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Aug. 22, 2011

Head coach Jerritt Elliott
On the 2011 team: You’ve only been in the gym for two weeks so you’re just trying to get your team organized and set up for the first match.  We have a lot of veterans returning and we have a spectacular freshman group.  They are a little bit further ahead than I thought they would be but we still have a long way to go.

On the mindset and expectations of this year’s team:  It’s definitely a new team.  We have high expectations and obviously the Final Four is in San Antonio this year.  We have a team that potentially has the talent, but we have to find out what their character and team personality is like and we won’t know that until we start playing some matches.  Ultimately, we have some really good pieces.  If they learn how to work together and improve on a daily basis, that’s going to be the key for us.

On the goal of making a fourth-straight Final Four appearance: It’s been a great accomplishment to be at three straight Final Fours.  It’s not easy, especially what we went through last year.  We kind of overachieved.  Our players are kind of getting tired of the Final Four, and if that sounds bad, it’s that they want to get to the top.  They’ve been working hard.  They’ve been here all summer and got up at 6 a.m. and worked out for that goal.  We have great team chemistry and I like what we’re seeing, but at the end of the day our leadership is going to have to get us there.  We’re going to have to be able to execute and do it when it’s crunch time.

Senior S Michelle Kocher
On her anticipation of the new season: I’m excited.  It’s mind-blowing that it is my senior year, but I couldn’t be more excited about this group of girls and this season.  It should be really fun and it’s already been super competitive just within our gym, so we’re really pumped to play another team besides our team.

On having a full and healthy team going into the season: It’s crazy. At the first workout, we had 13 girls and we’re not used to that.  It was kind of like, “Wow, we have so many people here.”  What’s crazy is that everyone is so talented and that everyone has an opportunity to be on the court.  So not only do we have quantity, but we have quality.  It’s going to be a crazy season.

Sophomore OPP/OH Bailey Webster
On playing again following last season’s injury: It feels great.  Having to sit out a game is tough, but having to sit out an entire season was hard.  But I knew my role and was really supportive of everyone and we had a great season last year.  Once preseason started, I could not wait to get back.  It’s just been really exciting for me.

On the mindset of the team heading into the season: I wouldn’t say anyone is nervous.  Everyone has that calm confidence like we want to do so well and we know we can do well.  We’re just trying to work together as a team to show how good we can actually be.

Freshman OH Haley Eckerman
On her decision to join the Texas Volleyball program:  I love the coaching staff and it’s a great group of girls.  It’s like a family here; your teammates are family.  I love the campus. It’s beautiful here and it’s warm.  Iowa is very cold, but it’s very warm here.

On excitement going into her freshman season: I’m so excited to play with this group of girls.  Practices have been so much fun with the competition.  Even our Orange-White game was so much fun to watch everyone celebrate every point.  I’m really excited for the season to start.

On the difference in play from high school to college:  Back home I was the tallest on the team.  They were very short so blocking was kind of easy.  Here all of the girls challenge everybody.  It’s not just one or two players like in high school.  With all the high school teams, there are some teams that are very good and some teams that are decent, but here everyone is good.  They challenge you to play to your best potential.
 
Senior L/DS Sydney Yogi
On how it feels to be playing again: It feels amazing.  It was definitely way too long of a time to be out and not in the same frame of mind as when you’re competing every single day.  It feels good to be back on the court and playing with everyone again and getting back into things and I’m definitely happy about it.

On having the entire team back and healthy for the start of the season: As far as the injured people, I know that we’ve all been working really hard in the offseason to get back to even better than we were before we were injured.  There were five people injured [at the end of last season] so it feels like there are eight new players on our team right now.  It feels really good.

On making a Final Four appearance last year despite injuries: I think we were all really proud of ourselves for that.  We’re a team of fighters and that is kind of the “Texas Toughness” that we’ve been trained to have.  Our work ethic is just amazing and it shows every single day in the gym and in the weight room.  I think the fact that we can still make it to the Final Four with all those injuries and with a lot of key players out shows that we can really do anything.

Sophomore S Hannah Allison
On summer training and starting the season: We’ve been here all summer working out, getting physically prepared and mentally prepared for the fall.  We are even more excited now with our first game coming up.   We are really anxious.  Our practices have been more and more exciting because everyone is getting ready to play.

On the level of competition:  Our pre-conference games are going to be really tough.  That means we are going to have to be ready at the beginning of the season. You have to be ready from the first game.  You have to be prepared and it’s a real test as soon as you step on the court. 

Freshman Utility Madelyn Hutson
On the team:  I think our team as a whole is very talented and if we pull together in the right ways we can do some great things

On the potential to win a National Championship:  I think it’s going to be a step-by-step process and continuing to work on our time.  It’s an ongoing process.  We can’t say we know exactly what we have to do right now.

On coming to UT: I visited UT my freshman year of high school with one of my friends and fell in love with Austin.  The volleyball program here is amazing and I love the coaching staff.  It’s really a family environment and you really do feel like your team is your family. 

Senior MB Rachael Adams
On being back: It feels great.  We have a lot of our players back and we have been working hard all summer.  It’s going to feel great to put our hard work to the test and just go out there and have fun. 

On being healthy and having everyone back:  Yes, last year we had a lot of injuries and it was hard to practice.  We only had around nine players and now we have 13 competitive girls and all the positions are up to play.  There’s a lot of competition in the gym.