NCAA Round 2 Postgame Quotes
Wisconsin vs. Iowa State
December 4, 2015
UW Field House – Madison, Wis.

Coach Sheffield Opening Statement:
"First of all, congratulations, great season for Iowa State. We really thought that the two teams felt very similar, familiar styles of how they want to play. I think both teams are tough and hard-nosed defense matters. I think you saw two teams that were throwing their bodies all over the place. There were some great rallies. I hope the fans on both sides felt like they got their money's worth with the effort. Very well coached team and it was a battle.
 
"I was proud of the way that our team after errors, how we bounced back and executed. I thought we executed really well, seven attack errors is pretty low errors against a team that prides itself on suffocating back-court defense. I thought our players were patient, worked hard in transition and tried to go with what was given and that's a hard thing to do against a team like that. We're happy to still be playing and to give Taylor (Morey) her last home match a victory."
 
On playing games on back-to-back nights:
"I thought we battled, I think both nights we came out probably a little bit. I don't know if I'm doing or something I'm not doing. What we've done is that we've settled down and gotten into the flow of the match and then we've done a really good job with it. The two teams that we've played, you could easily play those teams a second weekend and there are two very different styles of play and I thought our team really battled, they fought. I thought quite a few of the players when they started out they had some tough moments. I thought we bounced back and showed a lot of mental toughness. These were both really good wins for us."
 
On communicating with the team with the loud crowd:
"I can yell pretty loud so I don't know how difficult, and they do a great job of paying attention. It certainly makes it a lot more fun when it's that loud. The players are leaning because you need to. I thought the communication on the bench was fine, I thought the communication between the players through the match was really good. I thought they were fixing, problem solving real well together so the communication was good."
 
On dividing up the time preparing for Oregon and Iowa State:
"For me it was all Oregon, I was nothing but Oregon. I think I watched a few minutes just to have a general idea of each of those teams but for me it was Oregon until it was time for Iowa State. We split it up, everybody else on staff was collecting the video and tagging and stating and putting together preliminary game plans and everything else for both of the teams. For me and the team, it's what we have right in front of us and that's where all of our attention is."
 
On comparing this team to the other teams he has coached at this point in the season:
"I think all three teams when we've gotten to post season have been playing their best volleyball this (time of the) season. I think that's something they've all got in coming. They've all taken their own separate paths to get to this point but I think that we got a team that emblazoned themselves, that's approaching practices the right way. We're fortunate to be healthy and I think we've got people that love playing so I think they're locked and who knows how far this thing will go, but I think it's going to take an effort, somebody playing well to beat us and that's where you want to be. "
 
Lauren Carlini
 
On playing a simple match:
"It did not feel simple. Like Kelly said, they're a tough defensive team, its hard to get balls down there. We only had seven attack errors and I think our hitters just did a great job of moving the ball around and making them change their tactics and where they're going and very low errors rate and we were able to move the ball around and be successful. It may have looked easy but it didn't feel easy. It felt like a battle through all three sets.
 
Taylor Morey:
 
On having any extra inspiration this match:
"One thing that we talked about at the beginning before we stepped out on the court is that we were playing against probably one of the best defensive teams we've seen all year. Our biggest thing going into the match was to compete defensively and my mindset doesn't change any match, I prepare the same way and I just wanted to give my teammates the best chance of coming out there with a W and I have them behind me so when I make plays they can put the ball away and we can keep scoring."
 
On the crowd:
"Honestly our crowd is amazing. The last two nights it has been roaring in there. It's almost like when we come out into the NCAA tournament it's a new time. It's postseason, we amp up our energy and our crowd came with us. It's awesome to be on a team where we step on the court and out crowd is 100 percent behind us. They're very educated and they know how to get us going and that's an advantage of playing on your home court. We love them and I'm very thankful to play in front of such awesome fans."
 
On getting caught off guard by Iowa State in the third set:
"I don't think there was anything that caught us off guard. Iowa State is a great team and we came out, they were executing towards the beginning and we knew that we had to amp up our game. They're playing for their season and we're playing for our season right now. It was nothing that was off. It was just a competitive environment, they amped it up and we responded."
 
