May 5, 2006
2006 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship
UCLA Quotes
Head Coach Al Scates
Opening Statement: I'm glad we're here and that we have a chance to reach our season-long goal. It's great to back in Happy Valley again. As far as our team goes, we're healthy. We got through our last practice without any injuries. Everybody's healthy so that's a good sign.
What's the secret to playing your best volleyball in May? I think the secret is that when you're 5-9 you have a team that isn't pointing fingers and is still supporting each other and still showing up in the weight room working hard. I think it's about the individuals on the team. I continue to work them hard. In the long-term that pays off. It's easy to peak a team; I know how to peak a team if they'll stay healthy and this team has cooperated.
Does the meeting you had with Penn State in Hawai'i have any bearing at all on tomorrow night's match? We were a completely different team and they couldn't pass at all, so they're a completely different team too. They've improved and we've improved so I'm not particularly interested in looking at the tape of that match. We brought it, but I probably won't even look at it.
Do you think this tournament should be expanded? Of course; we're the most under-represented sport in all of the NCAA. We've got over 80 teams playing and there are only four teams that actually get to participate in the tournament. If we had 8 teams or 12 teams we would be under-represented. There are so many good teams out there that deserve to be in this tournament.
There will be no first team All-Americans on the floor tomorrow night. Do you think that's a testament to the importance of team volleyball? Well, when the coaches choose the All-Americans they typically look at the stats. Unfortunately, our team shares the ball. Last night we had five players in double figures (points). At the end of the year we don't have anybody standing out in these categories. If you look at the stats, everybody's absolutely right; we don't have any All-Americans on this team. All we want to do is have the best team in the country. We are a very good team and we'll find out tomorrow night if we're the best.
Sr., OH, Damien Scott
Given the hole you were in earlier in the season, how good does this feel? Like coach said it was our season goal so we were all focused on that. My mom would ask me if we still had a chance and I never doubted us.
Does part of the reason you never doubted this team stem from the type of program UCLA is and has been? With the chemistry we have as a team and how we're such good friends on and off the court and always have each others backs, I couldn't imagine this not happening. We (also) want to uphold the legend and tradition that UCLA has. I was on the team when we had the worst record ever and also on the team that had gone four years without ever winning a national title. I think that's on our minds but our chemistry when we go out there helps out and I think everyone else feels the same way and that we can pull through.
After playing so many road matches how different will be it be to play in front of a sold-out crowd? I don't really hear the people; I just hear the noise and feel the energy. That's what makes me start playing. The UCI/Penn State game was so entertaining for us to watch last night. Everything that could happen happened. It went to five, they had the crowd going back and forth and everything was going on. It was a remarkable experience and I think that tomorrow night will be a great experience too.
Do you think you have the mental edge going into tomorrow night's game after winning fairly-easily in three games? I don't think so. They had two more games of practice to fine tune all their techniques. I think they have the advantage.
Sr., S Dennis Gonzalez
After missing most of the championships last year, how glad are you to be able to be here right now? It's great. It's a second chance and not too many people would have that opportunity with many other programs. It's such a consistent program and we believe in ourselves. We don't have any All-Americans on the team, we have one honorable mention and we're still here. It's been a great team effort.
After playing so many road matches how different will be it be to play in front of a sold-out crowd? We've come out big in front of big crowds. I think we're going to step up; I have no doubt.
Penn State Quotes
Head Coach Mark Pavlik
Opening Statement: I think after two and a half years of knowing we had this and trying to gear everything toward that, it's nice to be here. It's pretty nice being in this position and probably even more exciting for our seniors. This is something you don't understand until you're in this position, how truly special it is. I often say I wish every NCAA student-athlete could be part of something like this in their sport because it is truly something these guys are going to remember for the rest of their lives. We're looking forward to trying to duplicate what we did Thursday night and make it an event everyone is going to remember.
Do you look back at the match in January vs. UCLA? Not a ton because I think the one thing that Coach Scates does with every team he has, is they get better and better and their personality tends to change over the course of the year. He's tried several different lineups before he settles with one, which seems to have gotten some continuity. A lot of the guys played against us then and in that match I don't think either team played very well. It was our second night in Hawai'i, which historically for us is a real tough one to play. You just go in knowing the Bruins are going to work hard, they're going to have a game plan and we better make sure we're ready to match their energy and we're smart enough to come up with something too.
What kind of statement would be made with a win? Parity exists in men's volleyball. It's fun to listen to the west coast versus the east coast. I don't know if we could ask for a better relationship between the two teams that played last night on the court as well as off the court. There's parity in men's volleyball. I don't care where you're ranked, I don't care who you play. We have some great coaches out there who do a great job with their guys.
Would you like to see the tournament go to eight teams? Absolutely. Speaking very selfishly for the east, in the past if you have a young, up and coming coach with a young, up and coming program and he walks into his AD and says for x-amount of dollars I can get here, here and here. The AD says when are you going to beat the dominant team, you haven't beaten them for 12 years. Why should I give x-amount of dollars. We go to 8 teams, now you don't have to be a dominant team in your region and the athletic directors can make some very comfortable incremental increases in the course of a couple years and see some immediate benefits. You'll see some significant growth and the pool of better players will be spread out to more schools.
What are the characteristics of both teams? I think you have a group of guys on both sides of the net that have been together and are used to playing with each other. While it may not be a sexy draw, it's one where people who like to watch true teams play, it could be a match where someone may come off the bench that creates a spark.
How do you feel about the way [freshman middle hitter] Max [Holt] played? It's a continuation of the season. He's been a very pleasant surprise. At some point I expected him to hit a wall and instead of hitting a wall he's become a wall. I never even considered the fact that we'd have to worry about him. He's just never given us any opportunity to say that we just need to find a way to manage through this. He competes hard and I think he's figuring some things out about what he needs to be successful at this level.
Sr., MH, Nate Meerstein
How big is the home court advantage? I think it's a huge advantage. You look at last night, I mean they definitely scored us points and kept us in it. They were like the seventh man out there. There were times we sort of rode them to make sure we stayed in the match. I don't think we could put a point total on it but they definitely got us a few points there throughout the night and it was a huge benefit.
How was your late night? I went home and tried to sleep. I didn't really sleep much last night. I'm alright, I think we're all good. We're not going to be tired for a chance like this.
How does it feel to have your last game be the title game? Amazing. I think as a senior you can't ask for anything better than that. We have been wanting to play for this all year and to be able to end the season on the last game possible is the best thing you could look forward to, especially on your home floor.
What did you think about the lights? I didn't know what to think. Once we realized what happened and what we'd have to go through to get them back on, we made sure everyone stayed warm. We realized Max would be our guy. He told us he'd put it in and we took it from there.
Sr., OH, Matt Proper
How great does it feel to be here? We haven't had the best season. We definitely had as many highs and lows as any other team I've been apart of and we always look towards the national championship as our main goal. Pav always said we have to be our best come May. We were pretty close to our best last night and it feels good.
Can you duplicate last night? Yes, I think the only part of our game that really struggled last night was our serving and if we miss a couple less serves, we'll be even better tomorrow night.