17 Quotes by Stacey Phillips

I guess it feels OK to say we hung with the No. 21 team in the country. But I feel if we would have brought our game, we could have beat that team.

I think with the veterans, they have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. They are able to vocalize the team, and they are good teachers of the game.

I think we had a good taste of what it takes to be successful. For six games and winning a tournament -- they got a big mouthful of success.

I think what got us done earlier in the season was more of the mental approach. That was something we were lacking in. Last weekend we were much better with our mental approach.

I think it was a big learning experience. When you go out and win a big tournament and then turn around and lose to teams you are straight up better than, I think you get a sense of having to play your game every time.

It gives them a taste of what's ahead. Had we played better defense, we could have done better in the first game. We have to make sure we are solid on our defense. We need to attack more with our defense.

Pitching is going to be a huge key for us. We have a lot of experience in the pitching circle which is a good thing to have with a young team, because at least we are going to have the pitchers to keep us in the game.

Our No. 1 goal is to make the Big Ten Tournament. We haven't been to the tournament since 1997, and that's way too long -- it's unacceptable... We have the talent and we certainly have the pitching.

It feels very good to be in charge of your own fate. I'm glad we put ourselves in this position so we are not fighting an uphill battle right now.