Erlana Larkins scored eight points and grabbed five boards in her preseason Liberty debut at Madison Square Garden. Ned Dishman/NBAE/Getty Images

A four-time all-ACC honoree as a collegian, Larkins is slightly undersized for a pro big at just 6'1". But she played much bigger than that during her first live preseason action on Thursday against the Mystics, posting eight points, five rebounds and two blocks in over 25 minutes of action.

WNBA.com caught up with Larkins to discuss her preseason to this point and to gauge her excitement at being in New York.

WNBA.com: You've been in Liberty camp now for about two and a half weeks. Is it what you expected it would be?

Larkins: "I'm not sure what I expected, honestly. I guess I expected it to be really hard, and it's not that bad at all."

WNBA.com: How do you feel you're fitting in with the rest of the team at this point?

Larkins: "I think I'm fitting in. I seem to be doing what the coaches are asking me to do. So I guess that's a good sign."

WNBA.com: What was it like getting your first real-game action at Madison Square Garden?

Larkins: "Well, we got a sense of live-game action when we scrimmaged Phoenix, but this was the first time in front of fans. It's always nice to play in front of fans.

"And this is a historical place, so it was cool to play here for the first time. Honestly, I expected it to be bigger. It looks so big on TV, but it's actually not that big. But there's no place like the Garden.

"But as far as the game goes, I was going out there to kick butt. I always go out there to kick butt, so to lose was upsetting. We certainly aren't going to take anyone lightly in the regular season."

WNBA.com: There is still over a week until you open the 2008 regular season here at the Garden against Connecticut and there are still tweaks to be made, both in the roster and in your game plan. But how do you feel the team is looking so far?

Larkins: "I think the team is looking pretty good. We haven't all been playing together very long, but we're gelling together pretty well. There are still some things we have to work on, but a lot of that will just come with knowing each other better as players."

WNBA.com: What do you feel the team needs to work on to be ready for the Sun on opening day?

Larkins: "I feel like we just need to play more with each other. Where does Cat (Cathrine Kraayeveld) like to set up down low or on the wing? What's her favorite move when she gets the ball there? There are things like that for every established player on this team, so the more we play together, the more we'll get used to things like that.

WNBA.com: So let's hear it: What's your prediction for the Liberty in 2008?

Larkins: "We're setting our standards high, but it's way too early to think about those things. We need to take it one game at a time and see how things go throughout the season."