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NCAA makes Lady Blazers, Elite Eight teams feel welcomed to Birmingham

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VALDOSTA, GA. (WTXL) — The Valdosta State Lady Blazers have made it to Birmingham and with a little more than 24 hours before tip-off in the Elite eight, VSU is putting the finishing touches on their game plan and preparing for Western Washington.

But this experience as a whole is often a once-in-a-lifetime ordeal for many of the student-athletes that find themselves in Birmingham right now. And Lady Blazers head coach Deandra Schirmer wants her team to enjoy the moments off the court they’re getting to spend with one another. She credits the NCAA for making these teams feel at home and for treating them like the champions they are. Which all started the moment they arrived in the Magic City.

“When we arrived at our hotel they had this nice sign that had the “Elite Eight” on it and a picture of where everyone is flying in from. It had our V-State logo, we were pretty close and stuff. We get on the elevators and their signage, welcome to the Elite Eight. And today we went to a host luncheon. And the girls were like what’s a host luncheon? They’re just so excited about it," Schirmer told ABC 27. "So I give credit to the NCAA. They do a fantastic job of putting on these big events every year and making it special for our players.”

VSU and Western Washington will tip off at 9:30 p.m. est. Monday night. We’ll get you ready for tip-off right here on ABC 27.