University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota-Florida Pre-Tournament Quotes
12/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Minnesota Head Coach Mike Hebert:
Opening remarks:
“We’re here and nothing is guaranteed no matter where you’re seeded. We survived a very difficult match against St. John’s and we’re back in the "Sweet 16", life is good.”
On if the 2004 match against Florida will help in any way:
“I’m not much of a believer in carry over. Both teams will head out there tomorrow night and figure out who they are and what they have to do to get better in the match. Each match has it’s own life.”
On whether or not you worry about what the opponent does or if you just try and do what your team does well:
“Both teams are very patterned. Defensively, I think both teams will be prepared to stop the other. As usual, it will come down to who can serve and pass, and most matches do boil down to whoever does that better. They know who we like to set and we know who they like to set. Other than serve and pass, the rest of the match will settle in as a wash. Both teams are good blocking teams, both teams are very physical at the net and both teams play pretty good defense.”
On if the St. John’s match helped his team:
“Every team that goes deep into the tournament has a match like the St. John’s match. I looked back over the years and even teams who have won national championships have gone to five with a team that nobody expected to play that well. The St. John’s match and our ability to survive that and win a fifth game in the NCAA Tournament helps our confidence quite a bit.”
Meredith Nelson:
On being in the Gainesville Regional:
“We’re excited about it. There’s four quality teams here. There’s a lot of good volleyball that’s going to be played this weekend and it’ll be exciting for everyone.”
On the 3-2 win against St. John’s in the second round and how that helps the team:
“It taught us a lot about how to play at the end of a match, especially a tight match like that. We learned how to be aggressive and it built character. As much as we were nervous about going five games – in the end it helped us.”
On the great seasons that the senior class has put together:
“We’ve had a lot of success in the past. Obviously, that doesn’t determine anything now. We know that we’ve got to come out, practice hard and play hard every day in order to continue that success that we’ve seen before in the program. It’s exciting and we like to look toward that for experience and carry that over to matches now.”
On playing Florida:
“It’s going to be a very tough task. Florida’s a great team and they have great crowds here. We’re excited and we’re ready to go.”
On if she thinks about playing in her last match:
“That thought always enters your mind. Even at the beginning of the season – you think, ‘This is my last preseason.’ That thought enters your mind, but it’s not something that you want to dwell on. We need to leave everything we have on the floor and everyone that’s still playing volleyball right now is doing the same thing.“
On if the team is playing better now than it was at the beginning of the season:
“We’ve experienced a lot as a team and learned from those experiences. We’ve gone through some tough practices and tough matches as a team. I think that’s really helped get us to where we are today. We always talk about improving every match we play and we’re just looking to continue on that path of improvement.”
Malama Peniata:
On the 3-2 win against St. John’s in the second round and how that helps the team:
“It was really helpful for us to get that out of our system and be able to play a team that gave all their heart. It was tough for us and it was tough for them, but we just tried to play with our heart as well and be aggressive in the end. I think that will lead into this weekend.”
On the great seasons that the senior class has put together:
“I think having that built our confidence and knowledge and we can bring that to the younger players on our team.”
On the Big Ten getting five teams to the Sweet 16:
“It just shows how tough our conference is to play in every night. We’re really proud of all the teams in our conference.”
On if she thinks about playing in her last match :
“Yes because it’s coming to the end of the season. Every night we want to leave everything out on the floor, especially as seniors. We try to relay that message to the younger players as well.”
On if the team is playing better now than it was at the beginning of the season:
“We have definitely developed as a team and learned how to compete during the Big Ten season. We’re just trying to reach our peak at the end of the season.”
