uclabruins.cstv.com/sports/m-volley/spec-rel/050306aaa.htmlMay 3, 2006
NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship
Pre-Semifinal Quotes
UCLA vs. IPFW UCLA Quotes
Head Coach Al Scates Opening Statement: We're on a 12-match win-streak. We've played well since the middle of March. I think everybody's upped their level of play since that time. In fact, I know they have. I haven't really substituted during that streak at all except for maybe a serving substitute. These guys are secure knowing they're going to play the entire match. It's been working well.
How is this team unique from other teams you've brought here? Well, it's not. They're playing their best ball of the year and that's how you get here so it's pretty normal. I will say that this team has probably worked harder to get here than some of the teams in the past. The kids were there all summer weight lifting. This is probably a little more dedicated group than we've brought to the tournament but the athletes that come [to UCLA] are all pretty dedicated.
How is this different from other times you've been to the tournament? We've never brought a team here with such a poor record in terms of wins and losses. This team has completely reinvented itself and turned everything around. They've never lost confidence and always kept their goal in mind of winning the NCAA Championship.
Was today's practice more laid back than normal? We don't have our most intense practices the day before the match. It's always a short practice so this was a typical day-before-the-match practice. It's the exact practice we've run the day before every playoff match.
What are your concerns with IPFW? We've looked at a little tape and they look good. They're a good blocking team, awful good opposite, really good middles; they look like the real thing to us.
Sr., OH, Damien Scott What was the team's morale like 12 matches ago when the team was in that hole? We all knew we were on a losing streak and none of us wanted to play like that or have a season like that. We didn't really concentrate on numbers or anything and I know that I hate losing even just one match. I just want to win every game. It doesn't matter if we lose one game, I want to come out the next game and win the match. Even one loss would make me mad.
Do you feel like you play better against the wall? Outside the situation you'd probably say, yeah, I'd like us to win in three games and take the easy road but I think it makes the game a lot more interesting [when you play more games]. Going back to the first games, we may not get warmed up that first game but we're going to continue rising throughout while the other team might spike and I think that's what helps us out a lot.
So., L, Tony Ker On not returning a lot of players from last year: The weird thing was that we started off really well in the fall and were playing amazing. Once the (regular) season started we started off a little slow because we did lose six seniors and four starters. I think the best thing about this team is that we're all so close- knit on and off the court. Even though we were down in games, we just brought each other back every time.
Did you find that other teams disrespected UCLA this season because of your record? When we played Long Beach (on Mar. 31 and Apr. 29), I don't think they expected us to (play as well) and we came out and blew them out of the water. I think all the teams need to take us pretty seriously. We're coming here to win and we all have one goal in mind. I think we deserve to be here just as much as everyone else does.
Sr., MH, David Russell Describe the problems you have had in first games of matches: Teams come out with a lot of fire and just try to beat us off the bat. There's been many times where we've been down in a match and come back to win, so we're not phased by it at all. We just wait out whatever high they're on and when they come back down we start sticking it to them and they fall apart.
IPFW Quotes
Head Coach Arnie Ball How is this team different from the other ones you have brought here? This team is quite a bit younger and Serdar [Sikca] is the only starting senior for the group. It's a team that has really come together in the last two months of the year. Every year we have gone to this thing, we have had some type of major injury. We had to re-think lineups. We are as healthy as can be after three months of playing. This is probably the closest-knit group we have had in the tournament. If I knew the secret to that, I wouldn't be here, I would be writing a book for every coach in the world because this is kind of a dream team in that regard. Last week, one of the players said we have to beat Loyola on Saturday because we really don't want to not be around one another. This is a pretty special trait to this team.
Talking about turning the season around...
I think our season began to turn around when we beat Ohio State, considering what we were down. We had some kids come in off the bench and that really picked us up. The way we came back in that match gave us a lot of confidence to establish more depth on our team. This is another match in our pursuit to win an actual championship. I've been doing this for 26 years, and the goal has always been to be in the position to win a national championship and once you get here that's exactly what you are intending to do.
How do you match up with UCLA? Size-wise, we are similar. Serdar matches up against their middle hitter and our center is just as big if not bigger than theirs. I think both teams depend a lot on their service game and it is going to depend on who serves well. It is no secret we have to establish our middle. I think we mirror one another a great deal. We played a really good schedule, and the match-ups were very good.
What do you think of this site as the venue? It is a lot better than having to play at UCLA. They are on our time zone instead of us being on their time zone, and we have played in this arena a lot. We are excited about having the opportunity to play here instead of having to travel out west.
Sr., MH, Serdar Sikca What do you think about the team's relationships with one another? I think coach is right on. I have been here four years, and I saw a lot of teams that were not as close knit. We never get sick of each other, and we hang out on and off the court. That transfers into the court when you are playing other teams.
How important is blocking going to be? It is no secret that blocking is one of our strongest areas, and we need to establish our blocking. I'm sure they are going to try and run a quick offense, and we need to establish our serving in order to set up a good block. I think we only got out-blocked once or twice this season considering the teams we played.
So., OH, C.J. Macias Was there one particular point this year that really sparked the team's togetherness? Even in fall training, everyone got along real well. We all developed friendships on and off the court. When we lost to Long Beach in five games, I think that was the turning point in our season and if we played together and played loose we could win.
Are you intimidated at all by facing a program like UCLA? They have a long history in the Final Four, but they have a new team. Everyone is exploring new territory, and we have coaches who have been here before. If we treat it like another match, we should be OK.