Quinnipiac may be a small university in the northeast, but on Saturday its women’s basketball team put it on the map with an upset victory over Marquette.
Quinnipiac’s expectations have changed significantly over the past few years in regards to its expectations for success. It now expects to win both the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season title and tournament title as well; taking the automatic NCAA Tournament bid with it.
Quinnipiac suffered heartbreak last season when Maria Napolitano tore her ACL in the MAAC Tournament semifinals as it fell to Iona in the championship game and missed a chance to go dancing.
This season was different for the Bobcats: they had a goal since the start of the summer.
“We’ve had this goal since summer, we wanted to win our championship in the league, which we did and we want to win a game in the NCAA tournament,” Quinnipiac guard Carly Fabbri said on Friday.
Quinnipiac has used many different symbols this season but the one that they have used recently is a step stool. The step stool has two steps on it, which signifies the two steps that the team is looking to take in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Quinnipiac begins every practice by gathering in a circle around the step stool so every player is reminded of the goal that they are trying to achieve and that is to win two games in the NCAA tournament.
“It’s about taking the next step. It was the step stool with two steps, and that’s what we came here to do, was to take the next step,” Quinnipiac head coach Tricia Fabbri. “That’s what we start every practice with when we get into our little circle. A message and a real focus on the purpose. It’s very rewarding of why we are doing it. We took one step today.”
Quinnipiac does not have the attitude of a typical mid-major school; they are not happy to be here, they are here to win. Quinnipiac has a clear vision of wanting to win two games in the tournament and advance to the Sweet 16.
“Reflecting back on the first time and the second time, you get this excitements and happy to be here. And as the years go on, and your goals and aspirations change for your program, and within the players,” Quinnipiac head coach Tricia Fabbri said.
Quinnipiac took the first step on Saturday when it beat the fifth seeded Marquette Golden Eagles. Its victory over Marquette was also Quinnipiac’s first victory over a top-25 team.
When most mid-majors upset, the higher seeded team will storm the court to celebrate; but it was the opposite for the Bobcats on Saturday, they acted as if it was business as usual. This game was business as usual for Quinnipiac’s staff and players, they go out on the court to win games and that is what it did on Saturday.
Quinnipiac has continued to climb the ladder from mid-major obscurity to mid-major power and Saturday’s win over Marquette signifies all of the hard work head coach Tricia Fabbri, her staff and players have put into this program.
Quinnipiac will look to take the second step on Monday when it takes on the fourth seeded Miami Hurricanes on their home court at the Watsco Center, in Coral Gables, Florida.
