TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (November 15, 2017) – When you're off to a 4-0 start, it's easy to feel good about where you're at as a program.
 
So is the predicament of Salt Lake Community College women's basketball coach Betsy Specketer, a coach facing the requirement of continually pushing her team to new heights despite already significant success. Luckily for Specketer and the fifth-ranked Bruins, that chance at increased success will come this weekend in the Lone Star state, as Salt Lake travels to Texas for the JuCo Preseason WNIT tourney.
 
Specketer said the strong start has propelled the Bruins to greater heights as they prepare for the Preseason WNIT tourney.
 
"Playing in the JuCo WNIT is always a lot of fun," she said. "Midland College does a great job of putting on a class event and we always leave a better team."
 
The tourney, which is a calendar-circling event held early in each season, annually features top teams from around the country in its draw. This season the tourney will include the Bruins, Odessa College, Trinity Valley Community College and Midland College. Midland will host the tournament.
 
The Bruins will play Odessa at 4:00 p.m. MDT Thursday. Odessa, who has been nationally-ranked throughout the preseason, has started the season with a record of 6-0. The Wranglers have swept through a pair of preseason tourneys to this point, similar to what SLCC has done. Odessa is averaging 83.2 points per game.
 
Salt Lake faces Trinity Valley on Friday, with the matchup starting at 4:00 p.m. MDT. Trinity Valley opened the season as the nation's second-ranked team, with the Bruins ranked right behind in fifth place. The Cardinal have a long history of national success, playing their home games in Athens, Texas.
 
Saturday's opponent is homestanding Midland College, who was ranked 21^st in the NJCAA preseason rankings. The Lady Chaparrals are 3-2 on the season, coming off an 81-55 win over Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa.
 
Salt Lake is averaging 84.5 points-per-game through four games, surrendering just 48 per game.
 
Specketer noted how this series of games will provide a new set of challenges for Salt Lake.
 
"We're excited to see how we'll do against some of the best players and teams in the country," she said.
 
The Bruins are scheduled to play their first games in the state of Utah on Friday, Nov. 24, when Salt Lake hosts Casper College in the SLCC Thanksgiving Tournament.