PSU women red hot to start new year

By Nick Butler

Pittsburg State University’s women’s basketball team had a red-hot January, going undefeated after the holiday break to position themselves well to enter high-stakes conference action in February.

The team went into the break 10-2, already good enough to have the Gorillas nationally ranked 14th in the nation and sitting alone at the top of the MIAA standings. 

January was even better. The Gorillas won eight straight games after the break, all by at least 12 points. And they’ve kept the streak going into February, including an overtime win in a wild game against Arkansas-Fort Smith.

After seven years leading Pitt State’s women’s basketball team, head coach Amanda Davied knows what success feels like. Last year, she led the team to its first MIAA Tournament in its history. 

Still, Davied knows that the team she has this year is special. 

“We have a really great staff this year that works really, really hard,” Davied said. “They’re really connected with the kids and hold them accountable. And then we have a really talented group of girls.” 

Davied said it’s the mentality of this year’s team, not just in preparing for games but even getting ready for each practice, that sets it apart.

“They’ve continued to have the same ‘go-to-work’ mentality,” Davied said. “I think you know you have a really great team when they approach practice the same way they approach games.”

The team is supported by strong leadership from its seniors, who say they have a strong connection with everyone in the locker room.

One such senior is forward Karenna Gerber, now in her fourth year on the team. This season, in addition to providing experience, she also leads the team in scoring, rebounding, and blocks. 

“It’s been such a fun season at that, you know,” Gerber said. “Obviously, we are ranked in the nation, but they’re just a great group of girls to be around, and they make coming in here every day so much fun”

The locker room, Davied said, is key, and leadership behind the scenes as well as on the court is one place this team excels.

“I think the senior leadership is outstanding,” Davied said, adding, “but I also think we have the right Batman and Robins.”

The “Batmans” of the team are the returning senior leaders Gerber as well as Grace Pyle, Sydney Holmes, and Alba Lozano Davila. But the “Robins” are making their impact as well.

“I could just go down the list, and everybody has done something up to this point,” Gerber said. “Whether it’s on the bench, and I think that’s also a big reason for our success, is because everyone’s doing their role.”

As the postseason looms on the horizon, Davied said the team focuses on sayings—things to keep them focused. One of those sayings says everything that this team is trying to do. 

“I would say one that I use for them, that we can definitely share, is ‘We want to say humble and hungry’, and we just continue to remind ourselves that we haven’t done anything today,” Davied said. “We should be really proud of ourselves in the past, but you’ve got to remember that today is a new day.”