket; I like our match-ups. I'm excited."

On whether she's disappointed on being a No. 2 seed:
"Not at all. Obviously it's not like we don't feel like we're not at a one seed, but it doesn't matter... We'll have some tremendous matchups along the way and and having Ohio State in the same bracket is great."

"Obviously, I think there's a lot involved with [putting together the bracket] and I think there is a lot of parity between your eight and 12 teams. The seed really doesn't matter, it's just how you go out and play and you have to be able to get it done on the court. We really are playing our best basketball right now, so the seeding doesn't really matter."

"We were a seven seed last year, and to be a two seed right now really shows you the growth of this program. We really can match up with any team and we've shown that. We've matched up against North Carolina and Duke and they are both one seeds and we've beaten them. It really doesn't matter to me [what our seeding is]. I think the NCAA committee had some really hard decisions to make."

On Sacred Heart:
"What I know about Sacred Heart is very limited. I'm sure they are going to be a very structured team, and patient, but I don't have very much information on them yet."

On the Terps' being prepared for the tournament:
"The players are doing great. They are healthy. Before we kicked this off today, we had the best practice we've had all year, for a solid two hours. They came back after a weekend off, so we were all fresh. We had the most perfect, flawless practice we've ever had."

Junior Shay Doron

On being a No. 2 seed:
"Fair or not fair we got what we got. At this point, we just need to make the best of it. Last year a number two seed (Baylor University) won the National Championship, so we're just going to try and do the same thing. There is no better motivation than wanting to win a championship. We have a great opportunity to do that right now."

On having to possibly play Baylor and Ohio State:
"We are definitely prepared. Our conference has prepared us and our coaches, too. That was actually the first thing that went through my mind. We're really excited.

On whether having a loss right before the tournament helps:
"I don't know if having the loss helps or not, but playing North Carolina is always going to be helpful for a team's preparation. When you play teams like that going into the tournament, it helps your confidence."

On her goals for the team in the tournament:
"We just want to get over that hump of the second round. Ever since I've been here that's been our major obstacle that we tend to get stuck on. We also just need to take it one game at a time and be prepared for anyone."

Freshman Marissa Coleman

On what makes this team different:
"There is a lot of camaraderie on this team, both on the court and off. We just have so much fun together."

On the Albuquerque bracket:
"It's a tough bracket; we are going to be playing a lot of good teams and we are going to have to bring our A-game everyday. I'm just excited to get it underway."

On the number two seed
"You are always hoping for that number one seed, but coach has been telling us all week that it doesn't matter what seed we get. You just have to go out there, play hard, and win games."

On the team's mentality going into the tournament:
"We all are just staying focused, we all have a common goal and that's to get to the Final Four. We know that it's going to take a lot of hard work these next couple weeks."

Sophomore Forward Laura Harper

On the team's mentality going into the tournament:
"We're excited, we've got a good seed, a good bracket, we're motivated and enthusiastic, and we have that great energy and power, I think we are ready to go."

On tournament location:
"We drew a really good location. Albuquerque is a little far, but playing at University Park we should be able to get our fans out there, we really can't complain about that."

On last year's injury:
"I think that the injury may have hurt my confidence in the beginning of the season, but now I'm ready to go and I'm confident. I couldn't ask for a better team to play with, they boosted me up and prepared me for this type of competition. I have the best teammates in the world and despite the injury, I'm ready to make that run; I'm as confident as ever."

On their first match up against Sacred Heart
"I don't know very much about Sacred Heart, but I know we have the best coaches and that they will show us the right film and get us ready to play that team."

Freshman Guard Kristi Toliver

On advice form her upperclassman teammates:
"They definitely gave a lot of good advice. Mainly staying patient, poised, and confident are the top few words of advice for playing during the tournament."

Her thoughts on the tournament seed:
"I'm excited about the tournament. To me, it doesn't matter if we're a number one or number two seed. We're going to have the same game plan no matter what. Our goal now is to get into the Regional Finals. It'll be a tough road, but we're very excited and ready for the challenge."

Sophomore Center Crystal Langhorne

On the bracket
"I like our bracket and I think we're going to do really well, and I know we're going to go out there like we're playing for our lives. At this point, you lose one game and you're out. Your season is over. So I know we're going to go out and play our best basketball."

On Maryland
"We're going to go in there and play with a lot of fire knowing we're a number two seed. We're just going to play our hearts out. We've been practicing really well all week working on our rebounds a lot, so we should be ready to play."