Shocks vs Longhorns (Let's Celebrate)

[shox8498]

Fine season, ladies!

You played tough and proud all the way to the end today.

Thanks to all of you for many fun moments this year. And thanks to Coaches Lamb and staff for putting a great team together.

Already looking forward to more next year.

:goshocks:

[1972Shocker]

A further note. I thought it was class act on Coach Lamb's part to get senior Angela Jakubov on the court late in the third set.

Agreed. Not only that but her name pretty much tongue-tied the Texas announcer.

[flyingMoose]

Postmatch Quotes

TEXAS

Head Coach Jerritt Elliott
Opening statement: First of all, I would like to congratulate Wichita State on such a fabulous year. To go undefeated for the whole season, lose in the conference tournament and then battle back mentally to win the first-round game was very impressive. Regardless of what kind of team you have, to be able to put on runs in terms of wins is remarkable. For them to go 30-1 before this match was an incredible coaching job by [Chris Lamb] and his staff. Their program keeps getting better and I am just really proud of them. In terms of my team, I am extremely proud of the way we came out playing. We served and received very well tonight. We served really well and that was the big component. It was one of our better matches on the year, and I think we continue to get better. We had to play at a very high level to beat a very good Wichita State team and we executed at a very high level. We took great swings and got people involved and kept them off-balance. Technically and skill-wise, they are a great team and coached well, but we just had a little bit extra in terms of the physically component. I'm very pleased with the way my team played on the defensive end and obviously on the offensive side. This was a very good win against a quality opponent in a very tough NCAA Tournament. My hat goes out to Chris Lamb and his staff and Wichita State.

On Wichita State: I think they would fair very well in our conference and definitely would have been in the top four, if not higher. They played extremely well here, and the thing that people don't know, is that they are starting to draw 6,000 to 8,000 people. Playing them at home would be a lot tougher match-up. They're growing and they continue to get better. There's no coach in the country that has driven more than Chris Lamb in terms of trying to find secret talent. Every time I talk to him, it seems like he is in his car somewhere. I think they are close. If they can get one big time left-side hitter, I think that would make a big difference. It still comes down to left side hitting.

WICHITA STATE

Head Coach Chris Lamb
Opening statement: I'm pretty proud of my team for the season we've had. With the way the conference is made up, I see it as not how far in the tournament you go, it's what team you get to, that's the state of the tournament right now. We got to Texas and they are a great team.

On tonight's game and its outcome: They are a very well coached team, and I'm so proud of Jerritt [Elliot]. I've told him with what his team can do offensively, I think any night they can beat anybody. I love their setter. I'm glad to be here, they can beat anyone ahead, and I wish the best of luck to them.

Junior outside hitter Emily Stockman
On the end of this season: It's definitely been great. Everyone is going to go out with a loss except one team that wins the championship. So to go out here to Texas is the second best way to go.

On next year: We have had an amazing season this year with this squad. We are only going to lose two players, and though both of them were incredible players, we have other people that are ready to step up and take on the challenge again next year.

Sophomore middle blocker Sarah McGee
On the outcome of their season: After the win last night against Rice, I remember yelling "30 wins!" To get to 30 wins is awesome regardless of tonight's loss. We are very happy with our season and we are looking forward to next year.

[rrshock]

The Texas coach said great things, but I still would bet they won't schedule us.

And for him to think that WSU would finish no lower than 4th in a very very tough Big 12 is a very good compliment, no matter how it is worded. Especially since the top 2 in that league are like 2 and 3 in the country.

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

The Texas coach said great things, but I still would bet they won't schedule us.

And for him to think that WSU would finish no lower than 4th in a very very tough Big 12 is a very good compliment, no matter how it is worded. Especially since the top 2 in that league are like 2 and 3 in the country.

I think he did basically say they wouldn't want to come and play in Wichita.

[WuDrWu]

Lamb said on KGSO earlier this week that the UT coach was his best friend in coaching going all the way back to their club volleyball days.

