Photo by Sarah Grubbe
Sarah Grubbe: LU has never beaten St. Norbert—how are you feeling in the days leading up to the game?
Arianna Neumeyer: St. Norbert is predicted to take second at conference and LU for third, but if we win this game, we have a good shot at turning the tables and taking it all. We’re prepared for this game. We’ve played and beaten teams that are ranked far above us and we’re in it for each other—we want to see numbers up there and win the championship for our coach and our seniors. Sometimes I find myself more exhausted at cheering on my team after winning a point than actually playing!
SG: What about this coming game is special to your team this year?
AN: Our team has a large senior class this year and we’ve never been able to beat St. Norbert. This is the game that will propel us to a shot at the championship. Our record this season predicts that we have the ability to beat teams in our league as we went head to head with teams in more advanced divisions at our tournament in Texas.
SG: What are you most proud of in your personal history this season?
AN: I’m proud to say that I’ve made the All Tournament team each tournament and I feel that I lead by example for the younger team members by challenging myself to play at my peak no matter what.
SG: Will stepping onto the home court help to set this game apart?
AN: The fans coming to support the team makes a big difference in how we play. When the crowd is being loud we have to be even louder so that we can hear each other and that just amps everything up—a loud gym gives us a huge advantage over the other team and it fires us up.
SG: Speaking of fans, someone held a sign at the last game saying that #17 eats raw potatoes. Care to comment?
AN: My friends capitalized on the fact that I used to sneak raw potatoes from my father as a kid when he was cooking and I’ve been eating them ever since—everyone has their weird foods! I got a lot of questions during the time outs of that game—people wanted to know how I preferred to eat my raw potatoes (sliced with salt).