BIG TEN VOLLEYBALL MEDIA DAYS

August 1, 2022

Jen Flynn Oldenburg

Mac Podraza

Kylie Murr

Ohio State Buckeyes

Press Conference

COACH FLYNN OLDENBURG: First of all, we're just really appreciative to be here, first-ever event. It's really exciting for the sport of volleyball for our conference and for our student-athletes that are here today and tomorrow to be part of this event.

It's remarkable, and it's exceeded expectations. So thank you to everybody at the Big Ten that have pulled this off and made it pretty wonderful and for everybody here today that is also part of this event.

Q. You should be really good this year, shouldn't you?

COACH FLYNN OLDENBURG: I would think so. I think with the returning corps that we have and the experience we have in really key positions, the expectations are high. But this team's hungry and have really worked hard since that last ball dropped against Georgia Tech to put us back in the mix.

And our goals are lofty. But I think the work they've put in the offseason should speak volumes. And hopefully it does because our schedule is not light.

Q. Can you both talk about that?

MAC PODRAZA: I think what she said, the last ball dropped against Georgia Tech, and in that post-match press conference I said I want a Big Ten Championship. We're going into my senior year and we've got a good group, like J-FO said.

We're returning most of our girls, I think our core is there and we're ready to get going. We've been ready to get going. I think J-FO scheduled us well and we're really excited to compete against some of the top teams in the nation and some really historic programs. So I'm excited.

KYLIE MURR: Talking about experience I think that's going to be our strength this year. When you get to the end everyone is good and everyone has talent. I think it's going to be about who has the best chemistry and who is willing to fight for one another.

So I think that's really something that we have going for us considering a lot of us are returners and three or four-year starters. Yeah, we may have not got all five, six transfers, but we have each other and we've built like a big community.

Q. Mac, in the, quote, way too early preseason video, Emily from the Big Ten Network said you're her pick for setter of the and player of the year candidate. What's it like to have that accolade so early on and having the whole offseason to think about something like that?

MAC PODRAZA: It's an honor to have those accolades and have those things being said about me and my name even being thrown in the mix. It's a huge honor, I think I'm really focused on this season and getting this team as far as we can.

I think those end-of-season accolades are awesome and they kind of show how hard you worked throughout the year. But I think the real prize is that Big Ten Championship or that national championship at the end. I think that's where my mind's at. That's where my mind's been at. That's where -- I'm ready to go.

Q. In a league with so many great liberos who are your favorite liberos besides yourself?

KYLIE MURR: I grew up in a town that produced a lot of liberos, like Megan Miller, Kenzie Knuckles, Kendall White, I could keep going. So I think (indiscernible), I'm sorry, I'm kind of blanking on all of them right now.

But seriously it's cool to watch former teammates and these girls exceed and just the respect I have from them. And I just keep learning from them. It's so cool. They make me be better and they're not even on my team. It's cool to have the mutual respect of all the liberos in the Big Ten.

Q. Kylie and Mac, this my be a stupid question, you're coming in with an experienced roster, you're both upperclassmen. I wonder if you could tell me something specifically that you can look at now near the end of your collegiate career about something that you now feel confident that you can do that you weren't able to do when you started. A specific example of something you've learned or growth that comes from having that kind of experience heading into a season.

MAC PODRAZA: I think it's something I thought I could do, but now I'm realizing I really had no idea what I was doing. Just running an offense in general, knowing who to set when, and that higher level of thinking and kind of breaking down different positions and looking at who should be set when and that kind of thing.

I think I thought I knew what I was doing when I was a freshman and I think we all think we know what we're doing when we're 18 years old and coming into college. This sea is a lot bigger and you're just a small fish in a big sea.

You think you're this top dog and you come in you're really not anymore. It's a lot of learning that you have to do. And I think now at this point in my career, J-FO has given me a lot of control over the offense. And I take it as a huge responsibility and a really big honor because she's the head of our program. The fact she trusts me to be able to run an offense I think is a really cool thing and I don't take it lightly. I think that's something I've learned.

KYLIE MURR: I was very blessed to come from high school and club teams that won a lot. I thought I knew, like, I knew how to win. But coming to college it's a whole other ball game.

