It was a little too quiet Monday afternoon as the Gonzaga women warmed up for practice in the Volkar Center. The Zags were two days removed from a 60-point exhibition win over Warner Pacific but a long way from the real thing.

According to Gonzaga women’s basketball coach Lisa Fortier, one of the best things about foreign athletes is that they don’t know the difference between a mid-major and a drum major.

On so many levels, this will be quite a homecoming for Matt Gregg.

Did Gonzaga really lose three starters from last year?

The Gonzaga women are getting plenty of preseason respect, but not too much.

After a trip to Europe and fall practice, the Gonzaga women have gotten to know each others’ tendencies a bit too well.

The Gonzaga women have been hit with a season-ending injury before the season has begun.

The evening will feature tons of cool videos, fun and revealing live interviews on stage with Gonzaga men’s assistant coach Tommy Lloyd and women’s head coach Lisa Fortier, as well as lots of former players, including beloved Bahamian Bulldog Quentin Hall. Oh, and Big Ed will be there.

Two minutes into Saturday’s FanFest, the Gonzaga women buried the past and said hello to a bright future – all during the same play.

The Gonzaga women can’t wait to get back in the game, even if it’s only a controlled scrimmage against the same players they see every day in practice.

Point guard Lily Scanlon, who led the Australian U19 team to the silver medal in the FIBA Basketball World Cup this summer, has given an oral commit to play at Gonzaga next year.

Those extra practice days last summer are paying off for the Gonzaga women’s basketball team. By all accounts, everything is ahead of schedule thanks to the Zags’ European journey and the 10 practices that preceded it. Team chemistry, for one thing. Execution, for another. But leadership? Not yet.

There’s nothing like winning to inspire respect from your rivals.

Considering they lost three starters from last year, the Gonzaga women are walking and talking with a lot of confidence. And they should.

There’s nothing like variety, and the Gonzaga women will get plenty in this year’s nonconference schedule.

This was never about basketball, though that was fun too. The Gonzaga women are back from Europe, jet-lagged but joyful after 12 days.

The West Coast Conference schedule announced Tuesday morning has the Bulldogs playing at BYU on Jan. 2.

Katie Campbell can’t wait to taste the gelato. Kayleigh Truong is looking forward to some team bonding. Jill Townsend just wants to soak in the history.

For the Gonzaga women, this has been no average summer. And it’s about to get even better.