Badgers Address Media
December 05, 2002 | Volleyball
Coach Pete Waite and All'Big Ten players Erin Byrd and Morgan Shields talked to the Madison media prior to Wisconsin's first-round match in the 2002 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship. The Badgers (23-8) will take on Alabama A&M (24-7) on Friday at 7 p.m. in the UW Field House.
What can you tell us about this week' PW: "We'll we've just been able to watch some tape this week and see all three of the teams and we actually just came up from watching Duke just now. That 's the tough thing that's a little different than a Big Ten week where you prepare for two teams that you usually know from the last season anyhow, now it 's three brand new teams. They all bring something different. I think Alabama A&M has some great athletes, some quick arms, some really fast jumps off the ground. I think Duke is a big, tall team. They've changed some things since we saw them out at Duke to improve their lineup so they're even stronger. I think Miami is a great ball handling team, they've got a couple of international players that have brought a young program a long way very fast. They've all got great coaches that have been doing some great things this season so it's going to be a lot of fun."
What do you have to prepare most for against a team like Alabama' PW: "I think they bring a little different style of play than we 're used to in Big Ten play. The biggest thing in any of these matches is to just adjust to the team as fast as you can and figure them out once the game starts because you can watch all the tape you want but once it starts on the court you're going to have to figure out what the players are doing that day and how you can best matchup and how you can get an advantage."
Talk about the advantage of being at home: PW: "It 's so nice to be at home. A couple teams haven't gotten here yet because of delays at airports ' it happened to us last year as we went out to Stanford and were delayed by fog and couldn't get out the day we wanted. It's really nice to be home. The players can take care of their academics, they can sleep in their own beds, they can be relaxed and it's just like a normal week for us so we love it."
MS: "It's always nice being in front of your home crowd especially in Madison and I think the teams coming in are very intimidated by our fan base and that's a good intimidation factor. [As far as] academics, it's getting around finals time, it's handing your papers in, it's definitely nice to be home."
This season has been a rollercoaster ride. Where are your emotions at right now going into this tournament' EB: "I feel real calm and I think the team does too. We're really excited because the tournament is a great time of year and it's really what you work all season for. I think what we 've learned from our losses this year is we just have to bounce back and with every loss we take, we've learned something that will help us now."
MS: "I don't think we've seen our best yet. It 's exciting to get more opportunities to hit our peak and hopefully these next couple of weeks will present that opportunity."
What is Lori Rittenhouse's status for this weekend ' "She's been on the court practicing the last two days, her ankle is still a little bit stiff but she's been out there playing at full speed and doing her competition drills and scrimmages. As far as I know she's ready to go, there's nothing to hold her back so it's just our decision as far as what lineup we want to go with."
Is this exciting or business as usual' "MS: Probably every emotion you can think of. You get excited because finally a new season is starting, but at the same time you can not overlook anybody. That's just an important lesson we've learned all season and now we get a chance to apply what we 've learned and really make some good steps forward. So it's exciting, but it's stressful and it's just a neat season."
EB: "We want to prepare for these matches the same way we've prepared for every match this season."
Compare the 2001 season to the 2002 season PW: "Entering the tournament obviously we were Big Ten champs, we were a little more steady throughout the course of the year. This team is on the rise. This team has learned from the early season struggles and some losses. They've learned some real tough lessons, but really done a good job making progress to where we are now. They're a solid team now. There's no doubt, they've earned their way into this spot and to be hosting. Every year is different, different personnel; we're a different style of play. I think we have some great defenders, some great quick offense, we bring a lot to the opposition that they've got to deal with."
Erin, has it hit you that this could be your last collegiate volleyball weekend' "Yeah it has, because in the tournament you either win or you're done, but that's not really what I'm thinking about. I realize that, but that's not what I think about. I really want to take care of these two matches and then see where we go from there."
What do you think the first match (Miami vs. Duke) will be like' PW: "I think it's going to be a good battle. I think it 's two very different styles and two very different teams. I think Miami 's a little quicker, a little smaller, maybe a little better ball handling. You 've got bigger hitters, bigger blocks on Duke's team. I think it 's going to be interesting to see how they fare against each other. I'm excited that we get a chance to watch those two teams. That's the thing, you can watch teams on tape but you can learn a lot more when you watch in person. That's one thing our team has learned a lot this season is scouting teams, and finding tendencies and finding ways that you can pick up a little hint here and there how you can beat a team."
Do you have a preference in who you'd like to play ' PW: "No. I don't have a preference. I just hope we're in that match and we have a chance to play one of them."
