In the Zone

Trojans Hit the Court to Open New Year, Game on CSS
Saturday, January 1, 2011
by Travis Jarome (email)

The Trojans will open the New Year much like they did around Thanksgiving and Christmas ... on the hardwood. The women take on Florida Atlantic in what could be an up-and-down game before all is said and one on Sunday afternoon. The rivalry started way before the two teams met in the Sun Belt, as they were once members of the TAAC - now the Atlantic Sun; with Florida Atlantic holding a 13-11 advantage thanks in large part to winning the season series 2-0 last season.

Sitting in Sartain Hall on a dreary and gloomy Saturday afternoon in the state of Alabama gave me a chance to look back and see things that aren't in the notes to share with you - the reader ... so here we go.

IT'S BLACK AND WHITE
The Trojans are 1-7 in their new black uniforms they broke out of the box this season, with their lone win coming against Mississippi Valley State University Thursday night. The team is also 2-4 in their white uniforms ... the uniform in which they will wear against Florida Atlantic on Sunday.

FROM THE SUNSHINE STATE
The Trojans have three players on their roster this season from the state of Florida in Brooke Bowie (freshman from Winter Park), Kirsten Smith (junior from Pensacola) and Tenia Manuel (junior from Leesburg). Ironically, all three have had career games at one point in their career against a team from their home state - Bowie against Florida Gulf Coast, Smith against FIU and Manuel against FIU.

WINNERS OF BACK-TO-BACK GAMES
In the series between Florida Atlantic and Troy, when a team has won back-to-back games in the series they have done no worse than win three consecutive games in the series. The longest streak in the series is a deadlock, as each team won eight consecutive games at some point in the series.

LAST TIME BACK-TO-BACK GAMES AGAINST FAU IN TROY
The last time the two teams hooked up in back-to-back games in Sartain Hall, the Trojans won both of those contests. This will be the second time it has happened where the same team has hosted back-to-back games in the series, with the Trojans winning the only other time when games were played during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons.

Those are just some general notes not in the game notes that you can find on TroyTrojans.com in anticipation for the game on Sunday. If you are in the area, bring a church bulletin for free admission and see yourself on television later that night with the game being carried by the Sun Belt Network and shown on CSS and CST. If you aren't around the city or by a television, tune your radio to WTBF-94.7 FM as the Trojans look to ring in the New Year with a victory on their home floor Sunday afternoon.

Tip is set for 4:07 pm (CST) for television.