Quote the Horns: Dec. 8
Dec. 8, 2009 Head Coach Jerritt Elliott On whether Nebraska’s narrow loss in the recent Big 12 Championship game in football will give Cornhusker fans even more to cheer about: I think so. They are very knowledgeable volleyball fans, and knowing what they know and with the big football game having just occurred, it may add a little bit more to their fire. We know that they can be very loud. We saw the semifinals last year with Nebraska and Penn State and how loud they were. It is a great college environment. There is going to be a lot of adversity that we have to face, but it is going to make us a lot stronger. On the top teams in the Big 12 having to face each other in the Regional: It does not matter where they put us, but it is pretty surprising that they put the top four teams in our conference together. It is a little disappointing because I feel like multiple teams have the potential to be a Final Four team, and you miss out on that, so we are going to have to eliminate each other through this process. That is the unfortunate part because we could have represented our conference really well if we were dispersed a little bit better. On the team’s excitement level heading into the Regional: I think today is going to be the first day that our players are really excited. They have been staying up until 3 or 4 a.m. studying and taking finals and then trying to practice. It has been pretty taxing on them. Most of them are finishing up today. We have a few to take on the road next week, but overall, they are going to get really excited here and get rest. They know what is at stake. They have been through this before. This is their fourth straight year in the Sweet 16. They know what it is about, and they have not reached their goals yet, and they are determined to do that.
Junior outside hitter Juliann Faucette On being done with finals and able to focus completely on the upcoming tournament: It feels awesome. I think that not having that pressure during this important time of the season is great, and some of my other teammates are also in the same position as me, so it just alleviates a lot of stress. On returning to the same place where the Longhorns lost last year: It is a motivator—completely a motivator. I think that it is great that we are able to go back there to that same arena with that thought of losing to Stanford and being motivated to push through this time and come out with a W. On whether Nebraska fans will have even more reason to cheer after their recent loss to Texas in football: Nebraska fans are diehard for their school, and I think that is definitely something that they may hold against us, but they are always respectful of us. It makes the rivalry more fun, and that is what sports are all about. On playing Texas A&M: It is obviously a great rivalry that we have always had with Texas A&M. I think that it is going to be fun to play them in Omaha and see which team Nebraska fans are going to root for. I think that A&M is doing some great things now, and we have to go in there prepared. Sophomore middle blocker Rachael Adams On playing Texas A&M for a third time this season: Three times is a lot in one season, but it is less scouting for the coaches, and we know more of them personnel-wise. We can only get better after those first two times. On the possibility that Nebraska fans may be rooting against Texas after the Big 12 Football Championship: We know it is going to be us against the whole arena. We just have to keep together, have faith in each other, and just go out there and battle. This is what we play for.
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