Colorado State University Athletics
Post-Match Quotes: CSU volleyball vs. Denver
12/5/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Dec. 5, 2014
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Colorado State Post-Match Quotes
Head Coach Tom Hilbert
(on Denver)
“No. 1, I think Denver is much improved. With the exception of a little spurt in the second set, I thought they were good, competitive, had a good game plan, they kept their errors down. I think Denver is a good team, and I think they’re a program on the rise. I knew this would be a tough match, and I’m glad that it was. I think that our players had to be alert and sharp and focused to win this match tonight, and that helps us as we move into tomorrow night’s match, which will be very difficult and a huge challenge for us.”
(on facing Colorado in the second round)
“The first thing is that we have to handle their physicality. They’re playing different geometric angles and different heights than what we saw tonight. Alexis Austin is a very good athlete; Taylor Simpson is a fantastic athlete. I think we’re going to have to manage that. I think they have a couple pretty good servers, too, that we’re going to have to try and manage. They’ll try and beat us, I think, with athleticism – player for player, that team is more athletic than we are – and we’re going to have to figure a way to counter it with defense, tempo and by playing the game well.”
(on the match being a rivalry, despite not playing since 2010)
“It’s a rivalry institutionally. It is a rivalry because it is in all sports. We’re the two flagship schools for this state. There’s a lot of pride at stake. It generates a lot of interest.”
(on how Saturday’s match helps the sport of volleyball grow in the state of Colorado)
“It’s going to be fun. Regardless of outcome, this is good for volleyball in the state of Colorado. It’s going to be a signature moment, certainly in our players’ careers.”
(on how events like this weekend help recruiting)
“We saw a lot of club coaches here tonight; I’m sure there were players here, too. They need to show up and see what these matches are like in Moby Arena, and celebrate the fact that there are two very good Colorado teams playing. They need to look at it like, ‘Hey, what would it be like to play there?’ I think that’s how people should look at it, whether it’s us or CU. We need people to look at this event and say that volleyball is a big deal here.”
(on the Moby Arena atmosphere)
“Volleyball is the second-highest participation sport for girls in the United States. It needs this kind of attention. Our community brings it. If players come in and watch it, they’re going to see what an incredible environment and atmosphere it is here, and I think it will spur more interest in volleyball here.”
(on previous great matches between CSU and CU)
“None of these girls have ever played CU. You can’t draw from past matches. But I will say this: There have been some great NCAA sub-regional finals between the Rams and the Buffs before. There was a great one in 2000. There was a great one in 2001. There was a great one in 2005. I think the match will be great. It’ll be entertaining, and it’ll show off some of the best athletes in this area.”
(on the team’s practice schedule for Saturday)
“We only go for about an hour, but we will do what we do. We’ll try to simulate what we think Colorado’s going to do, and work on how we’re going to play.”
(on Denver head coach Jesse Mahoney, who was an assistant under Hilbert for seven years)
“I have an unbelievable amount of respect for Jesse. He’s intelligent. He’s running a great program there. I really do think he’s a tremendous coach. I know if I were to have lost it would have been better to have lost to him than to someone else who I don’t have those feelings for.”
(on playing at Moby Arena)
“Moby Arena is a great place to play volleyball. I’d put it up against any place in the United States. It’s intimate enough that it’s fun and you don’t get lost in the size of it. We draw big crowds. But it’s big. Some of the schools, in our league even, have volleyball-only facilities that seat 2,000. That wouldn’t work here. We get to play in a big arena, we get the big jumbotron. This is a great venue for volleyball.”
Senior middle blocker Kelsey Snider
(on her success on offense)
“I think we had a matchup advantage in the middle. I was getting up fast at zero temp, and Deedra (Foss) was setting me nice and high. I think hitting high and fast was really working.”
(on CU’s Taylor Simpson)
“She’s a very good attacker. We’re definitely going to have to be aware of that, and hopefully get some blocks on her.”
(on the spectacle of hosting an all-Colorado sub-regional)
“It’s really exciting, especially if I was looking into going to college. This is a great opportunity to see what you like and see how they play and see rivalries.”
Senior outside hitter Marlee Reynolds
(on playing Colorado in the second round)
“Playing CU, I don’t know how much we need to force it because it is such a big rivalry. I think this match kind of gives us some confidence. It gives us some flow going into this new season, the postseason.”
(on winning CSU’s opening-round match)
“It’s a relief, for sure, and it helps build confidence. It’s good not to be a first-round knockout anymore.”
(on playing CU at Moby Arena)
“It’s going to be awesome. Having it in Moby is just even sweeter; it puts the cherry on top. The crowd tonight was awesome, and I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like tomorrow.”
(on CU’s strengths)
“Every team is different. Some of the top teams we’ve played this year, those teams have a bunch of athletes. CU has a bunch of athletes. They’re competing in the Pac-12, so they have to have some big girls.”
