Dec. 7, 2013
Michigan State
Head Coach Cathy George
Opening statement…
“The matchup, we knew, was going to be a tough one right from the get-go. We have a lot of respect for Ohio University and what they have been able to do in the Mid-American Conference. They have been an outstanding team and you look at the types of players they have in there. They are very capable of doing a lot of damage. I love the leadership they have with their setter, she really takes over games and we were very alert of that and we made sure we contained her which I felt our team did a good job of. Our serving kept them off the net and we did a lot there that kept their offense from getting cooking. There a very fast team, very scrappy team, very disciplined and well coached team. We are just really pleased that we were able to pull that one out and give ourselves a chance for tomorrow.”
On the potential matchups in the next round …
“Well we did play Duquesne early in the year and they are a really gritty team and they have a middle blocker who is outstanding and very fast, active and she is very talented. They fight back defensively, they pass well, and they do a lot of nice things. Kentucky is very physical and we watched their players for quite some time on TV, so we have watched their matchups and they are just extremely physical across the board. Even seeing a lot of these players in recruiting battles made us very well aware of them. They are good teams, great teams, and great host here in Kentucky. They have done a nice job of putting things together.”
#12, Kristen Kelsay, Sr., S
On the performance both individually and by the team …
“It was good consistency for us and we knew Ohio was a very good team. They battled us and we knew that they were never going to go away and we knew if we didn’t come out strong they could take the game. That was a very disciplined team and we needed to keep our service pressure on and our physicality. I think we did at times; you saw that fighting back and we knew this was going to be a battle. But I think we stayed the course and I think that was really good to see that consistency heading into tomorrow’s match. ”
#15, Lauren Wicinski, Sr., OH
On the performance both individually and by the team …
“Ohio is a tough team and I knew they were going to come in here and battle. That’s what the MAC does, they battle. I think we were prepared to fight for it and they were going to hit hard and be ready for us so we knew we just needed to stay focused and be aggressive.”
Ohio
Head Coach Ryan Theis
Opening statement …
“Want to thank the people of Lexington for being good hosts. With the weather shifting they were good to us. In terms of the match I just thought we did several things quite well. We didn’t really get our serve block going as well as we would have liked to but that’s probably a credit to Michigan State’s passing and attacking. I’m really proud of our team and the season we’ve had, it’s been a lot of fun. They’ve been through everything injuries and resilience. We had five hitters cleared to play today and those guys played their hearts out and they did it all year. It was a tough fight. Hats off to Michigan State. I thought [Lauren] Wicinski and [Alexis] Matthews played like seniors who wanted to advance, and they did. I thought they beat us. We tip our cap to them and hope to be back next year.”
On the challenges of facing Michigan State and its size and athleticism …
“Well, they’re a physical team. What did they block at, 2.8 for the year or something? Coming out of the Big Ten that’s a pretty good number and they’ve got some pretty physical hitters. I think it is a strength of theirs. They’ve done a good job bringing in big physical players who can block. If you hit their hands it’s going to be a point one way or another. They’re going to get you out of bounds and I thought they did a pretty good job of getting us today.”
On Karin Bull’s performance …
“I thought Karin did a really nice job. She even had a tough assignment. We were trying to get her to get some touches on Matthews, so defensively that was pretty tough for her. [MSU has a] pretty efficient attacker over there. But I thought offensively she was able to get in the gap, she was able to score and she was fighting back. Matthews ended with 10 and she had eight, so I thought she held her own against one of the best middles out there.”
#3, Alexis Pinson, Ohio MB
On the season as a whole …
“One of our goals was to make it to December and we achieved our goal, but once we got here our goal was to keep playing through December; you know, to take each game day by day. We just fell a little short today, but I’m so proud of the season that we’ve had and I’m so grateful for this experience.”
On how Katie Horton stepped up today …
“I thought if you were watching her you definitely wouldn’t think she was a freshman. She played much more mature and that’s only going to benefit her in the long run to get this experience. It’s a completely different experience when you play in the NCAA tournament, so that’s just going to benefit her in the long run and the team as well.”
#11, Abby Gilleland,Ohio S
On the season as a whole …
“You know, I just think there is a lot of growth that we’ve seen this season. A lot of young people learned to step up and I think that’s only going to benefit us in the future.”
On who in particular stepped up today …
“I think Katie had a great game today. She was a great go-to on the outside. She stepped up and did something different in the back row and service all around and I thought that was huge for her.”
