The Belles did not get their chance to hand Tri-State a loss Wednesday when the MIAA Jamboree hosted by Albion was rained out.
Rain left the fairways and greens soaked. Thirty minutes after the 1 p.m. scheduled tee-off, it was clear that the course was unplayable. The Jamboree was cancelled and rescheduled for Sept. 22-23 - a decision sophomore Katie McInerney found "frustrating."
"I was mentally set to play," McInerney said. "It was hard for the day to be interrupted because of the weather."
Sophomore co-captain Alex Sei was equally unsatisfied with the decision to abandon the tournament.
"We are a well-prepared team," Sei said. "Weather is never a factor in our quality of play. Rainouts can be disappointing, but I still feel that we could have easily won the tournament in this weather."
But while the rain may have ruined play, Sei didn't count the day as a loss.
"I think it gave the freshmen a chance to see our routine, even when the weather conditions aren't the greatest," she said.
Like Sei, junior co-captain Katie O'Brien saw a positive side to the situation.
"Our team has been hitting really well," she said. "This isn't a set back. It's more like extra time to improve."
The Belles' lineup included O'Brien, sophomores Sei, McInerney, Meredith Fantom and Perri Hamma, and freshman Kate Doornbos.
That lineup, Sei said, is hard working and talented enough to raise the team to the top of its conference.
"We're really looking for the top of the lineup to set a winning standard for the rest of the team," she said. "We want to continue our level of play from last year."
With the cancellation, the team won a day of rest. Practice begins today for the Illinois Wesleyan Fall Classic in Normal, Ill. this weekend.
