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NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPDecember 18, 2015John CookJustine Wong-OrantesKelsey FienKelly HunterOmaha, Nebraska THE MODERATOR: Representing Nebraska, Coach John Cook, Kelsey Fien, Kelly Hunter and Justin Wong-Orantes. Coach, if you could begin with an opening statement. COACH COOK: Feels like we were just here ten hours ago. You know, this has been a really good journey for us to get here and now we're down to the final two teams, it gets to practice today, we're excited about that. We're humbled. These guys have done a great job and we're excited for maybe another record crowd tomorrow night and a great match with Texas. Q. Can you talk a little bit about the challenge of stopping the slide? Texas does that really well, spreads the block, and you guys have a good block, but what are you going to do to stop that? COACH COOK: Well, we have -- we are working on it every day and we have a scheme that we use to try to stop it. The challenge with Texas, and again, or Minnesota, Minnesota runs it really well, too. You've got to execute. And we've got to get our blockers in the right spots. We have to get them over early enough, and then we've got to have our diggers understanding where the balls are going to be hit. The best way to do it is to serve them and get them on a system so they can't run it, and that's why serving is really, really important and that's something we've been working hard on because we know that can neutralize a Shock or a Molly McCage or the Tapp sisters. But it's something we work on pretty much every day in practice is because most teams in the Big Ten are going to run the slide. And what I found interesting, I kept hearing this quote from the Pac-12 coaches, Keegan especially, saying, well, they have got a big, physical slide hitter, well, they have a big physical slide hitter. So I guess maybe in the Pac-12, a lot of those teams run a lot of six-two and maybe don't run a lot of slides. Well, we see it pretty much every night in the Big Ten. Q. John, you've talked a little bit recently about how this team, you've had to sort of learn how to relate to them in ways that maybe you have not been used to in the past. What are you going to remember sort of learning from this team about what it's like to be a coach in 2015? COACH COOK: Well, I think those statements are more over a long period of time. But I just -- with this group, I think we all got on the same page, and you guys know we had some players leave last year, and when you have a team that not everybody is on the same page and working together, and again, this is why we came up with the ultimate trust -- okay, we talk about trust and all that. But really, she has to feel like I really trust her and I've got to feel like she really trusts me, and that's what we're trying to get to and we're trying to take it to the next step and I think the team has embraced that. My job was to facilitate that, nurture it, give them examples, and we tried to do that, whenever we see examples and we try to make a big deal about it. But I think, you know, your question, we could talk a long time about it. But I think ultimately for this team, it was getting to that point, embracing it and everybody buying into it, and they have all year long. Q. You were around when Nebraska left the Big 12, and at that time, there was animosity between Lincoln and Austin. Why do you think that has not permeated between the two volleyball programs where you're playing them every year? COACH COOK: Well, I think more of that was from football, and I think volleyball likes rivalries but it's not as personal like football can be. Of course, there was some football games that were controversial that I think precipitated that. Every program has rivalries, and you know, we like to think that we have a rivalry with Penn State, with Texas, with Stanford, and we've played -- Washington. We've played those teams a lot in the tournament and during the regular season. Those are the teams competing for national championships. I think it's more there's a lot of respect for the programs; at least we have a lot of respect for Texas, and they are fun to play. But people in Nebraska do still get worked up about Texas. I think it's in the DNA now, and of course I credit Bill burn for that. Q. It's been awhile, a few months since you played Texas down there. Ebony was playing for them now but how different do you think both these squads are than back in early September? KELLY HUNTER: Well, we definitely made some position changes. I think at that time, McHale was still on the right, and then obviously we have other position changes, like Amber in the middle and they have those same position changes. But I think ultimately, us as our two teams, we both have our game plans that we go with and then there's just a little bit different personnel. I think it's not going to be the exact same match up as it was in the beginning of the season. It will be a little different. COACH COOK: I think Kelly answered that really well. The difference is they have put No. 27 in Ebony's spot. I believe that was the only match Ebony played