Denver Post-Match Quotes
Head Coach Tom Hilbert
(on Denver)
“No. 1, I think Denver is much improved. With the exception of a little spurt in the second set, I thought they were good, competitive, had a good game plan, they kept their errors down. I think Denver is a good team, and I think they’re a program on the rise. I knew this would be a tough match, and I’m glad that it was. I think that our players had to be alert and sharp and focused to win this match tonight, and that helps us as we move into tomorrow night’s match, which will be very difficult and a huge challenge for us.”
(on facing Colorado in the second round)
“The first thing is that we have to handle their physicality. They’re playing different geometric angles and different heights than what we saw tonight. Alexis Austin is a very good athlete; Taylor Simpson is a fantastic athlete. I think we’re going to have to manage that. I think they have a couple pretty good servers, too, that we’re going to have to try and manage. They’ll try and beat us, I think, with athleticism – player for player, that team is more athletic than we are – and we’re going to have to figure a way to counter it with defense, tempo and by playing the game well.”
(on the match being a rivalry, despite not playing since 2010)
“It’s a rivalry institutionally. It is a rivalry because it is in all sports. We’re the two flagship schools for this state. There’s a lot of pride at stake. It generates a lot of interest.”
(on how Saturday’s match helps the sport of volleyball grow in the state of Colorado)
“It’s going to be fun. Regardless of outcome, this is good for volleyball in the state of Colorado. It’s going to be a signature moment, certainly in our players’ careers.”
(on how events like this weekend help recruiting)
“We saw a lot of club coaches here tonight; I’m sure there were players here, too. They need to show up and see what these matches are like in Moby Arena, and celebrate the fact that there are two very good Colorado teams playing. They need to look at it like, ‘Hey, what would it be like to play there?’ I think that’s how people should look at it, whether it’s us or CU. We need people to look at this event and say that volleyball is a big deal here.”
(on the Moby Arena atmosphere)
“Volleyball is the second-highest participation sport for girls in the United States. It needs this kind of attention. Our community brings it. If players come in and watch it, they’re going to see what an incredible environment and atmosphere it is here, and I think it will spur more interest in volleyball here.”
(on previous great matches between CSU and CU)
“None of these girls have ever played CU. You can’t draw from past matches. But I will say this: There have been some great NCAA sub-regional finals between the Rams and the Buffs before. There was a great one in 2000. There was a great one in 2001. There was a great one in 2005. I think the match will be great. It’ll be entertaining, and it’ll show off some of the best athletes in this area.”
(on the team’s practice schedule for Saturday)
“We only go for about an hour, but we will do what we do. We’ll try to simulate what we think Colorado’s going to do, and work on how we’re going to play.”
(on Denver head coach Jesse Mahoney, who was an assistant under Hilbert for seven years)
“I have an unbelievable amount of respect for Jesse. He’s intelligent. He’s running a great program there. I really do think he’s a tremendous coach. I know if I were to have lost it would have been better to have lost to him than to someone else who I don’t have those feelings for.”
(on playing at Moby Arena)
“Moby Arena is a great place to play volleyball. I’d put it up against any place in the United States. It’s intimate enough that it’s fun and you don’t get lost in the size of it. We draw big crowds. But it’s big. Some of the schools, in our league even, have volleyball-only facilities that seat 2,000. That wouldn’t work here. We get to play in a big arena, we get the big jumbotron. This is a great venue for volleyball.”
Senior middle blocker Kelsey Snider
(on her success on offense)
“I think we had a matchup advantage in the middle. I was getting up fast at zero temp, and Deedra (Foss) was setting me nice and high. I think hitting high and fast was really working.”
(on CU’s Taylor Simpson)
“She’s a very good attacker. We’re definitely going to have to be aware of that, and hopefully get some blocks on her.”
(on the spectacle of hosting an all-Colorado sub-regional)
“It’s really exciting, especially if I was looking into going to college. This is a great opportunity to see what you like and see how they play and see rivalries.”
Senior outside hitter Marlee Reynolds
(on playing Colorado in the second round)
“Playing CU, I don’t know how much we need to force it because it is such a big rivalry. I think this match kind of gives us some confidence. It gives us some flow going into this new season, the postseason.”
(on winning CSU’s opening-round match)
“It’s a relief, for sure, and it helps build confidence. It’s good not to be a first-round knockout anymore.”
(on playing CU at Moby Arena)
“It’s going to be awesome. Having it in Moby is just even sweeter; it puts the cherry on top. The crowd tonight was awesome, and I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like tomorrow.”
(on CU’s strengths)
“Every team is different. Some of the top teams we’ve played this year, those teams have a bunch of athletes. CU has a bunch of athletes. They’re competing in the Pac-12, so they have to have some big girls.”
