Mary Wise and Karch Kiraly Meet With Media Prior To SEC Coaches Beach Volleyball Championships
Friday, April 11, 2008 | Volleyball
University of Florida head volleyball coach Mary Wise and beach volleyball legend Karch Kiraly met with the media on Friday afternoon at the Southwest Recreation Center to give their thoughts on tomorrow's Southeastern Conference Beach Volleyball Championships.
Florida head volleyball coach Mary Wise
On the opportunity to have Karch Kiraly talk to the team on Friday:
“You're talking about the best volleyball player in the world, and to have the chance to have him address our players was tremendous. He gave us more great advice in five minutes than I think our players could get in a year.”
On the team's progression from its first beach practice to now:
“It's been a cumulative effect. Taking the past two springs to develop our skills on the sand has made our team better indoors. We've gotten better at making shots and controlling the ball, especially. There's a culture on our team right now where we seek out opportunities to play outside of practice, and the Southwest Recreation Center courts provide us with that opportunity. It's a wonderful facility, and it's nice to know that they could play to 1 a.m. all summer if they wanted to.”
On what she expects to see on the court tomorrow:
“In the indoor game, you have a pretty good sense of your opponent. You've watched them on film and you know who they are, but those skills don't necessarily translate outdoors. There may be some teams that have played outdoors significantly more than other, and experience is a big factor out here. I do predict that the play will get better as the day goes on, and the players who have very little experience will improve over the course of the day.”
Beach volleyball legend Karch Kiraly
On the benefits of beach volleyball for college players:
“There are some great benefits to getting the women out on the soft sand, the culmination of which may lead to this becoming a full-fledged NCAA sport. During high school, these ladies are often locked into a vicious cycle of school volleyball from August until November, then going out with their club teams through the beginning of July. They get two or three weeks off, and then they do it again. Playing the same type of volleyball on the same type of surface 48 or 49 weeks a year isn't the easiest thing on their bodies. It's good for them to get out here once in a while and play on a different surface, both for their health and their mental well-being. They can get out and play for the fun of the game, and it's also good because the game forces you to be a better all-around player. The indoor game is one of specialization, where you have six players on the court all at one time, and you can't do nearly as much specialization out here. This is actually great for their indoor games, as well.”
On whether he prefers to watch indoor or beach volleyball:
“I love them both. I got to be an analyst for the women's Final Four this year, which was an incredible thrill. In my opinion, that event is the pinnacle of women's collegiate sports. I also love beach volleyball, it's the game I've played for more than 40 years. It's too hard to choose. I'm very excited about getting to work as an analyst for this year's Olympics in Beijing. Both games are great, and it's tough to choose one or the other.”
On the difference between the indoor and beach games:
“One thing you need is more all-around play. This game forces you to execute all the skills well. You have to master all six skills to a much greater extent than in the indoor game, where you have liberos and defensive specialists. All of the athletes have to be proficient in all of the skills on the beach. That's why it was such a great a teacher for me when I was growing up.”
- UF -
