The Illinois State womens golf team will head to the Payne Stewart Memorial in Springfield, Mo., to play on the par 72 Rivercut Golf Course April 5-6. This is the final tournament before the Redbirds head back to Springfield to compete in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
Head Coach
Ray Kralis feels this tournament will help the Redbirds become familiar with the course, so they will be more prepared for the Valley Tournament.
I want us to get a good feel for the golf course and I want the girls to feel comfortable on it because this is where we will be playing for the conference tournament, Kralis said.
Katie Laehn, Ashlee Johnson, Samantha Richdale, Ashlie Rose, Chelsea Bach and Hilary Anderson comprise the Redbird lineup this week. Five of the six competitors placed in the top 15 at last weeks Saluki Tournament. Kralis is looking forward to this tournament and feels the lineup is very experienced and capable of playing well.
We are going in with a great lineup, we have a lot of firepower, Kralis added. In last weeks tournament we made some minor mistakes and didnt quite get the job done, but this week we have to be patient and comeback strong.
The field consists of 14 teams, including Valley opponents Southern Illinois, Bradley, Evansville, Creighton, Northern Iowa, Wichita State, and hosts SMS. Other schools include Eastern Illinois, Saint Louis, South Dakota, Drury, and UMKC.
The Redbirds begin Monday morning with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start.
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