Denver Post-Match Quotes
Head Coach Jesse Mahoney
(opening statement)
“I thought it was a great match. Sets 1 and 3, I think, specifically were really competitive, and I am really proud of our team and the season we have had. The last three weeks have really broken through to put ourselves in this position, and Colorado State is a tough draw for anybody, especially in their own gym. They were really good tonight in all phases. I think our team played their hearts out, and I am really proud of them.”
(on DU’s first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament)
“It’s been our goal since I have been at the University of Denver, and we have certainly made that our team goal each year. I think each year we have gotten closer to it, and this year we finally broke through. That feeling is gratifying. These groups of seniors were able to get that done in their career; I think that’s special to do something no other group at the University of Denver has gotten that done. Kate (Acker) and Bailey Karst deserve a lot of credit for that; I am absolutely excited to be here, it was a great atmosphere and I am hungry to come back again.”
(on the future of his team)
“I think as I was watching the match tonight, I noticed we had four freshman and sophomores on the floor tonight. Nola (Basey) is a sophomore, and she led us in kills tonight and I expect her to only get better. Setters tonight for us were a freshman and sophomore; I expect her to get better. I expect our goal next year is to come back and take the step beyond where we ended this year.”
(on playing in an all-Colorado sub-regional)
“It’s pretty special, Colorado State has been in the last 20 NCAA tournaments, Colorado is resurging and Northern Colorado has been in four of the last six, so we are excited to join the party a little bit. It was really nice having all of us playing in one venue. It’s a lot of fun because we know each other playerwise and staffwise. I thought that was a great atmosphere. I think it was good for the state; it showed there is good volleyball in this state, and hopefully we can do it again.”
Senior defensive specialist Kate Acker
(on being part of DU’s first-ever NCAA tournament team)
“Ever since Jesse has gotten here we have made that what we want to strive to achieve, and my senior year is now extra special knowing that we have gotten to achieve it. Again, it’s the exspericne we have had as a team, and I am happy we were able to go out on a good note”
Sophomore outside hitter Nola Basey
(on the senior class)
“We are grateful for our seniors. They have worked their butts off for three years, and it has showed off this season. It’s hard to know you aren’t going to play with the same group of girls, and we hope it was everything they wanted it to be”
(on next year’s team)
“In the future, unfortunately, we are losing our primary setter Bailey (Karst), and she didn’t play tonight which hurt us. But, we have two up-and-coming setters who had strong performances tonight, and I owe a lot of my success on the offensive side to them spreading the ball around, and in tough situations putting it where it needs to be”
(opening statement)
“I thought it was a great match. Sets 1 and 3, I think, specifically were really competitive, and I am really proud of our team and the season we have had. The last three weeks have really broken through to put ourselves in this position, and Colorado State is a tough draw for anybody, especially in their own gym. They were really good tonight in all phases. I think our team played their hearts out, and I am really proud of them.”
(on DU’s first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament)
“It’s been our goal since I have been at the University of Denver, and we have certainly made that our team goal each year. I think each year we have gotten closer to it, and this year we finally broke through. That feeling is gratifying. These groups of seniors were able to get that done in their career; I think that’s special to do something no other group at the University of Denver has gotten that done. Kate (Acker) and Bailey Karst deserve a lot of credit for that; I am absolutely excited to be here, it was a great atmosphere and I am hungry to come back again.”
(on the future of his team)
“I think as I was watching the match tonight, I noticed we had four freshman and sophomores on the floor tonight. Nola (Basey) is a sophomore, and she led us in kills tonight and I expect her to only get better. Setters tonight for us were a freshman and sophomore; I expect her to get better. I expect our goal next year is to come back and take the step beyond where we ended this year.”
(on playing in an all-Colorado sub-regional)
“It’s pretty special, Colorado State has been in the last 20 NCAA tournaments, Colorado is resurging and Northern Colorado has been in four of the last six, so we are excited to join the party a little bit. It was really nice having all of us playing in one venue. It’s a lot of fun because we know each other playerwise and staffwise. I thought that was a great atmosphere. I think it was good for the state; it showed there is good volleyball in this state, and hopefully we can do it again.”
Senior defensive specialist Kate Acker
(on being part of DU’s first-ever NCAA tournament team)
“Ever since Jesse has gotten here we have made that what we want to strive to achieve, and my senior year is now extra special knowing that we have gotten to achieve it. Again, it’s the exspericne we have had as a team, and I am happy we were able to go out on a good note”
Sophomore outside hitter Nola Basey
(on the senior class)
“We are grateful for our seniors. They have worked their butts off for three years, and it has showed off this season. It’s hard to know you aren’t going to play with the same group of girls, and we hope it was everything they wanted it to be”
(on next year’s team)
“In the future, unfortunately, we are losing our primary setter Bailey (Karst), and she didn’t play tonight which hurt us. But, we have two up-and-coming setters who had strong performances tonight, and I owe a lot of my success on the offensive side to them spreading the ball around, and in tough situations putting it where it needs to be”
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