Collegiate Times

Tech guard Laura Haskins dribbles and enters the inside of the three-point circle during the Nov. 10 exhibition game against Peach State.

The Virginia Tech women's basketball team tips off its season Friday night when it goes up against the UNC Greensboro Spartans. The Hokies are looking to improve on their 15-15 record last season that included an Atlantic Coast Conference record of 2-12.

Tech will also seek a solid start against its out-of-conference opponents, which will better prepare the team for an always-tough slate in the ACC. Last season, Tech successfully put together a record of 13 wins and just two losses against opponents outside of the league.

The Hokies' struggles in ACC play are a cause for concern, but they also need to improve their play on the road. In the past two seasons, the Tech women's team is 21-13 when playing within the friendly confines of Cassell Coliseum, but 5-13 when playing on the road. The team must find a way to produce victories when playing away from Blacksburg.

And it must produce them without its top scorer -- Brittany Cook. The redshirt senior will be out for the entire season after suffering a torn ACL in her right knee during a Nov. 6 practice.

Cook led the ACC in scoring last season, averaging nearly 18 points per game and was a second team All-ACC selection.

"I'm going to do my best to turn this negative into a positive," Cook said in a press release.

The Narrows, Va. native missed the 2004-05 season with a left knee injury and will now apply for a sixth year of eligibility.

Despite the recent setback and the poor conference record last season, Cook understands that this team still has a chance to compete.

"One of the things last year was we played with a lot of good teams for a half," Cook said during Tuesday's media day. "But we need to start playing a full 40-minute game."

The most notable close game for the Hokies last season was the 71-74 overtime loss to the then-ranked No. 4 Maryland Terrapins. The team showed they had the talent to compete with the nation's best teams. This season the ACC conference does not get any easier as the pre-season Top 25 includes five teams from the ACC conference. Along with that, Duke, Maryland and North Carolina are all ranked in the top 10.

Head coach Beth Dunkenberger knows the season includes many obstacles, including home and away games against ranked opponents such as No. 8 Duke and in-state rival Virginia, ranked No. 15. Even after the disappointing performance in conference play last season, Dunkenberger knows she has a competitive team.

"Last season we were a team that won 15 games and a team that played some really close games and almost beat a top-five team in Maryland," Dunkenberger said.

Dunkenberger also recognizes that the Hokies' problems start on the defensive side of the ball, especially with the defense inside the lane.

"Defensively, we need to turn up the intensity," Dunkenberger said. "We're young in the paint and not huge in the paint either."

Leading the frontcourt play for the Hokies will be senior captain Amber Hall who averaged six points and six rebounds per game last season. The plater to watch will be sophomore center Brittany Gordon could provide the interior help they most desperately need.

In the Hokies' lone exhibition game this season, the team was defeated 79-70 at the hands of the Peach State Elite team. Defensive issues were evident as the Hokies allowed five players to score in double figures, while on the offensive end of the court the team had 22 turnovers overall.

The bright spot in the game happened when the Hokies were down 47-32 in the second half. The Tech women came together and put up a 17-2 run that tied the game at 61. In spite of the loss, the Hokies showed they had the competitive spirit to stay in the game, regardless of the score. Tech is predicted by many preseason rankings to finish 10th in the conference, but this team understands that in order to make a surprise appearance into the NCAA tournament, it must be able to win against ACC foes.