SEATTLE — The confidence is there for Washington.
Now the Huskies hope wins will follow.
A young team that has struggled with injuries, Washington feels like things are finally coming together despite a 1-3 start in Pacific-10 Conference play.
“I’ll tell you right now, the Huskies are definitely back,” Tia Jackson said after a two-point loss to UCLA on Thursday. “We are in a very good place, and I told my players, ‘It’s not how we start, it’s how we finish.’ There are a lot of games left and we are heading in the right direction and to a great place.”
Jackson hopes getting to that great place starts with a win today when the Huskies host USC, which is coming off a closer-than-expected win over Washington State. Like Washington, the Trojans have battled injuries this season, most notably torn ACLS that have ended the seasons of Jacki Gemelos — who missed last year with the same injury — and Stefanie Gilbreath.
Despite those injuries, the Trojans are 10-6 overall and 3-2 in conference play, including a win over then second-ranked Stanford.
The Huskies haven’t fared as well, starting the season 6-10, but feel like better times are ahead.
“We are in a very good place right now,” Jackson said. “We are definitely ascending and not descending.”
Washington’s players share their coach’s positive outlook. After their comeback effort came up short against UCLA, the Huskies were disappointed, but their confidence seemed intact.
“It’s heartbreaking, but at the same time I think that we’re continuing to get better and we’re improving, and we have to focus on that right now,” sophomore guard Sami Whitcomb said. “We can’t focus on the loss at this point. We’ve just got to keep building.”
The way Pac-10 play has started, the Huskies have every reason to be confident despite a slow start. Stanford, everyone’s pick to run away with the Pac-10, lost twice last week in Los Angeles. USC, which beat Stanford and nearly knocked off 10th-ranked California, then almost lost to Washington State, everyone’s pick to finish last in the Pac-10.
“I think the Pac-10 is officially competitive,” UCLA coach Kathy Olivier said after Thursday’s game.
And the Huskies feel they are ready to compete.
“I think we’re still getting better,” Whitcomb said. “We haven’t plateaued yet.”
Contact Herald Writer John Boyle at jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more on University of Washington sports, check out the Huskies blog at heraldnet.com /huskiesblog
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