was against us. We were all having bets whether she was going to come out in the final four here. They have essentially just put 27 in there, and I apologize, I don't know how to pronounce her name. So they are doing a lot of the same things, but if you look at their stats, their outside hitters get a lot of the swings. Amy Neal had 69 sets last night. You'd have to combine probably two of our players to get that many from last night. But they got five people that can kill the ball and they have good arms, so they are going to be a big challenge. Q. Kelly, at what point in the season, all of the off-court stuff that you had worked on from the past year, when did that mix with how you were executing on the court to make you feel like you could be a great team this year? KELLY HUNTER: I think it was somewhere probably about halfway through. I think just like for me, especially those first few months and the preseason game, I was a little bit nervous and it was a different atmosphere. But my teammates, we talk every day. My hitters, they let me know what they want so they really helped me to work through that. I think it's all just kind of been coming together for us late in the season. Q. Of all the matchups tomorrow between Nebraska and Texas, what's the one you feel like is the most important match up for you to win, that you have to win to win the match? COACH COOK: There's two. We have to win the red zone and we have to win the out-of-system battle. Do you know what I mean by red zone? I don't know if everybody else knows that. But basically behind the setter. Can we kill as many balls as they are going to kill behind the setter, or can we neutralize that and be even. Q. You said that it's not going to be the exact same match as the first one. Are there any specifics that you can draw on from the first match that you think you're going to be able to utilize tomorrow night? KELLY HUNTER: I think we talk a lot about the serve and pass battle, and I think just as the season has gone on, we've become so confident as servers. We have great passers back there, no matter what three people or two people are back there. So Coach always says the game starts with serve and pass, and then like I said, I think we've just drawn on that so much. Either side is going to have great hitters out there, so I think if we can get them out of system, I think that would be a big advantage. Q. Is this team different from some of your other great teams and how you've gone about it; has the formula been different or the same from your other great teams? COACH COOK: Every team's different. I was asking Danny, you know, what did we do in 2006, what were we thinking, what were we talking about. Of course neither one of us can remember. But we remember the experience. And going through this -- so that's the thing we've been stressing with this team now that we're here. But as far as the whole season's gone, the thing that I've complemented this team the most on, and I've told them this several times, is they really do a good job about going about their business and what I mean by that is they come in, they prepare, they work, they work hard. They like being in the gym. They do a good job with all the other little things that we have to do. They are focused. We have good practices. So they are a very consistent, taking care of their business type team. I think that's maturity and I think that's a group of people that has a big goal that they are trying to accomplish. So they come in motivated every day. Q. In the first match against Texas, you guys committed a lot of errors and Texas had a big advantage in blocking and compounded it with I think 13 service errors. If Texas is able to get a couple early blocks, how important is resiliency and coming back from being in a little bit of a hole to getting things done? KELSEY FIEN: I think that's going to be huge. I think that's one thing you're team is going to be good with though, is recognizing those mistakes early on and then trying to change it. Whether that be with the coaches telling us how to swing or maybe a minor detail in like the set. Q. Kelly, you had a huge block in Game 4 last night, I think it was 15-15, started off a run of serves that finished the match. How much work and what have you put into become a setter who can help your bigger teammates with blocks like that? KELLY HUNTER: Yeah, our team, we are great blockers and we feed off that blocking energy. As a setter, you have to try to be able to do it all. Blocking is one of my favorite things. I like to go up there and just try to take it from them. I think any blocker thinks that. I just think a block, especially, like for the other team, it just is kind of one of those things that takes away from them. I think blocking is just a great play for volleyball like all around. Q. For decades, we've heard about girls what wanted to play for Nebraska all their lives. As Californians, what's it been like to come into this culture? Do you consider yourselves honorary Nebraskans now? JUSTINE WONG-ORANTES: I think just being here in the program for the past three years, I think I've kind of really adapted that Nebraska culture, and I feel a part