Jan. 27, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - With the Knights' 2009 softball season quickly approaching, the UCF Athletics Communications staff recently caught up with the upperclassmen on this year's squad to chat about the excitement leading up to the team's Feb. 6 season-opener at the ASU Kajikawa Classic. The Knights will square off with Texas Tech early in the day, before taking on defending national champion Arizona State in the nightcap.
In the second of seven installments, senior pitcher Magon Paul (Virginia Beach, Va.) shares her thoughts on the season ahead and on the Knights' new coaching staff.
What do you see as your role on the team this season?
"I am a senior now, so I have to be a leader. Bre (Javier), Lindsay (Dean), Lexi (Gresham) and I have to help the younger girls understand how much work it takes to be Conference USA champions and to be able to sustain that this year. We definitely need to prove ourselves."
What are your individual and team goals for the 2009 season?
"We want to win the C-USA Championship again, and we want to make it farther into the NCAA Tournament than we did last year. That is our goal every year, to make it farther than the year before. Individually, I want to go out with a bang. I want to have a better season than any of my last three seasons."
What do you think is unique about this year's team?
"That we are going to have to win as a team. We don't really have any standout players because we are all really good. It's going to be fun."
How are the new assistant coaches fitting in with the team?
"I think that we are able to relate to them differently because they are closer to our age. Both of them have already come through this program so they already have UCF in their hearts."
How has coach Gillispie and the coaching staff help prepare you for life after softball and after college?
"That is what sports in general do; they prepare you for the outside world. That is why I think that it is so important, especially for kids, to play sports. It teaches you to stay in school because you have to have good grades to play. Softball has also taught me about time management, having my priorities straight and to respect myself so people around me will respect me. That is the most important thing that I have learned from sports."
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
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