Stanford head coach John Dunning
Opening statement:
“I would to congratulate the three players sitting with me
here. I think they have just gotten better and better as the year has went
along. They are the driving force of this team, and it's exciting to watch them
play. They are amazing athletes, and we are looking forward to Saturday night. I
want to congratulate the University of Washington and UCLA on having great
seasons. I want to congratulate the University of Nebraska. I'm sure it will be
a full house and very exciting on Saturday, and we are looking forward to the
challenge.”
On Stanford's post-season experience:
“I think our team has gotten better,
better and better. I think we've had some scares in the playoffs that have helped
us play at a higher level. I think Missouri did a great job against us, putting
us in a tense situation that we learned from. I thought last weekend, Cal played
great against us and Texas was amazing. You've got to be pushed to keep going
higher, and I think that's what helped us play at the level we did tonight. I
thought we were very composed and we were very aggressive tonight.”
Junior setter Byrn Kehoe
“I think we served very aggressively tonight, and also Jess Fishburn had a great match.
She passed very well, and that allowed us to run a
great offense.”
Sophomore middle blocker Foulke Akinradewo
“I think coming in we were all on the same page and wanted a
win. I think we kept our focus and that's what helped us put the string of
points together in the beginning, and from then on we were able to keep our
composure.”
Sophomore outside hitter Cynthia Barboza
On the match:
“I think this was a serve and pass match. I think we did a good
job getting the ball to Bryn, so we could run our offense and take them out of
theirs.”
On Nebraska:
“I think it's safe to say they have a slight home-court
advantage. There are a lot of Husker fans out there, but I think it's going to
be fun. I've never played in front of this many people before, and I am excited
about it.”
On this team's season:
“I think how last year ended for us, it was a big
driving force for this entire season. I don't think it just started in the
playoffs. Last year was pretty disappointing for us on the whole, and I think
this year we are playing with a lot more intensity and we are playing for each
other out there on the court. Every play is for each other, and I think right
now, this is the best our team as a whole unit all year. We had a great
performance from Jess Fishburn in passing. I thought Nji [Nnamani] dug some amazing
balls, and we got a lot of good offense out of Erin Waller on the right side. And to have it all coming together at this point in the season gives a lot of
confidence going into Saturday.”
Washington head coach Jim McLaughlin
Opening Statement:
“Stanford, congratulations to them. They played a great
match, the best match they have played against us for sure. But we didn't do the
things we are capable of doing. It was a tough match. I told these guys in the
locker room, we knew it would be tough - we knew the whole season would be tough. We put in a lot of time and had a good season. Had we won the thing, it would
have been fantastic, but the way these guys worked and the time and effort they
put in it was still great. I told Janine as a senior she came to a place where
the stakes are high and I admire that in her. Courtney, we recruited her and she
changed this program. She set a standard that is pretty unbelievable.”
On the passing tonight:
“We were way below our standard; it's the key to
playing good volleyball. Stanford served tough and we just weren't in a good
rhythm passing, and when that happens it's just tough to run our offense.”
On getting back to the Final Four:
“In this business you can win a lot,
and the few losses just somehow hurt a little more and you remember them a
little bit more. But at some point, I told Courtney she'll look back and these
will be some of the greatest years of her life, considering what she
accomplished.”
Junior outside hitter Christal Morrison
“Thinking about what we built at this
university is a good thing to think about. It all started with our senior class
last year; Courtney definitely carried it on. We built something special at this
university, to be able to compete now, every year.”
Senior outside hitter Janine Sandell
“There is no way I can explain how big of
an experience this has been. I have just been blessed and very lucky to have
this experience. To be honored and to have the chance to play with a player like
Courtney, words can't describe. She has a drive like I've never experienced
before. She is a good person and an awesome leader on the court.”
Senior setter Courtney Thompson
“From my perspective, this is an awesome
program. It takes the coaching staff, the players, and the people off the court
to be successful. We lost five players last year and we are back in the Final
Four, so I think this program is a lot bigger than one person. I've been very
lucky to be here.”
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