April 14, 2009
Recap |
Final Stats
TULANE HEAD COACH Terri Sisk
Overall thoughts on the win over the Tigers
"A 6-1 victory today over a team as talented as Memphis is a good confidence builder for us. This match was a lot closer than the score actually reflects. I think the girls did a great job today of when we hit those valleys, we were able to climb back out of them. That is something that we've discussed all year and they are peaking at the right time in that particular part of the game. I think it was a great effort today by both teams."
On winning the doubles point, 2-1
"That was clutch. With it being such an emotional doubles point, we knew we needed that point playing a team like Memphis. Going into singles up 1-0 is always easier. It doesn't always mean that you're going to close out the match, but it takes a little bit of pressure off. I think that was a huge momentum builder for us today."
On the team being able to win in three sets whether they were up one or down one after the first set
"That's one of the components of the game that we talk a good bit about. Whether you lose or you win that first set, you've got to continue to play to win. I thought they handled themselves very well in that regard today. It is one of those things that you keep talking about it and you know it's going to turn around. It worked in our favor today."
On if the win is a nice confidence boost to the team heading into the C-USA Tournament
"With the exception of the match against Kansas, we've really turned it around in a lot of areas on the court over these last five or six weeks. I see the girls starting to get a bit of an upper-classmen mentality, and that is something that we've been pushing for. It's a huge momentum builder and confidence builder to win, knowing that we start off (the C-USA Tournament) on Thursday afternoon against the No 7 team, UCF. We lost to them, 4-3, this year and that match came down to a lot of close matches. I think this will help push us over the edge to get ready for that particular program."
On Tulane's seeding in the 2009 Conference USA Tournament
"A lot of people have asked me how I feel about being the No. 10 seed with two teams ahead of you that you've beaten. It really doesn't matter to us because it's like I said - this first year, it's all about getting better and doing things the right way. The victories will take care of themselves."
On Tulane's first-round opponent in the C-USA Tourney, the UCF Knights
"We're going to regroup and start preparing for UCF tomorrow morning when we hit the practice courts. We do understand, though, that UCF is a talented team 1-6 and their doubles team is very strong. They've got some nice wins this year. Every time we play a match with this young of a team, we learn something from it. Today, I think it really opened their eyes to realize that it does not matter what the score is in the match or where you are in the match. You can fight out of it and you can turn something your way with a break or two. You can fight through it and come out on top. I'm just excited to play them again. There are three or four teams on the schedule this year that we wanted to play again, and this was one of those teams. So in a way, I'm really happy that we get a chance to play UCF in the first round."
On if her team is focused on winning the 2009 Conference USA Tournament
"This is what we care about - if we do everything right and we put into play everything we've harped on all year, then good things will happen. There are a lot of talented teams in Conference USA this year. SMU is No. 22 in the country right now and they're going to be a tough team to beat. They're very top heavy. But I'm not really thinking about winning the conference tournament. I don't care about that. What I care about is beating UCF. Once we take that, we'll take it one day at a time. If we can get through UCF, then we'll focus on Tulsa. If we can get through Tulsa, then we'll worry about the next team. We're just going to handle it day by day."
MEMPHIS HEAD COACH LEE TAYLOR WALKER
Overall thoughts on the loss to Tulane
"I think Terri has a great team. We knew it was going to be a battle. On our way down here, we were talking in the van that this might go 4-3. It didn't - it wound up being 6-1 - but it still had the feeling of a 4-3 match with so many three-setters. I felt confident going into conference. Obviously, you'd like to get some wins, but our focus was to get our girls match tough today."
On if today's loss puts a damper on his team's spirits heading into the C-USA Tournament
"Yes and no. Yes, because there is no other way to get confidence besides winning. When you win, you gain confidence. And I'd say no just because we're getting into the flow of things. We're getting match tough. It's going to feel like this on Thursday."
On dropping a hotly-contested doubles point
"That really hurt. In a lot of these matches, we were right there. A lot of it is coaching too, having to teach people how to close out and that really creates momentum."
On what it is like having Tulane back on the schedule in 2009
"I love it. This is the beginning of what is going to be a good rivalry. Coach Sisk has already put together a great team in her first year here, and she's going to have a great team year in and year out. I'm pumped to get to play them again every year and I can foresee us having a lot of great battles like we had here today."
