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AUSTIN REGIONAL NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPDecember 13, 2019Dani Busboom KellyTori DilferAnna StevensonAiko JonesAustin, Texas Louisville 3 Texas 2 HEAD COACH DANI BUSBOOM KELLY: Obviously a pretty huge win for us, and just amazing that our team came into this environment, and to a program like Texas. That's probably the loudest crowd we have ever played against. Just us to come out and win Game 1 and not lose any steam was really impressive. We've been talking a lot about if we get into Game 5, we're pretty tough to beat, and we have a lot of confidence in what we put in, the work we put in physically and our training to be great in big moments. Hats off to Texas. They make you earn everything, and that is part of what makes this even sweeter is we know we really earned it. Overall reaction to this win and moving on to the next round? AIKO JONES: It's an incredible feeling. I really don't have many words right now. But after winning games one and two, we had a lot of confidence going into Game 3. Didn't go our way. Didn't go our way in Game 4, either, but I think no matter what the outcome was going to be, we were going to go downswing and we were going to go down as a family. I think that's what our strength was and what brought us through. It's sweeter to know we won that way and we didn't let what was going on on the other side of the net or the crowd break us apart. It's sweeter to know that was going on. Q. What resolve did your team show in the fifth game after Texas had all the momentum? HEAD COACH DANI BUSBOOM KELLY: When we sat on the bench, we just looked each other in the eyes, and we've been talking all week, to expect to win this match, no matter how long it takes. I think they really believed in each other and trusted each other. At the end of the day, we feel like we can out-team a lot of other teams just by sticking together. Q. What's the biggest moment in that last set, the really long rally, what was going through your mind? ANNA STEVENSON: I don't even remember if I was on the court or not. AIKO JONES: You were. ANNA STEVENSON: Yeah, I was dying. But we just were going in, trying to like enjoy every moment and love it. I was like, I don't know. I was just thinking, like just go hard and enjoy this, because it might not happen again. TORI DILFER: All I can remember from that, I don't know what point it was or what happened. I remember I heard my team communicate that -- effectively, aggressively and in a good way all season. That point I will only remember it because I remember hearing every single person's voice and getting after it, and like she said, going hard and expecting that we're going to out-work anybody. Like I said, don't remember anything else other than it was like the biggest confidence builder to know that that's what our team can do. Q. What made the difference between sets 1 and 2 and 3 and 4? HEAD COACH DANI BUSBOOM KELLY: I think we expected Texas to play better. We blocked them quite a bit in Games 1 and 2 and we didn't get any blocks in Games 3 and 4. That's just their physicality. We were relying on our block and when they started going over the block, we had to adjust our game plan and the backcourt had to pick it up. They really rows to the occasion in Game 5 and our defense took over from the back row because we weren't touching much on the clock at that point. Q. How did you respond to the crowd and the environment? AIKO JONES: I'd say it was hard, especially serving, because everyone is right behind you and it's pretty loud. I've never played in an environment like that before. I kinds of just wait until you find like a sense of peace in your own mind before you serve. That's what worked for me, and then I served and we just had to be extra loud and make sure we were over communicating on the court to make up for, maybe we couldn't hear someone, so we made eye contact and knew the message was getting across. We had to communicate and rely on that and not focus on the volume of the crowd around us. TORI DILFER: She's like, everybody, look at everybody right now, make quick eye contact, it's so loud in here, we've overwhelmed and down -- she just said connect with each other and play with each other. It doesn't make the noise go away. You're still hearing it and it's hard to hear your teammates but just have the confidence that they know that you're going to do your job and they are going to do their job. It's just like we always say, out-teaming; having our team was the settling factor. Q. Was there a player or someone that stepped up between the fourth and fifth sets for you to rally the troops? HEAD COACH DANI BUSBOOM KELLY: Touched on that, just our backcourt I thought was pretty shaky in Games 3 and 4, and let some easy balls go and really weren't making plays and in Game 5, they started digging some balls and passing and so we could actually run a good offense. You know, Alexis Hamilton, Mia Stander, in particular. Q. You guys knew coming in, you would have to d defeat a 2-seed. They struggled in the second ROUND. Did that maybe have you thinking that the task was not too daunting? HEAD COACH DANI BUSBOOM KELLY: I can't really speak for our players on that because we never talked about it, but through staff, we were going back and forth. You know, I was thinking that Texas already got their scare and we're not going to have that. But my assistants were thinking, that's good, because they will feel a little more pressure if we can start applying pressure on them. We talked about it not as a team. I don't even know if they knew that. Q. Did you notice what happened with them and how much did that alter your thinking? TORI DILFER: I don't think it changed much other than it built confidence that know team is unbeatable. I think they are by far the most physical team in the country this year, and they are a great team -- well, they are so well rounded but I think our focus this week was play our game and focus on our side of the net and know when we do our job and don't over think what they are doing -- obviously pay attention to it -- but we can put ourselves in a position to be really successful against anybody, not just Texas. It just built our confidence that if a great team like UCSB is going to challenge that heart, might as well challenge just as hard if not harder. Q. Did what Aiko do surprise you or does she do that every day? HEAD COACH DANI BUSBOOM KELLY: It doesn't surprise me from the stat line, but I don't know how she's going to respond in big moments. This is her first time. It was really incredible. We know she can do it and just amazed. She puts in more time on the court and off the court than anybody I've ever coached, just working on not only her physical game but mental game and leadership, and so to see it come to fruition in a moment like tonight was pretty special. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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