Post Game Quotes
12/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Dec. 3, 2009
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TCU Quotes
Head Coach Prentice Lewis
Opening Statement:
Obviously this is our first time into the NCAA tournament. It's fantastic to get a win the first time. We're extremely ecstatic, but we also know we've got another match to play. It's one of those things where we've got to get back to what we need to do. There's celebration for about 15 minutes, then we have to scout and take care of what we can possibly do versus Texas.
On the team's defense: Both blocking and defense were great tonight:
It was a little up and down and obviously that was part of when the game's really tight. We weren't digging. There were times when we weren't digging balls. They run a great fast offense. It's something we actually don't see that often. That part is something completely different than what we've had to train for all season. I thought our athletes did a great job of making the adjustments in the last few days to try and stop that and hold them back from scoring too many points. But, our hands were up and we touched pretty much every ball on the block. On defense, we were digging really well. So, it's very helpful. It helps even more when we pass well. So we can run our middle. When we don't pass well, and you saw that in both games one and three, there's times when we were not passing well. When you don't pass well it's tough to get that ball through the middle.
On when the team's nerves went away:
It was really the first timeout that Rice called. We were pushing, pushing you could see that everyone was antsy. I was like, "Guys, relax. We're not here very often. You've got to enjoy every second of this." They all kind of went, "Oh yeah, I forgot about that." They did a very good job of relaxing. It did take a little bit of time. They got back to that anxiety again in that third set. It was the same thing, I just kind of calmed them down. We've got a great team. When they play well, we do some pretty good things.
On if they did anything different to keep Rice off balance:
Obviously, everybody scouts teams very well. We knew what their strengths were and tried to do our matchups to stop that as much as we could, or at least slow it down. I did feel that they were starting to press a little bit. It did cause some definite unforced errors. Number five is usually their kill leader and she definitely struggled tonight.
Senior MB Kourtney Edwards
On staying consistent throughout the match:
It was really difficult. We were just trying to stay consistent. They started pushing harder. We knew they were going to come out ready to fight. We were trying to stay focused on our side and make sure we played our game. You've got to pull out those first and third sets.
On how it feels to win their first NCAA tournament match:
It's so amazing. It's an amazing feeling to see how far our program has gone since my freshman year at TCU until now. We've been working so hard to get to this point. We're actually doing it. To go and beat Rice in the first round is an amazing feeling. It can't get any better.
Sophomore MB Kristen Hester
On Rice's quick offense:
We knew that they were going to come out strong and they run a really quick offense. All week we had been preparing for that. I think it was just a matter of us middles keeping our hands up so we're ready for quick threes and quick slides so their setter will push it to the middle whenever she can and just a matter of us transitioning and getting up.
On recording a career high in kills:
Most of the time I'm up with Christy Hudson. I think they were really focused on her. They were thinking that she was going. So pretty much every time I only had one blocker. Os just a matter of me getting up and Megan (Munce) kept the sets soft which was really good. It was just a matter of me turning it either way. We are just so excited and so pumped up. We got excited.
Rice Quotes
Head Coach Genny Volpe
Opening Statement:
First of all, congratulations to TCU, they played a great match. They put a lot of stress on us with their serve. They executed their middle attack to where we couldn't stop it. We knew they were a good team, we fully expected them to come out and attack us like they did. The unfortunate thing for us is we didn't respond defensively like I thought we would. They are definitely a good team, it was a close match with the exception of the second set, which was not our best volleyball, but I thought our team played hard, but just didn't execute the little things to win the match.
On TCU's serving and blocking:
I don't think that TCU presented us with a block we hadn't seen before. They have a good block, but we just came off playing LSU, the SEC champion, and they had a huge block. I think the difference was we were out of system. We did not pass the ball well, so they had time to set up a good block. It was difficult for our outsides to manipulate around that block. When we did, TCU dug the ball well. I think TCU has a strong block, but it is not anything different from what we've seen before. I think the strength of Rice volleyball is the speed and fluidity of our offense and to be able to distribute the ball to many hitters, but we didn't do that today because of our passing. I think that was a big factor in our loss.
On tonight's matches:
I think Natalie [Bogan] hit the nail on the head when she said that this team wanted it really bad and they played tight. I think what we've got to work on is relaxing when we play in this situation. This is the third time we've been here, and every team that I have coached that has been here has wanted it really badly. It takes us a while to get into rhythm and by the time we do, it's too late. I think we've just got to learn to settle down. We're a great team that got here for a reason and we've just got to play the game a little more relaxed. I thought TCU played relaxed. They did a nice job of that. They played it point-for-point, and we played it in spots. We got a little flustered when we got blocked or had a strong serve against us, so what I would like to see next time is just a stronger response by our team to come out here and play freely and just play the way we've played all year long, which is really good volleyball.
On what happened tonight in comparison to the match against LSU:
We were the underdog in that match, and I think that plays into it a little bit. We went after LSU with the expectation that we could win, but we just said let's play it one point at a time. I think that this team today felt like they needed to and had to win, and I think that's okay, but if we had just approached it they same way that we approached a match like LSU -we played those point-for-point without a lot of stress. I do give TCU credit, they put stress on us with their serve. That hurts our game because we get out of system. The last three weeks we've been playing in system, passing well. So, I attribute it to that.
Senior MB Natalie Bogan
On the problems Rice was having with TCU's block:
They had a really talented front row, and they did a good job cutting balls left and right. So, just adjusting to that, and adjusting to their athleticism, we struggled with a little bit.
On what TCU was doing with their serve and slide that made it hard to pass:
They were serving tough. The ball was floating a lot, and I don't think we were used to that. I think if we had more of a chance to practice that in this gym, but they did a great job with their serve.
On tonight's loss:
I think just knowing that this match meant so much to us kind of shook us up a little bit because we wanted it so badly. So we were never able to get into the rhythm we wanted to get into.
On tonight's matches:
There were a lot of times we thought we were doing well. The first match was really close, the second match we kind of lost a little momentum, but the third one we went out fighting. We didn't want it to end. In the third match we did our best, but TCU played a great game, but I'm proud of how we came out in the third game.
On the 2009 season:
I think the entire season was so successful. It was one of the best seasons. We've accomplished more this season than we have before. I'm just so proud of our team for getting this far and winning the conference tournament. It is disappointing losing, but I'm so proud of us for how far we've gotten.
On Rice's future:
I think it is just going to get better. We've got a lot of talented players coming in next year, and I just expect it to keep getting better from here.
