What's it going to take to win a state championship?

I think it's going to take the girls to have a lot of confidence in themselves and each other. I think that's something that last year they didn't quite have. They got there and had no idea what to expect. They were sort of star struck, being at [the University of] Maryland, in the big gym and having so many fans was just completely different for them. And then, skillwise, I think they're going to have to play faster and smarter than they've ever had to play, and I think they're very capable of doing that.

What's the most basic fundamental you instill in your team?

The importance of passing. Every girl wants to learn how to hit and how to hit the ball as hard as they can. Sometimes they don't realize that if no one on the team can pass the ball, then no one on the team is going to get the chance to hit the ball.

What is it like being a Steelers fan in the Baltimore area?

It is really very hard. I take a lot of talk from my students, and some weeks are much harder than others. Most of the time [I have the better of the say though]. I didn't actually hear too much [about the Ravens' season opening win over the Steelers] because it was such a blowout, so the kids didn't know what to say. But, overall, it's a good thing that they're that interested.

What are you looking forward to most about becoming a mother for the first time?

I think one of the things will be sharing the things that I love and my husband loves. We're already talking about what sports our son will play. We hope he will like playing sports, because that's the plan. We're also excited about going on trips that we wouldn't plan to go on as adults, like going to Disneyland -- that's somewhere we haven't been together.