of home and I feel like this is my home now. So it's really cool, especially, you know, the fans, they are so special. They are so special to us, for our team. And I think that, yeah, it's just not -- it's made my transition from California to Nebraska a whole lot easier just because of the fan base, the welcoming people and especially my teammates and my coaching staff. KELSEY FIEN: It's kind of funny you kind of say that. Coach kind of jokes around with me saying that I'm not really from California because I'm an Ag major and I'm more in the agriculture part of California. That's one of the things I love about Nebraska is how nice everyone is here. They made the transition super easy. Like Justine said, the coaching staff, they are a second family and they really made it easy for us. Q. I think you look at the two girls that came out here before were really big beach players, in Laura and Alexa, and people were wondering whether you were going to stay or not because you're such a beach person. Can you address that and what's going through your mind there? JUSTINE WONG-ORANTES: Going into college and through the recruitment process, I was looking for a top D1 indoor program. With my extensive beach background, people might have thought that I would have been sand only. But honestly, my passion was for the indoor court. Just like that team atmosphere and getting to bond with my teammates, I just love the indoor aspect of just, I don't know, I just love indoor and I think that's what I was looking for. Q. Curious with regard to the fact that you guys put so much pressure on yourselves to get to Omaha starting from day one this season, and now that you're here and in the final, are you in a situation where you let it all hang out? Is there a sense of relief that you've gotten here and you have one more mountain to climb and so you let it all out? JUSTINE WONG-ORANTES: I think we just take it as if it's any other match. We're just going to stay in the moment, go with our game plan that our coaches give us and really just play with our hearts. You know, I think maybe the one thing is that we're in our home state of Nebraska with our 17,000 fans rooting for us. I think that it's just like any other match and we're just going to leave it all on the court. KELSEY FIEN: I think Justine just said it all. It's awesome playing in front of a home crowd, and I think we can use that to our advantage tomorrow night. Q. Can you walk us through that trick shot you had last night and what the reaction has been to another national highlight? KELSEY FIEN: To be completely honest, I have no idea how I did that. Kelly and I actually were talking about that on the bus ride over. I kind of think it's the little 360 spin I added on it, but I thought it was buried in the middle of the net, so I was kind of lucky. COACH COOK: She actually does it all the time in practice but not on purpose it goes over and she gets yelled at. But here is an interesting trivia question for you guys: You tell me another volleyball player that's been on ESPN Top-10 two years in a row. Here it is right here. Q. Can you put in perspective about you guys and Texas have been so consistently good, your entire time here, so much success. Obviously recruiting is part of that but it's got to be more than that. What is it these programs have done so well to continually have this kind of success? COACH COOK: Really good question. I've thought a lot about that, trying to get my hands around it. One stat that I'm really, really proud of -- and I may have this off by one or two, but I think 21 of the last 22 years, Nebraska volleyball has been in a regional. I look at, why is that. Obviously you have talent, but I think it's the overall program and how we approach things. One thing I think we do, it's a year round program. They are learning how to work out, take care of themselves. They train hard. I think the way we coach and the way we prepare and they learn how to do scouting reports. One thing I measure success on that is you look at players that leave Nebraska and go to the national team. Kelsey Robinson goes there and starts in one year. Jordan goes there and starts in one year, and I think if you talk to cash. They come in prepared and know how to lift and do everything. It's the overall program that gives us the opportunity to be successful every year. Q. You obviously know a lot what's going on with the defense. Can you talk about the challenges that Texas's attack is going to pose, compared to Minnesota's? JUSTINE WONG-ORANTES: Well, for starters, I think that Texas runs a little bit of -- same thing. Texas runs a little bit of a slower offense than Kansas. Kansas did a little bit of trickier things with just running a lot of combination plays and mixing it up after they didn't get one ball. So they were quick to change and quick to make adjustments. I think we have a good game plan and it's nice that we've seen them before. There may be a little bit of a position change, but I think overall, they are pretty much the same Texas team that we played a few months ago. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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