Some of the comments were maybe a touch "sweet" due to this friendship, but usually you stay loyal to your league.....I bet there would be a few programs that might take exception to that comment, BUT, he is right on and not being overly complimentary......I said it months ago that we would be no LOWER than 4 and maybe 3....I still believe that and today I even think it's better than 50-50 we would have finished 3rd.

[flyingMoose]

And the Volleytalk thread about the match. The participants in the thread were fairly complimentary of us, noting that we were simply overpowered.

And they got as big a charge out of the announcer as we did.

http://volleytalk.proboards88.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=24784#

[ShockerFever]

Those are some real nice comments by the UT coach.. really nice.

I hope they go far.

[shock10]

Shockers finish 30-2. I am very proud to be a Shocker fan. Thanks for the good times coach.

[WSUwatcher]

Attendance

CSTV's Gametracker said the attendance in Austin today was 1175 -- wow.

Yes, I know Alabama and Florida were on TV -- and if the truth be told that's what I would have been watching even if the match had been in Wichita (sorry, but I happen to like Alabama -- what can I say?). And yes, I know football is king in Texas, although I'm not so sure about SEC football. Still, 1175?

Obviously, it's hard to imagine that WSU would have drawn only 1175 for a final, football or no football. And although no one would argue that WSU deserved a regional instead of Texas, there are certainly teams that were given host spots who deserved it no more than WSU did. Try Dayton or American, for example, who also didn't have the advantage of being from a big-name conference or of finishing 29-1. How did those teams buy regionals?

That isn't the landfill you smell, it's the NCAA volleyball selection committee and process.

[RoyalShock]

Isn't Texas hosting a regional? If so, their fans were probably counting on an easy sub-regional win and waiting to attend the regional.

[Veritas]

Wow, if that's the case Royal, it doesn't say much for VB support in Austin. You don't see the Shocker baseball fans not attending a Regional Championship game at Eck because they are waiting for the Shockers to win and be awarded a Super Regional.

[ShockerFever]

Wow, if that's the case Royal, it doesn't say much for VB support in Austin. You don't see the Shocker baseball fans not attending a Regional Championship game at Eck because they are waiting for the Shockers to win and be awarded a Super Regional.

Agreed. That's pretty lame.

[SpanglerFan316]

And the Volleytalk thread about the match. The participants in the thread were fairly complimentary of us, noting that we were simply overpowered.

And they got as big a charge out of the announcer as we did.

http://volleytalk.proboards88.com/in...&thread=24784#

I was at the UT vs WSU match. WSU has a nice team. IMO, if they played in one of the Big 3 conferences, and took beatings like this against the top 2 or 3 teams in the league, they would struggle like all the Big conference teams do and with this team they would probably finish somewhere between 5th and 9th in each conference. That's a pretty good season but those teams aren't being ranked #10 in the nation. The unknown, because they aren't challenged, is what gets them ranked that high.

I think we could do better than 5th. UNI beat Iowa State during the season and WSU beat UNI twice during the season. I think we are better than Iowa State. Where did ISU finish in the Big 12? (OK, Iowa State beat #6 seed Minnesota but I also think we're better than Minnesota.)

[flyingMoose]

I think we could do better than 5th. UNI beat Iowa State during the season and WSU beat UNI twice during the season. I think we are better than Iowa State. Where did ISU finish in the Big 12? (OK, Iowa State beat #6 seed Minnesota but I also think we're better than Minnesota.)

I agree, and so did Coach Elliott, even given that he was being "obligatory complimentary".

I thought we did quite well in Austin. Once we adjusted to the speed with which Rice ran their offense, we controlled that match. And we improved each set against Texas. Unless we had an off-the-charts service game to keep them out of their offense, we were not going to able to counteract their length and power. But after Texas and Nebraska in the Big XII, we would be in the battle for "top of the rest of the heap".