Amanda Klug, Staff Photographer
The women’s basketball team defeated Carnegie Mellon University in a tough battle on Friday, Feb. 15. with the help of sophomore Ally Zywicki. Pitted against the Tartans, Zywicki scored a career-high 24 points and scored seven points in the last three minutes of the game to secure the Yellowjackets another win.
Only in her second season at UR, Ally Zywicki has made a tremendous impact on the team as a crucial player and leading scorer.
As a freshman, Zywicki’s drive and passion for basketball showed when she played in all 25 games and earned honorable mention All-UAA at the end of the season. Zywicki’s freshman sucesses only encouraged her to work harder sophomore year.
As the UR women’s basketball team comes to the end of its regular season of play with only one game left, Zywicki has proved herself to be a key player for the ’Jackets. Not only did Zywicki score 24 points against Carnegie Mellon, she tallied up a total of 255 season points after UR’s game against Case Western Reserve University on Sunday, Feb. 17.
Zywicki began playing basketball when she was only four years old with the support of her father who was both a mentor and a coach for her throughout her childhood.
“We used to play on a little hoop in my basement, and he coached my teams growing up” said Zywicki.
A naturally competitive player, Zywicki played soccer as well but always loved basketball and decided to focus on her basketball career after injuring her knee in high school.
Zywicki knew she wanted to play basketball at UR, but she also came here for the biomedical engineering program.
Zywicki says that one of the hardest parts about playing basketball is the long season.
“Towards March, your body starts to wear down, and it’s hard not to feel drained,” she said.
Despite the lengthy season, she has big goals for the team and the rest of their season and hopes to win the UAA because “we haven’t won in a decent amount of time.”
For now, however, the Ladyjackets are looking ahead to their next game against Emory University, with whom they are currently tied for first place in the UAA. As a team player whose favorite part of basketball is the camaraderie she has found on and off the court with her teammates, Zywicki hopes to make sure everyone gets involved and has the opportunity to take the best shots they can against Emory.
For any incoming freshman hoping to succeed as well as Zywicki has in these past two seasons, she offers some advice:
“Work as hard as you can, and enjoy your time here while you have it because it goes by faster than you think,” she said.
Kilbridge is a member of the class of 2015.
