Aug. 30, 2008
Recap |
Final Stats
Overall thoughts on Saturday's match against the Cougars
"To come back after last night's performance - which was a disappointing one - and play as tough as we did against a quality team, a Top 20 team in BYU, is a good sign. I gave them a challenge last night and they responded very well. I think this match could have gone either way. All of the sets were fairly close. They all came down to a couple of big plays at the end, and unfortunately, we did not get some calls that should have gone our way. We are not going to point fingers at just that, but this game is a game of momentum. When you are about to win and an official's decision changes a lead from one to two points, that makes a big difference and that is hard to overcome."
On the calls that did not go Tulane's way Saturday against BYU
"We will learn a lesson from it. We cannot expect points to be given to us at any point, especially on the road. That is part of what this preconference schedule is designed to do - to test us. Not just in volleyball, but how they respond to adverse situations. I think that this group got better today. The win column does not show it, but we did get better. Individual players came back. They were able to rebound from a performance last night that was not up to par. Ksenija came back to get involved in the offense, and that has been a mainstay for us and we need to keep her as such. Bridget Wells was back to her hitting form. Obviously we are going to look for more offensive production from her as well."
On getting out-blocked again, this time 15.5-4.0
"We really need (Wells) to lead our blocking charge. That is where we need some serious improvement. That is not necessarily a huge surprise to us because of the size difference, but when you are playing against teams that are bigger, you can expect a few more blocks. But for us, we have to have a much better blocking system. If our individual players are outmatched player-for-player, then the system needs to be our strength."
On the improved decision making of the Green Wave setters
"I think the setters made some better choices, but it also has to do with spreading our offense. We ran a different lineup today, and the lineup change allowed them to keep our offense more balanced. Obviously we would like to have had a few more digs and blocks, because that will make a difference for us - but overall, the performance was a good one. They were tough, tight sets. We were able to establish the lead. Sometimes we were able to hang on to it and sometimes we were fighting back. But a lot of good things happened for this being the second match of the season. I think this group being ready to play and coming back from last night is a good thing."
On nearly knocking off the 20th-ranked Cougars
"Honestly, I really do think we could have pulled this upset off and they do as well, which will provide fuel for their fires to be ready for this match this afternoon. We need to get a win on this court and then move on."
On the team's passing against BYU
"Passing was solid again for the second match in a row. Visnja carried a big load for us. She is a freshman but that is going to be one of her primary responsibilities."
On Sara Radosevic once again leading the team in kills
"Sara has to come through with big points for us and we will continue to look for her to do that. She improved her hitting out of the back row today and was more aggressive. She is tabbed as the player on our team to watch so she has to continue to be our points leader and stay after the ball."
On the play of senior middle blocker Jen Linder
"Jen Linder had another good match offensively. She hits at a high percentage and I think we need to see about getting her a few more swings. She does a good job of keeping her errors down and coming up with really big points in transition. We will look for her to continue hitting at that high percentage, and if we can get the rest of our offense firing, we will be in good shape."
