Sept. 10, 2013
Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery 
Head Coach Craig Skinner
Opening Statement …
“We were matched in a lot of different ways. I didn’t even play tonight, and I think I lost about six pounds out there with the heat. I just tried to drink as much water as possible. [It was a] gutty performance, in my opinion, for both teams. It was back-and-forth. It wasn’t pretty volleyball the whole time, but I’m proud of our kids for the way they stepped up and made some great plays. It could have gone the other way after the fourth, but they came out ready to go. I give our players a lot of credit. A couple of great digs, a couple of key swings, and some good serving by Whitney (Billings) there at the end.”
On whether this is the kind of match he expected …
“Well, four of our last six have gone five. It was a battle. You can throw out records, you can throw out our last match, you can throw out statistics, and it always just seems to be a real competition. You see a lot of emotions, a lot of adrenaline, and a lot of nerves. Tonight was no exception.”
On whether the temperature in Memorial Coliseum affected Kentucky’s performance …
“I think the one thing it probably affected was the setters on both sides. As a setter you have to think, `Is it going to slip through my hands?’ I think that was a factor. Other than that, both sides had to deal with it so I think it was an even situation.”
On what the team can gain from matches like this …
“It’s a lot of experience. You can’t create that in practice. You can’t create being up big in a set. You can’t create being down big in the fourth and coming back in the fifth. We weathered the storm and it says a lot about the toughness of these guys running at us. “
On how Kentucky adjusted to Louisville’s attack …
“We were a lot more aggressive attacking, today, than they were. From the matches we scouted, they have obviously fixed a couple things. Our block was a little disappointing tonight. We have to do a better job slowing that down. We found other ways to score and that’s what you have to do in a match like this.”
On Anni Thomasson’s performance tonight …
“She had a huge kill there at the end. I don’t think she fears much. She thrives in those situations. That’s what competitors do. In the fifth set, with those jump serves running at us to close the gap, I was real proud of the way we passed at the end.”
On if he thought to loosen his tie tonight …
“It was funny because I didn’t, but I saw an ice bucket behind the bench and I kept thinking about sticking my head inside of it. It was hot. Again, I give our players credit for weathering through that.”
Kentucky Players
#2, Zan Morgan
On the last few point of the game …
“I just thought we left everything out there and all of us knew we were going to win that game. We knew we were going to fight our hardest for every point. Morgan (Bergren) had a huge block which gave us a ton of momentum and then Anni’s (Thomasson) big swing, all the momentum was on our side. We knew we had to keep the momentum on our side so we could win the game.”
On playing in the heat …
“We just have a thing that it’s not just hot for us, it’s hot for everybody.”
On winning the second set …
“It would be huge for them (Louisville) if they would’ve won the second. They would’ve had a lot of momentum and they would’ve assumed that we would be back on our heels and down from the two losses. It’s definitely very good that we won that second game, momentum wise.”
#4, Anni Thomasson
On playing against Louisville for the first time …
“It’s intense, for sure. I’ve never really been on a team that wanted to win as much as this team did. All the emotions that come with this game is just unreal.”
On winning the second set …
“I mean they’re a good team. They came back, so it was good for us that we ended up finishing that game.”
On being one of three sports to play Louisville in a week …
“I feel like all the sports support each other. Obviously, it’s Kentucky-Louisville, it’s a pretty big rivalry so I think everybody is kind of supporting each other.”
#10, Shelby Workman
On playing in the heat …
“We do practice in it, a lot. We’re used to it. It’s definitely not been that hot in a while, but we’re kind of more prepared.”
On improving between sets …
“I just think seeing the attitudes of all your teammates on the court. Everyone wants to do good.”
On being focused …
“I think it’s something that we’ve definitely worked on. That’s like one big thing that we’ve improved on is the focus between each pont and the consistent energy.”
