REDHAWK CHAT: Jill Reeve and Mary Hull

Miami Field Hockey Head Coach Jill Reeve and senior forward Mary Hull stopped by RedHawk Chatter on Wednesday to talk about the 2009 season and the final weekend of regular-season play.

MURedHawks.com: Welcome to today's chat about field hockey. Today we welcome Coach Jill Reeve and senior Mary Hull into the chat room.

Sara (Oxford): Mary, how do you feel with your senior season coming close to its conclusion? Is there a sense of urgency for this weekend and the MAC Tournament?

Mary Hull: I do consider myself a senior because this is the class I came in with, but I redshirted so I have the chance to come back. I do have the sense of urgency to get two wins this weekend because we haven't won the MAC since I have been here. That has been my biggest goal this season and I think it would be cool for this class to end with a championship.

John (Oxford): What are the most important factors in winning a field hockey game?

Jill Reeve: For our team, our skills are where they ought to be, so we can rely on that. For us, we need to perform as a unit and then to execute the game plan that is designed for a specific opponent.

Hamilton: Good luck this weekend. What are the keys to beating Kent State and Ohio?

Jill Reeve: For both of these opponents, there are similar strategies. It will be important to execute our special plays - penalty corners, defensive penalty corners and pressing to name a few. Kent has a couple players who are key to their team, so we need to prepare for those. In both of these rivalries, there are a lot of emotions, so we need to control that. Both will try to upset our attacking play. We will need to persevere through that.

Mary Hull: When we played them before (both losses), we saw some things that we could improve on. The coaches gave us the video to look at on our own.

Wendy (St. Louis): Good luck this weekend! Bring us back a championship! Mary, besides yourself who are some of the leaders on this team?

Mary Hull: Katie Brightwell is also a captain, but the seniors in general are all leaders on and off the field.

Julie (Cleveland): What do you look for in a potential recruit?

Jill Reeve: Athleticism, decision-making ability and a competitive attitude, a competitive drive. Mary is a good example where you have a pretty athletic player. Sometimes it takes someone a while to match the skill level to the overall ability. It is certainly possible for a player to hone her skills over the first couple of years.

Jack (Oxford): Mary, I see you are from San Diego. What made you want to come out to Oxford and were you ready for the cold winters?

Mary Hull: There are only three Division I field hockey teams in California, so if you want to play at that level, you have to look to the East Coast and Midwest. When I came on my visit, I liked the school and I finally decided I wanted to experience something new... snow, leaves, all those things.

Jessica (College Corner): For Mary - This may seem kind of silly but I've always wondered this. You players don't wear much padding and the ball seems really hard. Aren't you worried about getting hit, especially the players standing in the goal during the penalty corner?

Mary Hull: Especially on corners, you have to be ready. There will be times when the ball pops up. With some experience, you learn to react and to expect anything. But yes, the ball hurts.

Frank (Fairfield): I heard there were some rule changes to field hockey this year? What were they and is that why scores seem to be higher than in the past?

Jill Reeve: The self-start rule for free hits is new and it has sped up the game considerably. I think that it creates a faster-paced game and it has led to higher scores.

Terry (Cincinnati): Those penalty corners always confuse me. What fouls occur that allow you to get them?

Jill Reeve: If the defense commits any foul in the circle, it will be a penalty corner. One of the biggest is if the ball hits a player foot or this there is a stick-on-stick obstruction (hacking). If you can shoot 30 percent on corners, in all likelyhood, you will win.

Jason (Morning Sun): Why is the field always watered before the game and at halftime?

Jill Reeve: In the rule book, there is actually a part about how much water should be on the field. It should be saturated. The ball is actually dimpled, so the wet surface keeps it closer to the turf. The wet surface isn't slippery, but it helps the players move better and can prevent injuries on the turf.

Melissa (Oxford): Coach, I know field hockey is big in Eastern European countries. What are some of the keys to growing the sport in the United States?

Jill Reeve: Growing grass roots programs in certain parts of the country is a key. Since field hockey is an Olympic sport, it is up to the national team to put an effort into education and committment and to have some success.

Walled Lake: What has been your favorite road trip to take as a team since you've been here?

Mary Hull: My freshman year we went to Vermont. We went for a long weekend and it was early so it didn't encroach on our school work. I remember a nice downtown area to their campus and a beautiful scenery.

Gary (Monroe): Coach Reeve, what has been your most memorable moment at Miami so far?

Jill Reeve: I think when I had just inherited the team... maybe the first or second year. We hadn't won a game in the league all season and we advanced to the MAC Championship. The best part of the journey was that the opening round went to double overtime and triple strokes.

MURedHawks.com: Ok we have time for one more question...

Katie (Oxford): This question is for Mary. What are your plans after graduation?

Mary Hull: I just finished my sports studies degree last spring and I just declared a second major of gerontology this spring. I really just got interested in because my grandmother lives at home with us. I think after this semester I will have a better idea. There is a master's program in gerontology at San Diego State that I have looked into, so at this point, I will probably move back home.

MURedHawks.com: Thanks to everyone for joining us today. We will also talk hockey next week -- this time back on the ice -- so join us Wednesday at 11:30 a.m.

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