Volleyball Media Day Quotes
Friday, August 14, 2009 | Volleyball
The Florida volleyball team hosted its annual preseason media day on Thursday in the L. Gale Lemerand Center. Head coach Mary Wise and the Gator players answered questions regarding the upcoming season. Below are some selected quotes from Thursday's media session:
Florida Head Coach Mary Wise
“This is the funnest time of year for me. We don't have to share the players with their social life or school; it's 24-7 volleyball. I love it! I watch us get better every single day and it's coaching in its purest form. We are off to a good start - we are healthy and in as good of shape as we have ever been. The team is moving at a much faster pace in terms of training than we were a year ago.”
On the difficulty of advancing to the NCAA Final Four …
“We know how hard it is to get back to the Final Four. There are so many better players now. Sometimes teams need a little bit of luck to be playing well towards the end of the season, but also to be healthy. A couple of years ago, we thought we had the team to get there and we lost Marcie Hampton in the final match of the season. You can be lucky in terms of health, but you have put yourself in position to compete for a championship. That's what we do in August - Win your division, win your league and championships will take care of themselves. You can't control where you will play in the tournament and who your opponents are. You hope to get good match-ups and play your best volleyball at the right time.”
On the 2009 team …
“There is nothing like experience. This time a year ago, we were handing out name tags making sure everyone knew each other. Now, we are so much farther ahead, more advanced tactically and technically. There's no substitute for experience. We are a high-flying team. We can get kills in lots of different positions. We have big, physical players that will come at you. It's a team I love to coach.”
On freshman middle blocker Chloe Mann …
“We have done well with local talent. Chloe [Mann] has more AP [Advanced Placement] credits than any player we have ever had. Her academic profile is off the charts. Who knows how many degrees she can leave the University of Florida with?”
On senior libero Elyse Cusack…
“You can't win a championship without a great libero. Elyse [Cusack] is going to leave Florida with all sorts of records; a digs record I thought would never be broken. As we recruit a new libero, we look for someone who can break Elyse's records. She is a great role model for all under-sized players around the country.”
On Florida hosting an NCAA Regional Dec. 11-12, 2009 …
“It's a great time to be in Florida. We are thrilled to be hosting a NCAA Regional. We understand we have to earn our right to play here. It is a reflection on the University of Florida, the community, and the support of our administration.”
On sophomore right-side/setter Kelly Murphy …
“Kelly is easily as competitive as any of the players. She wants to win and will do anything. If I asked her to be our libero, she would do it to win. She leads by her play. To watch her a year later, her comfort in the system, to be much stronger and improved in the study of volleyball, is wonderful. As good as Kelly was a hitter, she's that good as a setter. Kelly is a finisher.”
On senior middle blocker Kristina Johnson …
“The challenge of every college coach is to replace seniors. Not just in talent and experience, but leadership. We have two great rising-seniors in Kristina Johnson and Elyse Cusack. A year ago, Kristina had just been cleared to play and had no spring or summer to train. Her knee is completely healed. This year, fans will see the Kristina Johnson we hoped to have.”
On Florida's streak of 18 consecutive SEC Championships …
“It speaks to the talent of players that have come through the program. Two-thirds of our staff has been in place every year. We learn from our mistakes and build on our traditions. We are always learning. Great players have come in and bought into the system. Now, there are so many great players around the country. We are lucky to keep the streak alive. The recipe for success is to recruit players that know and believe that hard work beats talent.”
#2 Brynja Rodgers, Jr., S
On transferring to Florida …
“Things have been going great so far. The team and coaching staff have made the transition easy for me. With Florida, having the chance to win a national championship was a huge appeal. It's exciting.”
On what she brings to the Gators …
“Once you become a junior, you're looked to as a leader on any team. You're not a rookie anymore. I hope to bring more leadership and more personality to the team, in addition to all that we have already.”
On her experience in a 6-2 offense …
“The system is a little different here. Florida does things a differently than other schools in terms of the rotation. I still have a lot to learn how this team works in their 6-2. Everything is coming along, because the players and coaching staff are a great support system.”
#4 Mariah Woodson, Fr., OH
On having a NBA head coach for a father (Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Woodson):
”It's interesting. I don't really get to see him that much, since he is always on the road so much. I'm used to it, I really enjoy seeing him when he is around and I miss him when he is gone.”
#5 Callie Rivers, Jr., OH
On off-season conditioning …
“Most of our team stayed in Gainesville throughout the summer. We trained really, really hard. This was the toughest summer we have had since I've been at Florida. I think we are in our peak physical condition.”
On the 2009 schedule …
“We take every single opponent very seriously. Our opponents are in the back of minds when we go through training. We want to win another SEC Championship. We are a little older, most of us are familiar with our system and our style of play, and we have been pushing ourselves very hard. We are extremely competitive. No one wants to lose, even smaller drills and games in practice. You can see in everyone's eyes that we want to win and be the best we can be.”
On championship aspirations …
“Everyone knows it is extremely important to play our best against every single opponent. Every time you walk into our practice facility you see the banners hanging up. We would love to win a national championship, but we have to start with the pre-season, then our SEC matches, and hopefully put ourselves in position to make a championship run.”
On the team's conditioning …
“[Strength and Conditioning Coach] Matt DeLancey and [Athletic Trainer] Randall Wilkerson made this our toughest off-season ever. They worked really hard with us. Everyone achieved their goals. It was extremely rewarding to have everyone accomplish what they wanted and do it as a team.”
