Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Lady Raiders putting tough few weeks behind them
12/7/2020 2:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — To say Middle Tennessee's Lady Raiders were excited to take the floor in Sunday's season opener would be a gross understatement.
The Lady Raiders might've fallen at home to Belmont to begin their season, but after a tumultuous couple of weeks, just taking the floor was an early Christmas gift for head coach Rick Insell and his bunch.
"That we got to play was a positive," he said. "We have to thank Chris [Massaro] and Dr. [Sidney] McPhee for allowing us to play, and to Dr. [Utpal] Patel for being here watching our kids and taking care of our kids.
"The positives were we got to play, and we got out relatively healthy."
Middle Tennessee prepared all offseason to kick off the 2020-21 campaign against top-five ranked Louisville on Nov. 25. However, due to positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing, the Lady Raiders, down a few starters and assistant coaches, had to adjust those plans.
After testing for weeks and having no positive cases, the Lady Raiders' COVID-19 tests from Nov. 20 showed two positives, one for a member of the team and another for Rick Insell. That meant multiple players had to be in either quarantine or isolation for almost two weeks.
A few days after the positive tests, MT announced the postponement of the Louisville contest and its Nov. 23 game against Vanderbilt. It also later moved the Belmont affair from Dec. 3 to Dec. 6.
It wasn't exactly how the Lady Raiders anticipated starting a promising season. They were picked to win Conference USA, while redshirt junior Anastasia Hayes was named the league's Preseason Player of the Year. They also received seven votes in the season's first USA Today Coaches Poll, good for 33rd in the country.
"We've been working for months anticipating the first game, and when it got pushed back, it was frustrating that we had to wait longer," junior Alexis Whittington said. "I'm just glad we have people here who wanted us to play and fought for us to play."
The players weren't the only ones who had to be out of practice for almost two weeks. Insell also contracted the virus, and he likewise had to be out 10 days. He didn't return to the sidelines at practice until Saturday, about 24 hours before his team took the hardwood against Belmont.
"That was exciting that he didn't have to miss the first game," Hayes said. "We needed our coach tonight. We were happy to have him back on the bench."
Insell's son, Lady Raiders assistant coach Matt Insell, wasn't as lucky as his dad. Though he hasn't tested positive for the virus, he wasn't on the sidelines Sunday because he's in isolation due to contact tracing.
Not having his son on the bench beside him was a challenge for the elder Insell.
"We missed him on the bench, I can tell you that," Rick Insell said. "Matt's a big part of what goes on here."
While MT made a close game out of the Belmont loss, falling 70-64, it was clear the Lady Raiders' legs weren't under them after the first quarter. Jump shots started going awry, and getting up and down the floor looked tough for several players.
Now that they're hopefully past their COVID-19 woes, they can really get back into the gym and start rounding back into game shape. Getting the first contest out of the way was a big accomplishment, though, especially with how things looked about two weeks ago.
"We knew coming in we weren't going to be in as good of shape as we needed to be in," Rick Insell said. "I'm proud of our kids and glad that we finally were able to play. We'll look much better once we can get into some game shape … and we'll get back into the gym [Monday] ready to go."
The Lady Raiders might've fallen at home to Belmont to begin their season, but after a tumultuous couple of weeks, just taking the floor was an early Christmas gift for head coach Rick Insell and his bunch.
"That we got to play was a positive," he said. "We have to thank Chris [Massaro] and Dr. [Sidney] McPhee for allowing us to play, and to Dr. [Utpal] Patel for being here watching our kids and taking care of our kids.
"The positives were we got to play, and we got out relatively healthy."
Middle Tennessee prepared all offseason to kick off the 2020-21 campaign against top-five ranked Louisville on Nov. 25. However, due to positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing, the Lady Raiders, down a few starters and assistant coaches, had to adjust those plans.
After testing for weeks and having no positive cases, the Lady Raiders' COVID-19 tests from Nov. 20 showed two positives, one for a member of the team and another for Rick Insell. That meant multiple players had to be in either quarantine or isolation for almost two weeks.
A few days after the positive tests, MT announced the postponement of the Louisville contest and its Nov. 23 game against Vanderbilt. It also later moved the Belmont affair from Dec. 3 to Dec. 6.
It wasn't exactly how the Lady Raiders anticipated starting a promising season. They were picked to win Conference USA, while redshirt junior Anastasia Hayes was named the league's Preseason Player of the Year. They also received seven votes in the season's first USA Today Coaches Poll, good for 33rd in the country.
"We've been working for months anticipating the first game, and when it got pushed back, it was frustrating that we had to wait longer," junior Alexis Whittington said. "I'm just glad we have people here who wanted us to play and fought for us to play."
The players weren't the only ones who had to be out of practice for almost two weeks. Insell also contracted the virus, and he likewise had to be out 10 days. He didn't return to the sidelines at practice until Saturday, about 24 hours before his team took the hardwood against Belmont.
"That was exciting that he didn't have to miss the first game," Hayes said. "We needed our coach tonight. We were happy to have him back on the bench."
Insell's son, Lady Raiders assistant coach Matt Insell, wasn't as lucky as his dad. Though he hasn't tested positive for the virus, he wasn't on the sidelines Sunday because he's in isolation due to contact tracing.
Not having his son on the bench beside him was a challenge for the elder Insell.
"We missed him on the bench, I can tell you that," Rick Insell said. "Matt's a big part of what goes on here."
While MT made a close game out of the Belmont loss, falling 70-64, it was clear the Lady Raiders' legs weren't under them after the first quarter. Jump shots started going awry, and getting up and down the floor looked tough for several players.
Now that they're hopefully past their COVID-19 woes, they can really get back into the gym and start rounding back into game shape. Getting the first contest out of the way was a big accomplishment, though, especially with how things looked about two weeks ago.
"We knew coming in we weren't going to be in as good of shape as we needed to be in," Rick Insell said. "I'm proud of our kids and glad that we finally were able to play. We'll look much better once we can get into some game shape … and we'll get back into the gym [Monday] ready to go."
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballBlue Raider Breakdown Postgame Show - December 16th - Women's Basketball
Wednesday, December 17
MT Women's Basketball | Together: Episode Three | It's gotta mean something to you
Tuesday, December 16
MTSU Women's Basketball vs. Auburn Postgame Press Conference on 12/16/25
Tuesday, December 16
Blue Raider Breakdown Postgame Show - December 7th - Women's Basketball
Monday, December 08
