Quotes Following Volleyball's 3-0 Win Over Maryland
Sep 13, 2008 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 13, 2008
TULANE HEAD COACH Liz Kritza
On the team's overall performance this weekend
"It was a good weekend for us overall. Coming in 2-4, we obviously were not where we wanted to be. The concern was that perhaps we had lost some of our conference. But tonight, we proved to ourselves we are a quality team and all of those losses we took as a team on the road were not in vain. The team has gotten better. The teams we played this weekend are all quality opponents and they are only going to get better during the season. They will all do well in their respective conferences and that is why we invited them to play in this tournament. For us, it was a matter of balancing our record out a little bit, but also taking what we did on the road the last two weekends - against Top 25 teams - and proving that it was worth something. We were able to improve our own style of play."
On facing a scrappy Terrapins team tonight
"I have to give a lot of credit to Maryland. I have no doubt that Tim Horsman - who is a fantastic coach - will get this team going. It is just a matter of time for that team. You will see later in the season that they will end up doing well in their conference and pull a few surprises. They played us really tough and they just would not go away. They were very stubborn in a positive way for them and they should be pleased with their play. They probably gave us more trouble today than any team we faced this weekend."
On what the team takes from its performance over the weekend
"The big thing for us is that, because we were playing confidently and were playing very successfully, we were able to change our lineup around and get some people some playing time and see what they can do. We had not been able to do that when we were strictly trying to pull and upset and play in a way to keep up with Top 25 teams. It was a really productive weekend, not just in the win column but the team improved. We expanded our range in what we can do with different kinds of lineups and players."
On the team coming back from an 11-4 deficit to win the third set, 25-23
"I know our team, and I know that we are doing something wrong if we are down to any team by seven points. I pulled them side and gave them a gentle reminder that they needed to be playing their type of volleyball. I am proud that they were able to pull it out. That was something I was really pleased to see - that we were able to come back. In a shorter game that now goes to 25 points rather than 30 points, that is a pretty big gap to overcome. It is a good sign that this team was able to keep it together, handle the pressure of it, chip away at the opponent's lead point by point and start outscoring the opponent at least 2-1. You have to. You have to outscore them at least 2-1 or 3-1 when you are down like that, and we did just that. We practice it all the time. We practice scoring at a higher rate than our opponent, they were able to transfer it tonight and we were able to come out with a victory in that third set."
On freshman Visnja Djurdjevic being named tournament MVP
"Visnja is coming into her own. Coming in as a freshman, she has a big load to carry and we just kind of threw her into the mix right away. It was very much baptism under fire and she had to make a lot of mistakes against top caliber teams. She learned from those mistakes, obviously, and was able to come back and put together a quality weekend. She was probably our all-around player over the weekend and she is very deserving of the MVP award. She had a few ups and downs, which is to be expected, but the best thing about Visnja is that she is rarely satisfied with her play. I like that about her. She will continue to improve because of that kind of attitude."
TULANE FRESHMAN OUTSIDE HITTER Visnja Djurdjevic
On earning the Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic Most Valuable Player
"The more I play with this team, the more comfortable I've gotten with the setters and my role in the offense. I feel a lot more comfortable. I've been here for two months now and I've spent most of my time here with the team. I've played better since the season started and hopefully, I can continue to do that."
On having more success this weekend after going 2-4 on the road the last two weeks
"It seems that we play better when we are at home. Having a lot of fans here really helps, and I think it really helps our team play better overall."
TULANE SENIOR OUTSIDE HITTER Sara Radosevic
On the team's performance over the weekend
"It makes a big difference when you play at home. The last two weeks, with the hurricane and all, made it very difficult. It was our first chance to play at home and it was nice to be home. It was exciting."
On the offense's efficiency during the Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic
"The passing was a lot better. The system we run uses two setters so we always have three hitters in the front row. If we don't have good passing, the system doesn't work. We obviously had good passing, so our offense was working very well."
On her sharing the offensive load in Tulane's 6-2 system
"Actually, I like sharing swings with other people. I have no problem carrying the load for the whole team if I need to, but I like when other girls can put the ball away. I'm very proud of them. They really did a very good job."
On the performance of teammate Visnja Djurdjevic
"I've very satisfied with her. I talked with her and she really improved a lot. She showed that as a true freshman, she can play just like a senior."