Tionna Williams
 
On playing in the Field House:
"The last two matches have been insane like T said, the intensity in the gym and coming from our crowd and the team itself has been crazy. Just being able to play for this school in this kind of environment is a blessing every time we step out into the court. We make the most of it every single time."

Iowa State Head Coach Christy Johnson-Lynch
Opening statement: "Congrats to Wisconsin. Great team. They played well. They're probably one of the best defensive teams I've seen in my time. I thought they were pretty relentless on their defense, although we did just about match them in digs. They just do a really nice job of playing great defense, controlling the ball and getting swings. Great team and I think they're going to have some success in the tournament.
 
"I'm really proud of our team. I'm proud of the season, the progress we made from where we started to where we are today. As a coach, the one thing you would hope for every year is that your team plays up to or beyond its potential by the end of the season, and I felt like we did that.
 
"We started slow and found our groove and played well here at the end and, I thought, played up to our potential here over the last few weeks. I'm really proud of the team, I'm proud of the effort they had tonight and I'm proud of the way we came back in that set three and made it competitive. We fought until the end and that's what really what we can ask for. I loved the effort from these guys tonight."
 
On Wisconsin going forward:
"Like I said earlier, I do think they're pretty exceptional defensively and that's what makes them special, along with their setter. I feel like we are really good defensively, as well. They just handled that ball a little better and they have a very experienced setter who can fling that ball anywhere and put it right on the money. They get good swings. They look like they're scrambling but they get pretty good swings going back.
 
"I think it will be a great match (against Florida). They play very, very hard. They never give up on the ball. When you do that, you always have a chance and that's what they do really well."
 
On what she said to her team between sets two and three:
"We just said, 'We knew this was going to be hard.' It's almost like some of our players were surprised at how hard it was going to be—that Wisconsin was playing such great defense and blocking the ball.
 
"We all felt like we could just raise our level of play and respond instead of just giving up or doing what we had been doing. We said, 'Let's respond. Let's play harder, especially defensively. Let's scramble and match their defensive intensity.'
 
"I thought that happened in the third set. You could see some of those really intense rallies. They had a couple where you thought the ball was down, we had a couple where you thought the ball was down, and we kept it alive. We wanted to match or outdo them defensively. When we do that we get going. We feed off of that. I thought we did a lot better job of that in set three."
 
On locker room atmosphere after the match:
"It's always hard, even if you play well or play really hard, it's still your last match and that's always hard to get through. But I thought the mood was 'guys, we had a really nice season.' Especially when you think about where we started and the injuries and some crazy things that happened throughout the season, to get us in the tournament, to win a first round, to finish he season up to our potential. That's what you want as a coach. They met that, they did that."
 
Caitlin Nolan
On if she saw the game as a defensive battle:
"Yeah, definitely. I go into games wanting to dig as many balls as possible and our team dig as many balls as possible. We knew that they were a great defensive team so I thought it would be a really fun challenge to see who would do the best."
 
On last game for Iowa State:
"It's been a great ride. I feel like every year we've always got a little bit better. I think I learned a lot about myself as a person, as a volleyball player. It kind of hasn't sunk in yet. It's starting to sink in, hence the emotions. It's been a great ride and I couldn't be more thankful for it, from my teammates to the coaches."
 
On coming out hot in the third set:
"Before the coaches came in, it was pretty focused. We knew that we just gave up a couple too many runs and it wasn't that they (Wisconsin) were doing anything crazy. We just let them get too many points and we weren't serving the ball and getting that many points. We knew what we had to do and everybody was really focused. We just really wanted to give it a battle and give it our best shot."
 
Ciara Capezio
On having family in the crowd:
"It was nice. My dad was able to come and he hasn't been to any games this year, so that was good to see him in the stands. They just give me a lot more motivation and seeing familiar faces in the crowd helps a lot."
 
On the season:
"We've overcome a lot of adversity throughout the season with injuries, different people playing different positions, and I thought we handled that really well. We may have started the season off kind of rocky, not knowing who we were as a team, but as the season got going—even today—we found out who we really were, our strengths and weaknesses, and that's where we wanted to be."