After a season opener cut short due to lightning and rain, the Illinois State womens golf team will hit the road again this weekend. This time the destination is Carbondale, Ill. as the Birds begin play Sunday in the Saluki Invitational at Carbondales Hickory Ridge Golf Course.
ISU head coach
Ray Kralis felt his team started out slow in the first round of the Peggy Kirk Bell Invitational in Florida, but began to show improvement in the lightning shortened second round. The team did however get a full nine and some change in before the second round was canceled.
Coupled with what he saw on the second day in Florida and the practices leading up to this weekend, Kralis feels his team is ready.
On the second day of the Peggy Kirk Bell, everybody lowered their nine hole score from the previous day by 3 to 5 strokes, Kralis said, Add that to a good week of practice in Florida and a good week here, I think we are very well prepared.
In the 14 team field at the Saluki Invitational, the Redbirds will be facing 6 Valley foes. Of the 6, the Birds will be facing the Panthers of Northern Iowa for the second time in as many meets. Along with UNI, the Saluki Invite field includes Bradley, Creighton, Evansville, Southwest Missouri State, and the host Salukis.
Kralis is anxious to get an early gauge of what to expect at the Valley championships in April, The Saluki Invitational will give us a good feel for the MVC teams and what we will be facing later in the season. But if we play consistently from top to bottom, it should put us in the hunt and prove for a solid finish.
