Before Thursday night’s match against Arizona State in the regional semifinal of the NCAA tournament, Stanford women’s volleyball spoke to the media. Head coach Kevin Hambly along with junior middle blocker Sami Francis and sophomore outside hitter Elia Rubin were the ones who represented the team.
VIDEO: Stanford Women’s Volleyball looks ahead to ASU and NCAA tourney regionals
Kevin Hambly started by congratulating Texas, Arizona State, and Tennessee for reaching the Sweet Sixteen. He loves this time of year and the great exposure it gives the sport on ESPNU and ESPN2. He feels like it’s going to be great for the fans. He’s sad that the Pac-12 is going away and that they’re all going their separate ways, but they are looking forward to the challenge given that Arizona State is the only program to beat them in league play this season.
Hambly said Arizona State can serve and pass and has great arms. A team that poses a lot of challenges for them. The fact that they won at BYU really impressed him given how tough it is to win there. He said the fact that they handled BYU so well speaks highly of them. He said they have their hands full and will have to play their best to win.
Francis is happy to be healthy given this time a year ago she was just coming back from injury. She said it’s nice and a blessing to be able to play.
Rubin said she is feeling more settled in and confident now that she’s in the NCAA tournament for a second straight season. She said having that experience has been helping her a lot.
Comparing last year’s team to this year’s team, Hambly said they have a better offensive rhythm than they did a year ago. Francis being healthy is a big part of that. But across the board, he feels like they’ve elevated their game as an entire team. Passing, serving, hitting, etc. A much more efficient team. Same group of players, but he feels like they’ve elevated in every single stat. More mature and more experienced. He said they’ve shown they can beat anyone in the country. All about execution this time of year. He does hope their experience will help as well as being at home.
On the 8:30 PM start time on Thursday night, Francis and Rubin didn’t seem to really care about that one way or another. They’re just excited to play. Hambly joked that he’s more worried about the coaching staff since the players are such night owls.
On their undefeated record in five setters, Francis said they just wipe it clean and are good at pushing forward in terms of focusing on the next point. Rubin added that when fear starts to settle in, that helps them lock in. Just about taking things one point at a time. She feels like they do a good job of really valuing every single point. She feels like they do a good job of staying mentally tough.
On seeing Arizona State for a third time, Francis said she feels both teams have gotten better over the course of the season. She said she thinks it’s key to stay aggressive and play consistent. From past games, she said they’ve learned and are better prepared than they were that time.
Rubin echoed all of that. She feels like you can expect more of a battle than the previous two matches, which were both sweeps. They swept Arizona State at home and then got swept on the road. Rubin said it’s all about playing their best volleyball and putting their best foot forward.
On managing final exams during this time of year along with NCAA tournament volleyball, Rubin said they take it one day at a time. All about focusing on volleyball when the get to Maples Pavilion and not worrying about school. Rubin said giving it a hundred percent to volleyball is crucial to navigating that.
On Kami Miner, Hambly said she has improved in every area and the team has improved in every area in no small part to her. He said Miner has a great feel for her teammates and giving them the type of balls that they want to see. She has elevated her game in every level and grown a lot more as a leader. He likes how she continues to get better in every area and works really hard.
On tournament time, Rubin said she loves watching all the volleyball and being a part of it. It’s an experience she cherishes. She likes being able to focus on the team in front of you and now that she’s a player in the tournament, she values this time of year a lot more. She feels like it’s a cool time of year.
Francis said it’s surreal to be in the tournament. Nice to be able to focus on one opponent and the thrill of it all. She likes the ups and downs. Just how everything builds towards this tournament.
Hambly said they prepare all year for December. All about being the best team they can be at this time of year. He likes how you have to hyper fixate on one team and focus in on that one match. How it keeps you in the moment. He also likes how everyone is feeling good in the tournament until they lose. Just the energy of the tournament. And then how sudden it is when you get knocked out. Living on that edge he finds to be the most fun and exciting about the tournament.
Finally, when asked about having just played a five setter against Houston, Rubin said it wasn’t the plan to go play a five setter. But, she does feel like they will benefit from having gone through that experience and won. Just learning how to deal with that pressure she feels will have served them well. The fact that they pulled through she feels speaks well of them. Francis quickly added that they showed they could do it and that should give them some confidence going forward.
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