Florida Volleyball Pre-UNLV Press Conference Quotes
Thursday, August 27, 2009 | Volleyball
The Florida volleyball team opens its 2009 schedule on Friday, playing host to UNLV at 7 p.m. in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in the Campus USA Credit Union Invitational. Before Thursday's practice, Florida head coach Mary Wise and select student-athletes met with members of the media to discuss the upcoming Campus USA Credit Union Invitational. Select quotes from that press session are available below:
Florida Head Coach Mary Wise
AUDIO: For a podcast of Coach Wise quotes in .MP3, click here.
“It's a great opportunity now to finally play somebody else. I think that the team is at a point where they would have liked to have played somebody much earlier then this weekend. The countdown to the season is over. Game time is tomorrow night and we are playing a good UNLV team that we saw a year ago.”
On if she still gets nervous before matches …
“I don't know if I would call them “nerves”, but there certainly is anxiousness. I feel like at this point there is not much more that we can do to prepare. We certainly will know a lot more about our team after tomorrow night.”
On the consistency of success during her tenure at UF …
“I think each year the team changes. Graduating even two players, changes everything. Bringing four new ones in; each team is different. In terms of the recipe – the preparation, the hard work, the commitment to the program, that hasn't changed. The talent level changes in terms of what talents are brought to the court, but the recipe for success has stayed pretty much the same.”
On the difference between this year and last year …
“This year, we know so much more about ourselves. We are a totally different team in terms of experience. Each one of those returning players are much better players today compared to a year ago. We are much further along than we were a year ago.”
On the commitment from the team to stay in Gainesville during the summer …
“That was the first time that we have had that many stay. Before, we have had half or even the majority of the team stay for Summer B, but most of this team stayed for Summer C (entire summer). The only one that wasn't here, but she would have been here if she could have been, is Brynja Rodgers, who was finishing up with classes at New Mexico State. It says a lot about this team's commitment.”
On the difference between last year's training camp and this year's training camp …
“A big difference this year is not having to wear nametags to try to learn each other's names. We now don't have to wait and describe each drill. This year, we don't have to use much time in describing the terminology. We are just moving along faster now. We told this year's freshman to hang on, because we are moving full speed ahead.”
#2 Brynja Rogers, JR, S
On fitting in with the team …
“The team has been great. As soon as I got here, everyone has wanted to spend time with each other. We have been able to get together and do things a lot since I've been here. It feels great to feel welcomed as soon as I got here.”
On Florida's team unity …
“Bonding and team unity is super important. When you are on the court, you need to know that your teammates are there for you. When you are struggling, you know that your teammates are there to pick you up. It allows you to have greater spatial awareness of your teammates. Team unity is a huge thing both on the court and off the court and, the greater it is off the court, the better it will be on the court.”
#6 Kristy Jaeckel, SO, OH
On the team's off-season conditioning …
“It plays a huge role on the regular season. The season is very long, almost four months, and near the end is when we are going to have to play at our best. At that point we have to be strong and powerful, and we feel that we have the conditioning to be successful.”
On Florida's team unity …
“Being a team sport, we need to trust each other. I feel that this team has that trust from one another that we need to be successful. When you have that trust, you know that your teammates are going to have your back. You have to know your responsibility, but you also have to trust that the person next to you knows their responsibility also.”
#7 Elyse Cusack, Sr., L
On 14 of the 15 players being on campus during the summer …
“We all decided on our own. It was highly recommended that we stay here. We know the benefits that it will have during the season. Hopefully it pays off. Not only were we able to train with strength and conditioning coordinator Matt [DeLancey], but we have been together all summer and now we are ready to start the season.”
On the Florida volleyball off-season conditioning program …
“We do a lot of conditioning, strength training and running. Not a whole lot of the fun stuff. This summer was the hardest that we have had. We did a whole lot more than we have done previously. Matt put us to the test and we all passed. I think as a team we did a really good job this summer.”
On this being her senior season …
“I haven't really thought of it too much. I know that my time here is almost done and K.J. [Kristina Johnson] and I have talked about how we can't believe that it is our senior year already. We are going to enjoy every minute of it.”
#12 Kelly Murphy, SO, S/RS
On this weekend's matches …
“We are really excited about this weekend. I think it is going to be a really tough weekend because we have three matches with only one break. Right now, we are just ready to get out there and play.”
On her sophomore year compared to her freshman year …
“This year is a little more intense. Last year, we had so many freshmen so everything felt like it was new. This year [during training camp] was more strictly business and we were able to get a lot done.”
On the team's improvement …
“I feel we are a lot further along this year than we were last year at this time. We are playing together a lot better than last year; everyone being here during the summer had a lot to do with being more comfortable around each other.”
#15 Kristina Johnson, SR, MB
On this weekend's Campus USA Credit Union Invitational …
“We are really excited about it. The first match-up is always fun. After playing against one another so much, we are ready to see how we do against another opponent.”
On if she still gets nervous before matches …
“It doesn't keep me up at night, but before I go to bed I am definitely thinking about it. We are always excited when we wake up and we can't wait until game time.”
END OF REPORT
