Manti feast on competition

Praying Manti play in season's first tournament

The Women's Ultimate team is teeming with enthusiasm for the season despite a disappointing finish at the Arctic Vogue Tournament in Columbus last week.

On Saturday and Sunday, the Praying Manti played in their first tournament of the season.

"We did really well on the first day which is unusual for us. Usually the women's team starts off slow," senior Karin Kettenring said.

One game of the tournament was particularly exciting with the Praying Manti and a Cleveland team dueling point for point until the end of the game. The Praying Manti pulled out of the quagmire and managed to win.

"It was a good bonding weekend for the team," sophomore Kate Renner said. "We played really well too."

The season will provide the Praying Manti with five more tournaments in their quest to qualify for Nationals. According to Renner and Kettenring, the team is working hard for that goal.

"We're doing a lot of conditioning. Captains Lisa Novins and Suzy have been whipping us into shape," Kettenring said.

"There were a lot of sophomores on the team last year and most are abroad this year so it's different," Renner said. "We have a lot of first-years who are really great."

But even with their enthusiasm, Notre Dame University upset the Praying Manti at the tournament. "We really tried out a lot of new things," Renner said. "It wasn't disheartening; it was really inspiring."