NCAA Omaha Regional Press Conference Quotes

NCAA Omaha Regional Press Conference Quotes - Session #1 (Dec. 8, 2005)

Louisville Coach Leonid Yelin
Opening Statement
“We are pleased to be here. We are pleased with how far we went this year and we know how big volleyball is in the state of Nebraska. It’s a great place to play with a big crowd. They are nice fans who know volleyball and can appreciate every play, even if it’s not Nebraska. We’ve played four times in the Sweet 16 and you learn from it that if you go that far.  Anytime you play (in the Sweet 16), they’re good, so you’ll just have to play your best and hope something good can come out of it.”

On Having the Final Four in Omaha every year:
“As I said, it’s a great place to play. In my personal opinion, it would be good for the sport of volleyball if you would move the regionals as we are moving the Final Fours. If we bring our sport to a different part of the country, that could inspire a lot of young girls.”

On the team’s excitement level of playing in front of 13,000 fans:
“I will find out. If it’s going to be more excitement or nervousness, we’ll see. We don’t have anyone on our team that’s played in front of that kind of crowd. Last time I remember I was coaching, it was in 1996, we played in Hawaii in front of 10,000 people and it was quite an experience for everyone.”

On his team’s size:
“It’s an advantage but it’s also a disadvantage too. With size, if you’re doing what you’re supposed to do, you can get an advantage at the net, but in the back row, because of size, you’re not as dynamic as a kid that is 5’9 or 5’8.”

On Facing Florida and Coach Mary Wise:
“Number 1, we’ve never played (Florida) in the Tournament. As a coach, I played against her only once when I was a Division II coach, and it was in the spring season which was very different. Every team when you get so far, you have to be ready to play well. All 16 teams are well deserving of being there. And they are good teams so they’ll play well. Personally, I’d rather play someone else, but it has nothing to do with volleyball. We are very good friends, and I don’t really like to play against friends. I appreciate her so much, she was kind of my mentor and the reason I’m a Division I coach at Louisville is because of her.”

On whether he is thinking of playing Nebraska:
“No (laughing), not really. If we didn’t have to play the first game I would, but since we are playing that game. It is single elimination, so I don’t even think about them at all. We just have to focus and concentrate on our first match. We played last year at home, and even at home, we couldn’t win it, so it’s a great team with great balance. I don’t see any weaknesses in that team.”

On Florida Coach Mary Wise:
“I used to work down in Miami at a small private school  (Barry University) right after 1996 when I won national championship and she was trying to help me (find a Division I coaching job). She helped a lot of coaches. When the Louisville job came up, she made a couple of calls, and she convinced the administration that I would be the right candidate for the job.”

Florida Head Coach Mary Wise
Opening statement
“All eyes are on Omaha this weekend. We’re talking about 13,000 pre-sale tickets. This is a different world. Credit Omaha, the University of Nebraska and this state for embracing volleyball. If they decided to put the Final Four here every year, I would be one coach who would be all for it. They’ve done it for baseball and if our mantra would be for years to come “let’s get to Omaha,” I think that would be a good thing for women’s volleyball.”

On the Qwest Center
“It’s a beautiful arena. It doesn’t seem so cavernous as some arenas are. It doesn’t seem so dark. It was a little chilly.”

On the snow in Omaha
“It’s too bad your camera wasn’t there for when they walked out of the airport last night. We warned them, when you grow up on the beach in South Florida like some of our players, it was a different cold. All of them had seen snow, but none of them had felt the likes of that temperature. We had to explain what wind chill was.”

On the possibility of having the Final Four in Omaha every year
“If there’s another city that could sellout an arena that size, let’s go there. Right now, in this day and age, it seems Omaha is the place. We have to grow our (attendance at the) championship. Our championship is dictated by geography. The way we grow our championship is with attendance. And if it means coming to Omaha for a few years, selling it out and building it before we can take it out cross country, I think it would be good for our sport. There are certain things you give up when you’re trying to grow the sport. It is something, as coaches, that we should be discussing.”

On facing Louisville
“This is the first time we have played Louisville in the tournament, even though they have been to the tournament many times. After looking and watching them on film and all, they are arguably the best Louisville team they’ve had. Their combination of their experience, which has always been true of a Louisville team because of their international players that have played for so long, and with their athleticism that (Jennifer) Hoffman brings to the gym, you know not many teams have both that talent and experience. Looking over the course of the years, one could make a safe argument that it’s one of the best regional semi-final opponents we’ve played.”

