POSTMATCH QUOTES – UCLA vs. UCF
POSTMATCH QUOTES
UCLA 3, UCF 2
December 4, 2021
UCLA Women’s Volleyball Head Coach Michael Sealy
opening statement
“First and foremost, congratulations to UCF. Great team. Great season. Really, really well-coached and trained. They played and executed at a really high level. I was very nervous going into this match looking at what they did on video and what they did last night. Pleased to have battled and gotten through it.”
on how impressed he was with the team’s defensive performance
“That’s a team effort. I think (assistant coaches Eric Barber and Megan Pendergast) did a great job on preparation of the scouting report. I think we put ourselves in the right place to go execute, and obviously when you talk about the defense tonight, you can’t overlook Iman’s 10 blocks. McKenna Melville is one of the better pins in the country and showed so much range last night. So, to finally get the match where we can get Iman in front of her, it puts a ton of stress and chaos in front of her to really help shut her down.”
on Charitie Luper being back in the lineup
“Yeah, working (her) back in as far as working with doctors and Charitie as far as what’s the best situation for her to play in. We thought that being three rotations in the back row doesn’t overload her with a lot of stuff. She provides a lot of stability. She’s so even keel, so not only is she making the plays physically, you just think emotionally she’s a great anchor for everybody.”
graduate outside hitter/opposite Mac May
on the opening rally in the fourth set
“Just go. There’s nothing else to do but go. So, I went back and just hit my serve and see what happens. I luckily got some aces. That was awesome. I just think It gave our team a little bit of a push to get through that deficit. It’s awesome having your home crowd behind and it was incredible for us to feel that energy.
on going to Wisconsin, close to her hometown of Dubuque, Iowa
“I mean, it’s always exciting to be moving forward to the next team. This is the second time going to the Fieldhouse. It’s exciting (my family) will be able to drive there and get some people who normally wouldn’t be able to see us play since it’s a long trip out here. I’m grateful for us to be able to have that match and go over there. I’m excited for the fam to see the new team.”
sophomore outside hitter/opposite Iman Ndiaye
on her career-high 10 blocks
“I think just trusting my training, being disciplined. I know what to do, it’s just a matter of doing it. So, I just took it one play at a time and just thought about it before the play and I felt confident in my blocking moves.”
on her two blocks in the fifth set
“I think the second one was even more special, because when you shut someone down twice, the team when you get a block cheers more than any other point and I think that was important to keep the moment driving forward.”
graduate setter Shelby Martin
on feeling the crowd’s energy late in the fourth set
“I think just having every one at there and having the same mentality of never wanting to give up, continue to fight especially for us seniors. This was going to be it if we lost. We had nothing else to lose and we really kicked it into gear especially when the crowd stood up and gave us so much energy so we just kept feeding off each other and trusting each other and running our game.”
on her message to her attackers ahead of the match
“I told them specifically today that I was going to do my best as a senior, as a leader and as a setter to run the offense as quickly as I could to get them in the best position to score.”
UCLA 3, UCF 2
December 4, 2021
UCLA Women’s Volleyball Head Coach Michael Sealy
opening statement
“First and foremost, congratulations to UCF. Great team. Great season. Really, really well-coached and trained. They played and executed at a really high level. I was very nervous going into this match looking at what they did on video and what they did last night. Pleased to have battled and gotten through it.”
on how impressed he was with the team’s defensive performance
“That’s a team effort. I think (assistant coaches Eric Barber and Megan Pendergast) did a great job on preparation of the scouting report. I think we put ourselves in the right place to go execute, and obviously when you talk about the defense tonight, you can’t overlook Iman’s 10 blocks. McKenna Melville is one of the better pins in the country and showed so much range last night. So, to finally get the match where we can get Iman in front of her, it puts a ton of stress and chaos in front of her to really help shut her down.”
on Charitie Luper being back in the lineup
“Yeah, working (her) back in as far as working with doctors and Charitie as far as what’s the best situation for her to play in. We thought that being three rotations in the back row doesn’t overload her with a lot of stuff. She provides a lot of stability. She’s so even keel, so not only is she making the plays physically, you just think emotionally she’s a great anchor for everybody.”
graduate outside hitter/opposite Mac May
on the opening rally in the fourth set
“Just go. There’s nothing else to do but go. So, I went back and just hit my serve and see what happens. I luckily got some aces. That was awesome. I just think It gave our team a little bit of a push to get through that deficit. It’s awesome having your home crowd behind and it was incredible for us to feel that energy.
on going to Wisconsin, close to her hometown of Dubuque, Iowa
“I mean, it’s always exciting to be moving forward to the next team. This is the second time going to the Fieldhouse. It’s exciting (my family) will be able to drive there and get some people who normally wouldn’t be able to see us play since it’s a long trip out here. I’m grateful for us to be able to have that match and go over there. I’m excited for the fam to see the new team.”
sophomore outside hitter/opposite Iman Ndiaye
on her career-high 10 blocks
“I think just trusting my training, being disciplined. I know what to do, it’s just a matter of doing it. So, I just took it one play at a time and just thought about it before the play and I felt confident in my blocking moves.”
on her two blocks in the fifth set
“I think the second one was even more special, because when you shut someone down twice, the team when you get a block cheers more than any other point and I think that was important to keep the moment driving forward.”
graduate setter Shelby Martin
on feeling the crowd’s energy late in the fourth set
“I think just having every one at there and having the same mentality of never wanting to give up, continue to fight especially for us seniors. This was going to be it if we lost. We had nothing else to lose and we really kicked it into gear especially when the crowd stood up and gave us so much energy so we just kept feeding off each other and trusting each other and running our game.”
on her message to her attackers ahead of the match
“I told them specifically today that I was going to do my best as a senior, as a leader and as a setter to run the offense as quickly as I could to get them in the best position to score.”