I think, now being a senior I've learned the ins and outs of what it takes to be a top team and what it takes to come back when you're down two sets or things like that that you don't always, like you think you know but freshman year, you're like, oh, no. That's not all the same thing and it's not all the same demeanor. I think being a senior now, it's just something that it takes experience and I think that's what we're going to have is experience.

Q. Jen, we talked about moving the sport forward here today and how it's great for women's athletics. You were part of a historic first last December during the tournament, at the regional, all women coaches, all four were females. What is it like for you now that you've had time to reflect on it, how significant is the advancement?

COACH FLYNN OLDENBURG: I think when the Twitter posts and Instagram posts go out, you see that, I think that's when it really hit me. Going into it, here's another volleyball match and let's get ready.

I think for younger generations to see that picture and see that it's possible that females can lead high-level programs and have that success, I think it's just fuel for the fire and gives the younger generation an opportunity to say I can do that. I think the exciting point is when that picture is done at the Final Four and there's going to be four female coaches coaching those matches.

Q. Any freshmen impact players?

COACH FLYNN OLDENBURG: Always.

Q. Anyone you could --

COACH FLYNN OLDENBURG: I would hope so.

Q. This year.

COACH FLYNN OLDENBURG: I think they all bring a different dynamic to the team. I think our middle, Zaria Ragler, will push our other middle, Adria Powell, in that position. She's really explosive and pretty dynamic and can block well. As a freshman it's a matter can she catch up to the speed of the game.

And that daily presence is going to help our fifth-year senior who hasn't had a lot of play time experience but she works her butt off. I think that provides an impact.

If you're looking for starters, I'll tell you in a couple of weeks when we play. But Chelsea Thorpe has a heavy arm and can score. I feel like she'll have an impact as a role player on either pin, if we need it.

And Anna McClure is the other freshman coming in. She's a DS, utility-type player. I think she's just going to bring an energy that's going to elevate our gym immediately.

Q. Can I ask about Nicole Fawcett and what she brings here?

COACH FLYNN OLDENBURG: I think that was a no brainer. When Jill left to go back to LSU, to bring Nicole on full time, I think the impact she has to our team and to our program is one that, I don't know, it's hard to put into words because she's done it. She's played at the highest level. She's won two national championships. She's a four-time All-American, but her ability to relate to the players and really just teach the game at a level that's very high but very simple, I think, helps us every day in the gym.

Q. One of the regular themes that we've been talking about here over the past couple of hours is the growth and movement of women's volleyball going forward. This is a major event. Sport's growing. I'm curious, for any of the three of you, what would you want to advocate for if you were made czar of women's college volleyball and the ability to push for substantial change whether it's recruiting calendars or broadcasting or the athlete experience? What would you want to change, if you could?

MAC PODRAZA: I think we saw it a little bit in the spring season. Women's basketball was just starting their March Madness tournament, and we were starting our spring final championship season. And there's a big push, what year was this, 2021? Is that when we played in the spring? I think so. There was a big push from the women's basketball side about how they wanted more recognition and more for their sport and all of that. And we were to follow.

And I think there was a big push in the volleyball community about like getting women's volleyball the same recognition that women's basketball fought for and kind of pushing that boundary a little bit. I think Kelly Sheffield is doing a really good job exposing a lot of people and trying to push that boundary a lot.

I think J-FO has kind of talked with us a little bit about different ways we can use our voice if we want to.

I think back to that 2021 season, a lot of us were using our voice and trying to get those matches broadcasted from the start to the finish.

I think that's my biggest -- I think I would say I'm most passionate about that. I think volleyball is one of the most growing sports in the nation, and there's so many young girls playing. Like, there are so many young girls that walk up to us on the streets and know who we are. I'm like, come on, guys, how do you even know who I am? It's crazy.

But the more of that that we can continue throwing out there, the more these young girls are going to have role models to look up to and they're going to have those dreams and reach those dreams. And we're going to finally get that all-women national championship, four coaches, and have women in those power positions.

KYLIE MURR: Going off that, I remember I was doing a project for school. And it was like a lot of -- like we said, volleyball is one of the most growing sports but that's because we're starting to show these kids what volleyball is. And like before that, actually looking at Jacy Sheldon right now, that's so cool. But that's what the little girls see, so they're, like, let's play basketball, let's play those things.