On whether Florida is looking ahead to the possibility of playing Nebraska
“If this was our first year in the tournament, we’d be guilty of that, but I’d like to think that the experience of our program understands that you don’t get to the final without winning the semifinal. As the eighth seed, you’re going to have a really tough opponent in the semifinal.”

On getting Amber McCray back after missing all of the 2004 season
“It had such a domino effect for us last year. It meant spending a year with Kisya Killingsworth on the right side. What we did though was try and field the most competitive team we could a year ago. It was the right decision. I don’t think we get even to the SEC championship or toe-to-toe with Stanford without making that decision.”

NCAA Omaha Regional Press Conference Quotes - Session #2 (Dec. 8, 2005)

UCLA Coach Andy Banachowski
Opening Statement
“We are excited to be in Omaha, more so for the championship than the weather today. It is a little different setting for a California team to see snow. We’re looking forward to playing in the tournament and playing in this arena in front of so many volleyball fans. They won’t be wearing our school colors, but we are happy to be here and happy to be representing UCLA

On the Attendance Figure (13,887 sold as of Thursday):
“It is outstanding that they have presold this many tickets to this event. They have sold 13,887 tickets, and I think we account for the seven. Its gonna be a great crowd and a great event, and we are glad to be a part of it.”

Will the crowd be intimidating:
“I think we are a good road team. We typically play a lot of road games during our preseason. We’ve been over to Hawai’i, where they routinely get nine or 10 thousand people in an arena. This will be a few more. I hope that we don’t let it get to us, and I don’t think we will. We’re going to enjoy the experience. It is something that is pretty novel to volleyball to play in arena of this size, and we are happy to be a part of it.”

What is UCLA’s biggest concern about Nebraska:
“I don’t think you can say there is one concern, they are so balanced out there. The biggest problem I had watching and scouting them was trying to find a weakness. They are just solid everywhere. Their hitting and blocking is outstanding, and they serve and pass well. We’re going to go out there and do what we can and make adjustments during the game and play our game the best we can. We’re a pretty young bunch of kids out here, but we are playing our best volleyball of the year and hoping to be able and continue that trend.

On what UCLA’s game is:
“Our strengths lie in our serving and blocking and that is what has turned things around for us this year. Our block has been outstanding and I think we are pretty well balanced. We have a great setter in Nellie (Spicer) that can distribute the ball anywhere off of any pass. We have some good hitters. We are maybe a little inexperienced in comparison to Nebraska, but we play a good solid game.”

First impressions of the Qwest Center
“I was really impressed. I walked in and saw it from above up high and looking down. I was amazed by how many seats there are in this arena. Once you get down on the court, I will make sure the court is the same size and the net is the same height and all of those things.

If he ever envisioned a crowd this large for college volleyball
“No, I don’t think I ever really dreamed that volleyball would be playing in front of a crowd this size. There is no reason for it not to. Its great that is has caught on like it has in the state of Nebraska and why it has just a great following. This will be a unique experience for us to play in front of a crowd this size.”

Nebraska Head Coach John Cook
Opening statement
“We’re excited to be here, but I’m sure all the other coaches have said that as well. What makes this special is because it is Omaha. It will be a huge house tomorrow and it is exciting for our players as well as the city of Omaha, which is showing what a great sports town it is. It is an electric feel to be here.”

On if he imagined a crowd this large for the regional
“No. The last few years at the Devaney Center, we have drawn seven or eight thousand and we were hoping to get nine or 10 thousand, and that would be pretty good. To go on and break records, we never imagined that. I’m not surprised seeing what this team has done with our fans in the Coliseum and the excitement around the state. That does not surprise me. The last five years, our base continues to build and grow and becomes more popular and people want to be a part of it.”
 
How do you harness the energy of the players
“I was using the same analogy during practice today. We had a light practice yesterday and they are very well rested. This is a veteran group so they will know how to come out mentally, and they are used to big crowds. They know they have a job to do, and they will be ready.”

How difficult is this weekend
“This may be more challanging then a Final Four because there is a lot riding on it. Whoever comes out of this regional will have a lot of confidence going to San Antonio. This is a great regional. Just like the AVCA (event), they will see four great teams going at it. Everyone is unique in what they do and where they are from and there are a lot of interesting stories to this regional, and I think the volleyball will be great.