The women's bracket enters its Elite Eight today at 6 p.m. with a schedule of four games at the Bookstore courts before Saturday's semifinals and Sunday's championship game.
In the first matchup, No. 1 Anthony Travel will face No. 57 Fresh Five. Fresh Five is coming off a win via forfeit against Team 39 and has an interesting connection with the top seed.
"One of the players on Anthony's Travel is our former coach, Jill Bodensteiner," Fresh Five captain Stefanie Broderick said. "We learned a lot about defending in the post from her and that's what we will have to do against their height."
Fresh Five features two current Saint Mary's basketball players and one former player.
Another matchup features No. 2 Pastelitas against Team 17. With a majority of its team from McGlinn, Pastelitas defeated Middle School MVPs to earn a spot in the Elite Eight.
"We're going to try to take advantage of our height and run the ball as much as we could," Pastelitas captain Raquel Ferrer said. "We'll definitely be going to the Final Four."
Team 17 hopes to use Pastelitas' confidence as motivation in the game.
"We're the underdogs and that's a good position to be in," Team 17 captain Amy Leonard said.
In the third game of the Elite Eight, No. 4 Build Up Your Assets will take on No. 5 Newsom's Blue Chips.
Meanwhile, Rule No. 76 (Women) will challenge No. 3 Powerhouse.
Rule No. 76 advanced to the Elite Eight by forfeit against Thin, Quick and Nasty, which was disqualified for having too many volleyball players on the squad. Teams are allowed a maximum of three varsity athletes.
"We haven't played our best yet in the tournament, but we're looking forward to playing our best against Powerhouse," Rule No. 76 captain Brenna Mannion said.
Led by Anne Parrett, Powerhouse is fresh off a 21-10 Sweet Sixteen win over No. 14 We've Got Skillz.
"Our center is coming back from a broken foot, so our game plan is to not have her re-break her foot," Parrett said. "It should be a good game. Both teams seem to be legit."
