Arizona Head Coach Patti Snyder-Park
" I'm really proud of our team. They played hard, they were aggressive and
competitive. We knew we had our work cut out for us, but I'm proud of our
gang. We really pushed Nebraska, we were not a walkover by any means. I'm
really proud of middle blocker Julia Leddy. She saved her best for last
tonight. Setter Cheryl Anglin is little, but she's effective. She's a
smart setter, and has one more year to break records.
On the end of her career at Arizona State:
All year you get reminders, you walk into practice, you prepare for games,
but it's away from the gym that you're reminded that it's ending. It's
very emotional. But what a way to go out.
On Nebraska:
The Nebraska fans love volleyball and they're great fans. This is a
first-class act here. It's nice to see volleyball at a fever pitch in
Lincoln. I'm glad to see them hosting the regional.
On Nebraska's middle blockers:
Nebraska's middle blockers are big and they jump. They're very experienced
and mobile. You can't teach size, and there's no easy rotation to attack.
They're effective, they serve tough, and that changes your offensive options.
On Nebraska vs. Pac Ten schools:
USC is certainly big, very quick and mobile. They probably have six good
rotations, and Nebraska has four. I know they beat Nebraska earlier, but
next time it may be a different story. Nebraska would definitely compete
every year for the Pac Ten title.
Senior middle blocker Julia Leddy on Coach Patti Snyder-Park:
She's been a great coach, but she's been more than that. I can look to her
for anything. She will be missed a lot. She made practice fun when we
needed it and hard when we needed it.
Junior setter Cheryl Anglin:
People come and watch us practice and say, "You guys look like you're
having so much fun." It is fun, and its personal. We don't feel
disconnected from our coach. We all have one goal.
Nebraska Coach John Cook:
This is a good win; a good effort from the Huskers. Arizona State
presented a good match; they have good middle blockers. We played good
defense, and we had a good block tonight. The crowd was psyched, so it's
so fun to be out there.
I'm very pleased with our effort and intensity. I like where our players are mentally and physically, they're very excited to play. We don't have the pressures we did last year and we're playing with great passion.
On the block:
Our left side blockers were key tonight because their blockers cut with
such sharp angles, we needed the left side block to succeed. They did a
good job making adjustments.
On junior outside hitter Juliana Escobar:
She was very effective in last night's game. Tonight we tried to take away
her best shot, which is hitting down the line. We put junior outside
hitter Anna Schrad on her, and she did a good job.
On hosting the regional:
We were planning on being at home. It gives us our best chance to get to
the final four. There is a lot less stress when you're not traveling,
especially with the end of the semester and tests.
Senior Libero Lindsay Wischmeier:
The NCAA tournament is the part we look forward to each year. Every team
gives it their best shot, and it brings out the best in us. The crowd is
behind us, and it's so amazing. It's a great situation to be playing in.
Senior middle blocker Amber Holmquist:
If anything, (a close game three) prepares us for the tougher matches. In
the regional, it's war and you have to be prepared for the close matches.
We knew Arizona State was not going to hand it over, and that really
helped us.
Freshman outside hitter Jennifer Saleaumua:
After hearing the crowd, which was about the loudest I've heard, I really
had to yell for (senior outside hitter) Laura Pilakowski to hear me. It
was a fun third game. It wasn't stressful for me, because I thrive off
that. It's fun.