Team members ready to rebound

The 19th ranked IU women's field hockey team heads back home this weekend after having to fend off both Hurricane Isabel and the Richmond Spiders last weekend in College Park, Md. The 4-1 Hoosiers are hoping to rebound this Friday as they begin their Big Ten season against the 5-3 Michigan State Spartans at 6 p.m. at Mellencamp Pavilion. \nCoach Amy Robertson is excited to get the Big Ten season under way.\n"Basically the most important thing that we prepare for is our conference," Robertson said. \n"It's great to have the success that we have had coming into our conference play, but this is what really counts. In our conference we really find out what we are made of and what we need to work on. This is what has made us better every year, playing in the Big Ten conference. This year we feel that we can play with anybody. All the teams are very good teams, but it's exciting because we definitely have a chance. Anything can happen."\nAssistant coach Gina Lucido said she is also excited about the upcoming game and believes pride will play a big role in this weekend's match.\n"One thing I have noticed is the pride that is in the conference, and it is very important to us," Lucido said. "We have not had tremendous success yet in our conference. We have been trying to make a statement with each game this season, but we really want to step out and say 'OK Big Ten, here we are,' and that there is a tradition that we are starting here, and we want people to take us seriously."\nThe Hoosiers have the opportunity this weekend to make a statement as the Spartans are currently ranked 8th in the nation with their only defeats coming against three of the top 15 teams in the country. \nLast year when the two teams faced off, the Spartans dominated the action as they won the game 5-1. However this year the Hoosiers have picked up their game, and sophomore Morgan Albini is ready to show that this weekend.\n"I'm really excited to prove what we got this year and show what we are made of, and I'm really excited to make a big impact in a big way," Albini said. \nThe Hoosiers will also head to St. Louis this Sunday as they will face off against the 0-8 Saint Louis Billikens at 12:30 p.m. The game on Sunday will be the first time all season that Saint Louis has played at home.\n-- Contact staff writer Andrew Rosen at ajrosen@indiana.edu.