Saint Mary's will visit Notre Dame this weekend when the Belles take part in the Notre Dame Invitational at the Warren Golf Course.
Competition figures to be tough, as the Belles are the only Division II squad entered in the event.
Last year, Iowa State took home the title in an extremely close match, followed closely by the Washington State. The Notre Dame women's squad finished just 12 strokes behind, in third place.
This is the first time the Belles have ever been extended an invitation to the Notre Dame Invitational, and they feel honored by the bid. The Belles are realistic about their goals for the weekend, but they are excited to get the chance to show off their skills against some of the top college teams in the nation.
"I think we're all pretty nervous for it, but we hope to play well," senior Megan Mattie said. "It's an honor just to be invited."
The Belles hope to put on a better showing than last week, where they struggled in the opening round of the Ferris State Lady Bulldog Invitational. The team eventually pulled it together in the final round and salvaged an eleventh place finish, but they know that they can, and will, perform better in the future.
"As a team, we played well for it being our first tournament, but we could have played much better," freshman Alex Sei said.
The added pressure of facing some of the top-ranked collegiate teams in the nation will surely push the Belles to play to the best of their ability, as they are eager to show off their talents to the rest of the women's golfing community.
The Belles will look to take some of the positives out of last week's match, such as the fact that they defeated regional rivals St. Joseph's and Depauw, and parlay them into a respectable performance this weekend at home.
Looking ahead, the Belles will begin conference play next week as they travel to Calvin College next Wednesday for the first of three MIAA outings.
