NCAA VB Tournament Quotes

NORMAN, Okla. - On the eve of Oklahoma's match against No. 4 UCLA the two teams held their press conferences for local Honolulu media. The No. 12 Sooners and No. 4 Bruins will meet at 8:30 p.m. (CST) in Honolulu on Friday night for a bid to the Elite Eight. Oklahoma is making its fourth NCAA appearance in history while the Bruins are making their 25th trip in school history and fourth straight year to advance to an NCAA Regional.

Below are quotes from each team on Friday night's match up:

Oklahoma Head Coach Santiago Restrepo
Opening statement:
“We're very excited to be here, in the Honolulu Regional, not only for the volleyball but also to be in Hawai`i. We came in early and have gone sight-seeing so the players can also be aware of the culture her.”

On NCAA Regional Semifinal opponent UCLA:
“UCLA is a very good team overall. They have two players that can really dominate. Nana Meriwether is very good. But the good thing is we have a good matchup for her with Eliane Santos. UCLA also has a good outside hitter in Katie Carter. She is very powerful with an interesting matchup with Joanna Schmitt. Their setter spreads the ball very well, much like ours does. It's a very interesting matchup. To win the match, we are going to have to block well. It's always crucial to serve and pass, but blocking will be key.”

Outside Hitter Joanna Schmitt
On UCLA:
“UCLA is a great team with great players. We know that is why they're ranked where they are ranked. It'll be extremely important for us to pass and serve. I think we can go up against anyone in the country when we are passing and serving well.”

Middle Blocker Eliane Santos
On turning the program around:
“We have been working really hard to get Oklahoma to this point and we are finally seeing all that work pay off. It's a dream come true. The reason we are playing so well this year is that we are having fun. It's important to enjoy volleyball and leave all the pressure behind.”

Setter Rachel Jackson
On the excitement around campus:
“It's been a great year and Norman is now starting to get excited about volleyball. We are seeing a lot of faces returning to the games. I think our chemistry is really the main thing that got us here. We are having fun together and playing one point and one game at a time.”
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UCLA Head Coach Andy Banachowski
Opening statement:
“We're happy to still be playing. We look forward to some good volleyball as all four teams play exciting volleyball. It's also a great treat for us to get two trips out here (to Honolulu) this year.”

On Regional Semifinal opponent Oklahoma:
“Oklahoma looks like an excellent team from the tape we watched. They have excellent middles, a solid right side and good lefts. They've had a great year, with tough battles in conference. They play an exciting type of volleyball. They're fast, really quick with the ball and real aggressive."

Middle Blocker Nana Meriwether
On the tough schedule UCLA has played:
“We've faced some challenging teams this year that have helped us to get to where we're at. We've seen slower offenses and some faster offenses. And our defense has been able to adjust well. We're very versatile. I think it helps that we've basically had the same team for the last two years. We only lost one senior last year. It's exciting to be with the girls. We are just on a more mature level now. Our maturity and physical ability are coming to finality.”

Outside Hitter Katie Carter
On the team:
“We've grown a lot since the last time we were here (in September for the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Classic). This is more exciting. This one is big time. I think we know each other better and have grown a lot with great communication. We've all worked really hard for this and it's shown in the last couple matches.”

On why teammate Nana Meriwether is so good
“She's just an amazing athlete, the best I've seen in my career. She's very smart and she uses her size and athleticism really well. She knows how to control it.”

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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