DES MOINES, IOWA (Mar. 20, 2008) - The ETSU women's basketball team packed its bags and made its venture to Des Moines, Iowa on Thursday morning to begin preparations for the Lady Bucs' first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Over 80 members of ETSU's travel party loaded Greene Coach buses and left for the Tri-Cities Regional Airport for its scheduled 1:30 p.m. EST chartered flight to Iowa. The Delta charter jet touched down at the Des Moines International Airport around 2:45 p.m. CST and the Lady Buccaneers headed to the team hotel.

The Lady Bucs had a few hours of rest before traveling to a local high school gymnasium for an hour and a half practice. From there the group enjoyed a team dinner and began gearing up for a busy Friday.

On Friday, ETSU will partake in its scheduled Media Day (3:20-3:50 p.m. CST) and take the court inside Wells Fargo Arena for a 50-minute practice from 4-4:50 p.m. CST.

Stay tuned to www.ETSUBucs.com for a complete follow up on Friday's media events.