Like they weren't playing volleyball because they weren't able to see it or they didn't want to be a coach because they didn't see women coaches. And I think or now, this is the first ever and this is the coolest opportunity. And little girls are going to want to keep playing volleyball because it's going to give them opportunities like this.

And I think that's what was missing and I think we're heading in that direction, but it's obviously still not perfect yet. But just like that experience and just the growth of it all and just showing little girls it's possible is what's super important, and what I would want to do.

MAC PODRAZA: I can add on that. I think the idea of for the rest of our lives both of us want to stay in sports I think, people ask you why do you want to stay in sports. Other than that that's what I've known my whole life, and that's where my heart lies.

I want to give other people the opportunities that I've had. I've had some of the best opportunities because of this sport. And I think more women and more girls should be able to have these opportunities. And I think we have a really unique opportunity, being the first ones at this event and being potentially the first women to win a national championship. I think we have unique opportunities to push these girls to provide the experience that we've had and just keep making it better and better.

Q. Jen, I think you scheduled, have matches scheduled against all eight regional finalists from last year. What's the rationale and motivation behind that? As the players, what are you looking forward to about that challenge?

COACH FLYNN OLDENBURG: My motivation was looking back at the opening weekend of the Big Ten last year, we just weren't ready.

I made sure that I scheduled preconference to make sure we're ready for the Big Ten and beyond. I knew with the returning group and the goals we would have, that we needed better competition; you need to play the best.

As it all shook out, it got better and better and better. I said, all right, let's go, and we'll see what we're about before we hit the Big Ten so that when we get to the Big Ten we're ready to go.

KYLIE MURR: You have to play the best to be the best. I think she's preparing us. That's all we can ask for. That's what we want our coach to do, right?

MAC PODRAZA: I would be disappointed if she didn't schedule that kind of preseason. We're going to get pushed and we'll see where we fall.

Q. She said you weren't ready for the Big Ten last year, did either of you sense that?

KYLIE MURR: Absolutely. Of course it was cool going 11-0 heading into the Big Ten season. But I felt unprepared. No one's fault. But there was a whole different wave of competitiveness level, like that's the kind of stuff we need to see earlier if we're going to want to win a Big Ten Championship.

Q. Going back to what you're talking about of just inspiring more women to be coaches, I know that's something that has been a big talking point, especially getting people involved at the high school level and also getting women to coach men's sports. Same thing having men coaching women and women coaching men. How do we continue to build upon that, like what you were just saying, but how do we keep showing, how do we keep building, how do we creating space for more women to get into those roles?

COACH FLYNN OLDENBURG: I think it comes down to women taking the risk to go do it. And I feel very fortunate -- and Janine is in the room right now -- that I have an administration that supports that. And it looks a little different.

I have a family, I have two kids at home, and a husband, and it's hard to leave them. But knowing that I can have that time with them and also balance -- balance is not the right word -- have some harmony with my job, I think that's a big testament to what our administration does and what Janine does for me.

And I'm hopeful that more administrators are doing that for females, and males as well. But it's a profession that takes a lot. It's a toll on your family and the program and all those things, and I think if you have the support from both home and at work, it's certainly possible to do.

Q. How much help has it been to your career that both your parents played volleyball at the highest level in college?

MAC PODRAZA: We both grew up gym rats. Her mom was her high school coach. My mom coached at my high school. She wasn't my coach there. But I grew up around volleyball. It's been in my life since as long as I can remember. So I think just having my mom there all the time was huge. There was definitely -- we had to separate it a little bit. Mom sometimes and coach sometimes.

Now, I think the biggest help she can give me, is after every single match, she gives me a hug, tells me she loves watching me play.

We've gotten to the point where, J-FO is my coach and she can coach me and my mom trusts J-FO to coach me. But she can take a back seat on the coach side and just be my mom and just enjoy watching me play and tell me after every game she loves watching me play.

KYLIE MURR: I agree with all of that. We've definitely had to separate the mom and coach multiple times. But growing up a gym rat, could either push you away from the sport or it could make you hungry for the sport.

Like, my mom didn't mean to force volleyball down my throat but that was the reality of the situation. That was my life. So instead of me kind of getting sick of it, I just grew hungry to want to be those girls or be that player or be the best volleyball player I could. So I think it's always a blessing in disguise, and I'm really, really thankful I got to be a little gym rat.