#6 Kristy Jaeckel, So., OH/RS
On team unity …
“We demand a lot out of everyone on the team. We take the season one game at a time, but believe there isn't anything we can't accomplish. We need to play our game and support everyone to reach their potential.”
On team goals …
“Our expectations are to be the best we can. After each match, we'll evaluate and work harder to defeat our next opponent. I'm really excited for this season. We were young last year and, this year, we have a lot more experience returning. Now, we know what to expect. We can set the pace and create the work-ethic that we need to succeed.”
#7 Elyse Cusack, Sr., L
On the current streak of 18 consecutive SEC title …
“We don't think about it too much. It's not much added pressure or anything. We just go out there and take care of business and do what we have to do. We love that we have this going. It's an honor to have all these titles [as a program], but we don't let it get to us.”
On the libero position …
“The libero position is still fairly new and people are still realizing that it is a very, very important position. You can't, as a team, set or hit if you can't pass.”
#10 Chloe Mann, Fr., MB
On attending Florida, her hometown school and her parents' alma mater …
“It's great. It's always been a dream of mine. Being able to finally be a Gator is amazing. My parents knew the type of great academic institution that the University of Florida is. It's great to finally be a part of this university.”
On becoming a part of the team …
“The team is very good about welcoming all of us. It feels like such a family and I am proud to be part of a great team like this.”
#12 Kelly Murphy, So., S/RS
On what the team has been doing in practice so far …
“We have been working on different things on different days; we worked a lot on our serving on Monday. We have also been working a lot on our blocking and defense since practice began.”
On what she has improved upon coming into this year …
“One thing that [Coach] Mary [Wise] worked on a lot with me was my setting. With being new to the team [last year], I was still trying to get my timing with the rest of the team down. We have worked on that a lot this year.”
On expectations …
“There is always pressure because of what everyone is going to be expecting now because of last year. Right now, I am just excited to start playing and I am ready for the season to start.”
On how this year's team should be improved from the 2008 team ...
“I think our communication is a lot better. With a year's experience, we are more used to each other and feel a lot more comfortable with each other.”
#13 Sundai Weston, Fr., S
On her parents' influence on her playing volleyball …
“They have both been a tremendous influence and have supported me in doing what I love doing.”
On her experience at Florida so far …
“We have been working really hard and we are having a great time. We are improving every time that we step in the gym. Everything has gone really well so far.”
On becoming a part of the Gator team …
“Everyone on this team is a team-player and they have been very welcoming to me. It has definitely been a great experience to adjust to college and it has been an easy transition so far.”
#14 Betsy Smith, R-Fr., MB
On Florida hosting an NCAA Regional this season …
“We have talked about the regionals being here, but it is not our right to be playing here, we are going to have to earn it on the court. Right now, we are putting in the work and hopefully it will pay off for us in December.”
On her goals for this year:
“Personally, my goal this year is just to contribute. I hope to help the team play to the best of our abilities and help us continue to win and play for championships.”
#15 Kristina Johnson, Sr., MB
On the team's setters …
“Brynja obviously has experience and Sundai is very talented as well, so the transition to the newcomers has not been too bad.”
On what she expects to see from Kelly Murphy this season …
“I expect the same – greatness, really. She is just awesome, so I don't expect for this year to be any different for her.”
On fellow senior Elyse Cusack:
“Elyse and I have been working together a lot, off the court especially. We have been given more responsibility as seniors, so I think that our senior leadership will help take this team pretty far. We have mainly helped with getting the younger players adjusted and part of the team.”
#16 Colleen Ward, So., OH
On winning another SEC Championship:
“That is always our goal. We worked really hard this summer with conditioning and lifting with Matt [DeLancey] really helped out. Winning the SEC is the goal.”
#17 Lauren Bledsoe, Jr., RS
On the team's two-a-day practices…
“The competition has been phenomenal. We have been practicing really hard throughout two-a-days. I'm really excited to start pre-season play and I think the rest of the team is also. The season is a lot of fun for us. We have a good chance to go through the SEC and make a run in the NCAA tournament.”
On what the team has worked on so far during the season …
“The team has been working on a lot of things. We have new setters coming in, so the hitters and setters have been working together a lot to build connections. Blocking and team defense have also been areas where we have put a lot of work into. Improving on team defense is extremely important. We have a more experienced team, which will enable us to capitalize on more aspects of the game. We're only four days into the season, but it feels like we have covered so much.”
#19 Elissa Hausmann, So., DS
On the importance of serving …
“Serving is one of the most important aspects of the game, because you can affect the other team's passing. Once you get their first contact off, everything is easy on your side from there.”
On what has the team improved on during the off-season …
“We have been in the weight room a lot, running on the track twice a week and in the weight room three times a week. We have been working on a lot.”
#21 Cassandra Anderson, So., MB
On reaching the postseason …
“We had a very good year with a young team last year. We ended the season well by making the Sweet 16. With a more experienced team, we have a good chance to make a stronger push in the postseason this year.”
On improving her game …
“It's extremely important to have a strong defense. I look to help the team in any way possible. The coaches and I are always working together to improve my blocking. Blocking creates more points and puts the team in a better position to win.”
#27 Erin Fleming, Jr., DS
On what the team has been working on during training camp …
“We have been working with the freshmen to get everyone familiar with our system and how we play. We're working really hard, but we're having a lot of fun too. I've been working on serving and passing; hitting the passing lanes and getting the ball to our outside hitters. We're looking forward to the start of the season.”
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