|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
AUSTIN 1ST 2ND ROUND NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPDecember 2, 2017Jerritt ElliottMorgan JohnsonCat McCoyAshley ShookAustin, Texas NC State - 0, Texas - 3 JERRITT ELLIOTT: Congratulations to NC State and Linda for a great season. I think she's come into that job and done a phenomenal job and got them to new territory. It's always exciting and I look for great things from that program in future years. First I'd like to thank our fans for coming out both nights. I think we set a record for first and second round, and that was really special for our seniors. And to be able to exit this arena for the last time with a W is obviously very emotional for them, but we also are very proud of them for all they have accomplished in getting us back to the Sweet 16. Tonight was a good match for us. I thought it was one of our most complete matches from start to finish. We were consistent. We were steady. We just were a unit that played well together all night long. So our numbers obviously show us that. We were very efficient. I thought our defense steadied out after about the first ten or 15 points versus NC State but overall a really good performance by us, and we're really honored to be moving on to the round of 16. Q. For the players, 12 straight wins that got you to this round, overall thoughts? CAT McCOY: Getting to the Sweet 16 is really, really special. The first and second round for us, we were put up against two really good teams and I thought we fought really, really hard. It's not easy. So just says a lot about this team and this program and what Jerritt has built here, and I think it's really special. MORGAN JOHNSON: I think it's just nothing to take for granted. It's something special to get this far. Many teams want to be in our position, and I think it keeps us humble to remember that and gives us a fire to keep going on. ASHLEY SHOOK: Yeah, I agree with both of them, like it's super special. It's the reason we all came here. We wanted to do awesome at the end of the year, and we have that pride that we have with Texas and the volleyball team here and everyone that's come before us, so just keep that tradition going Q. Cat, what are your overall thoughts about this being your last match here at Gregory and what this place means to you? CAT McCOY: Yeah, I definitely got a little teary (ph) there. Gregory is so special, and our fans in this program, I can just go on and on about how great UTA is, and it was great having so many fans come to the first and second rounds. Just looking around at the last couple points, I really got goosebumps, and our fans have been truly, truly loyal to this team and we are really blessed. Q. The legacy you guys are leaving, what comes to mind? What do you want the fans to remember? CAT McCOY: I just want our fans to remember our senior class as just someone -- we're all really different, which I think is really special, as well. We all have really strong personalities and we all bring something different to the table, but I just want our fans to remember us as leaders. We can set the tone, so when we're gone, people can remember what we did and they want to emulate that, as well. That's kind of what we want our legacy to be. Q. Looking at the stats, do you feel like you're leaving the program in pretty good hands? CAT McCOY: Oh, for sure, yeah. I'm not worried at all. Everyone works super super hard and our underclassmen are great and they are completely bought in. I know the senior class next year, they are going to do a great job. I'm not worried at all. Jerritt might assist them, right? (Laughter). JERRITT ELLIOTT: Definitely. Q. With the three sets, pretty defensive early on and then just seemed like the team hit a switch and went on runs. What do you attribute that to, momentum? Something you said in the huddle? JERRITT ELLIOTT: No, I think it's one of the discussions that we have with our team all the time. If you can stay steady as a team and you are relentless in terms of just setting out and playing the game that you can play over a period of time at some point it becomes overwhelming for them to have to execute at that same level. So you can see our offensive numbers, at some point, that makes it really difficult. And then a block kicks in a couple times and is able to get some great separation. The good teams are able to sustain tie levels of consistency and put pressure on teams in a variety of ways and make them perform great all the way through the game. Q. Ashley, what was this experience like for you, first week, getting the feel of the tournament and what the tournament's all about? ASHLEY SHOOK: Yeah, it's been awesome. Everyone was super supportive and made me feel a lot better going into it. I obviously didn't totally know what to expect, but I think everyone has my back and that's awesome to know. It's been really good. Q. Do you know anything about Utah yet? JERRITT ELLIOTT: I'm downloading five matches that have been scouted so far. I have not seen them. I've seen them maybe for a game in the middle of the season, but obviously they are a really good team. They knocked off a really good Purdue team yesterday. I know the coach, actually one of the coaches there, I used to coach Lexi. So they have a high-quality staff. They will be ready to play. We'll have some time to prepare for them over the next week and keep moving forward. Q. Morgan, defensively, what was working for you guys today? MORGAN JOHNSON: I think we always like to put an emphasis on picking good spots on the block and being low and over. I think we focused on that a lot today coming in. That was one of our main goals. I think that's what we focused on was making sure they couldn't tool us or go underneath us or through us. So I think when you have a good block set up, it makes it much easier for Cat and Claire and Autumn to play behind us. I think all that was working really well. So it was just hard for them to get points off of that. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|