Brian Kimmes

Success for the regular season was making it to the WNIT for the women’s basketball team. After achieving that goal, they have turned their sights on success.

“We want to do well in this tournament,” Head Coach Aaron Johnston said.

Johnston coached the 2002-2003 women to the Division-II national title, so he has experience guiding a team to postseason success.

“What we do in the postseason is we really just focus on the next game ? and so everything we do in terms of preparing and getting ourselves ready is just for the next game ? it’s about trying to get through a game and finding any way possible to win and move on to the next one,” Johnston said.

Johnston said he enjoys the tournament style. He said the quick turnaround time keeps you on edge.

“(You) have to be very ready every day, because if you don’t, again, you’re going to get beat and you’re going to be done,” he said.

The tempo of the game often slows down in postseason play, which is contrary to the Jacks’ running style. Johnston said in order to succeed, the Jacks need to push the tempo and get the other team out of their comfort level.

Senior forward Megan Vogel said the team practices pushing the tempo and pressuring on defense every day in practice, and they don’t know how to play any other way.

“I think we do what we have been doing all season. We prepare hard. We practice hard. And we just play hard for all 40 minutes. We do the same things we’ve done for 28 games. You don’t change your game plan come postseason play. We’re going to play with the same sense of urgency, the same sense of competitiveness, the same fire, passion, all those things that go into our style and our system and I think that’s how you win games in a postseason tournament,” Vogel said.