The Lady Matadors have been to four consecutive Region finals. And four consecutive times they have fallen at the hands of Central Arizona.
Considering the fact that Central Arizona has won ten consecutive Region finals, it looks to be a tall order to beat the perennial power Vaqueras, but Arizona Western College has retooled and is back in the hunt.
The nature of our level
After losing All-American forward Jolie Olingende and starting point guard Jade Washington, Head Coach Patrick Cunningham is looking to his returning sophomores to carry the load this season.
Olingende finished her remarkable Matadors career by winning almost every post-season award for the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference. Her transfer to Robert Morris University has left a huge hole, but Cunningham thinks the team can persevere.
Washington, the gritty point guard from Las Vegas, transferred to Delaware State when she received a scholarship offer. Olingende had been expected to transfer, but the additional loss of the playmaker, Washington, stung the team a little.
Junior College athletics will often provide that challenge of player movement, according to Cunningham.
"Jade was the one that provided a lot of leadership for us," he said. "But that's the nature of our level."
Lisette Longomo (AWC's returning Freshman of the Year) and Emilie Muanandibu, both hailing from the Congo, are now expected to produce in the place of their departed countrywoman, Olingende.
The Lady Mats also have brought in a couple of transfers who are expected to contribute right away.
Nikki Villescaz, a sophomore point guard out of Phoenix, transferred from South Mountain Community College. "She averaged 12.5 points a game last year as a freshman, so she's used to playing in our league and has had some success," said Cunningham.
Oakland, Calif., native Imari Lyons transferred from Butler Community College in Kansas and also brings valuable experience to the team. "It's like we have two extra sophomores with plenty of experience to go with Emilie and Lisette," said Cunningham.
The same type of team
Cunningham doesn't think his squad is that different from a year ago, when the Lady Mats delivered an impressive 26-5 season.
"We're the same type of team," he said. "We're going to be long and active defensively. Offensively we are a little different than most teams because we utilize a big line-up, but the way we go about things is the same. The pieces have just changed."
The Lady Mats are a defensively oriented team that wants to create turnovers and get into their transition offense and then go to their talented post players when running their half-court sets.
"If we can score in transition, we want to," Cunningham explains. "If not, then we try to utilize the big guys."
Repeatedly ending their season one game away from the national tournament -- to the same team, no less -- has left AWC searching for a way to break through.
Central Arizona is ranked #2 in the same pre-season poll that has AWC ranked #17.
"They're the perennial power," said Cunningham. "Pretty much every year we've got to try to topple those guys."
Last season, Olingende was coming off a back injury that slowed her a little in the Region title game. If she had been healthy, it could have been a different story for the Lady Mats, who lost by single digits to a Central Arizona team that had breezed through previous regional final match-ups against AWC.
Cunningham is excited about his team's chances this year.
"We've got a good core and a good rotation," he said. "If we stay healthy and continue to improve along the way, then we'll be in pretty good shape."
