The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Baylor
No. 5 Volleyball preview: Baylor [Nov. 18, 2015]
11.17.2015 | Volleyball
The Longhorns return home to welcome the Bears to Gregory Gym.
Baylor (16-11, 4-9) at No. 5 Texas (22-2, 12-1)
Gregory Gym (4,000) – Austin, Texas
Wednesday, Nov. 18, 7 p.m.
Television: Longhorn Network
All-Time Series: Texas leads Baylor, 75-2 (H: 39-0, A: 32-2, N: 5-0)
Last Meeting: Texas won in Waco, 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-19)
QUICK HITS:
• Texas is coming off a 3-0 win over Iowa State in Ames on Saturday. Senior Amy Neal and junior Chiaka Ogbogu led the Longhorns with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Junior Chloe Collins posted her sixth double-double of the season with 31 assists and 10 digs, while sophomore Cat McCoy had 16 digs. Ogbogu and senior Molly McCage led in blocks with five each.
• The Longhorns are seeking their 300th win all-time in Big 12 Conference competition. In 19 years with the Big 12, the Longhorns own a 299-75 (.799) mark in league action ... Texas' all-time Big 12 record ranks first among current conference members and second all-time to Nebraska's conference record (278-22, .927) ... during Head Coach Jerritt Elliott's 15-year tenure, Texas has posted a 225-49 (.821) record against Big 12 foes ... since 2011, the Longhorns have lost only four conference matches (won 69--.945).
• Dating back to the 1974 season, Texas has won 83.0 percent of its matches in Austin, sporting an overall record of 524-107-1 ... the Horns are even more successful in Gregory Gym, boasting a winning percentage of .864 (342-54) ... since the 2007 season, Texas has lost only seven matches in Gregory Gym and has won 133 (.950).
• Since senior Kat Brooks posted a career-high 15 digs vs. Oklahoma on 10/11/15, her numbers have improved significantly.
Matches before OU (15) OU and after (9)
Digs/set 1.82 2.53
Receiving Errors 11 5
Assists/set 0.49 0.67
Media Availability Quotes
Head Coach Jerritt Elliott
On the search for the Big 12 Title: Right now we can't have any hiccups. We have three matches left and the goal has been winning the Big 12 and that's in sight now. We have two big home games this week, Wednesday we have Baylor and Saturday against Kansas State. As I have talked to my team about it, this is for the seniors. They have a 105-12 record and it would be really nice for them to win the Big 12 again and to have that in their memory. So we are trying to focus on that and do that as a team to win.
On the difference of this season compared to others: It has been a fun season. It has been a lot of work. The players have been committed all season. Everybody has bought in with the different rules, so it has been a lot of fun. Our team has played as a unit and played well together. They feed off well of one another. The chemistry is a known factor when you have a group of girls when you deal with different emotions. I think we have done a good job in terms of keeping the team together.
On remembering what a loss feels like: Well unfortunately, they do know what it feels like, because their ultimate goal is the tournament. They have won one and lost two, so that's what we try to hang our hats on. On our program right now is at that level and we have a big challenge ahead of us. We have a good team where there are a lot of good teams. We hope to get there again to give them that opportunity.
On the senior class: As a coach, you learn a lot about each class. As time progresses, you create great bonds with them. They are not all the same. This group has really grown and grown on me. We have a lot of fun. If people were to hang around our team and follow us with a video camera, you would see that the senior class is the first one to engage in conversation, to engage on and off the court. We just have a lot of fun. They do it with respect and with class, but this senior class is very neat.
On the development of senior players from their first year to now: They came with a big class. So that was the challenge--there no one was going to hand it to them. This is the way it's supposed to be. They have grown so much on and off the court. They have taken so much pride in making sure they leave this program better than when they found it. As leaders now, they are doing a great job. And a little something about them is that they never had a breakfast club. A breakfast club is something they get when they are late to an appointment or get in trouble for an appointment or something goes wrong, they forget a uniform. They have been very special in that they are the role model that you want every player of University of Texas to be like.
On Amy Neal: She has grown tremendously. She struggled early on. We were actually joking earlier in our office day that we should have redshirted her so that we could have had another year with her, but she has grown, obviously as a volleyball player. She has made a lot of effort in that sense and learned how to play the game on a much higher level. More importantly, she has also grown as a woman. She understands who she is and understands the work that needs to be done to succeed. She overcame some obstacles. It a real good feeling, a good story, for me and for her, and I think she has gained a lot of confidence because of it.
On growing immune to saying goodbye to the seniors: No, the emotion of having seniors leave is always challenging. It's part of the job, right? So you have some heartfelt things to say at senior night, maybe some tears that are exchanged, but more importantly we stay in touch with everyone. I am always in contact with my former players. All those who are playing overseas have come back to visit and we go out for dinner. We have a lot of opportunities to connect with them. It's also exciting because we get to see them grow up as young women, the relationships they get into and the families they create. It's a lot of fun to see them go out on their own and achieve those things.
On what message he uses for motivation: For the most part, they are very accountable for what they are doing. They take a lot of pride in their work and I think what they do on a daily basis for their routine is critical. We are always talking about how they have to be up for this game and I will talk to them later today, but when we are winning so much, it doesn't sound the right way and it's not perceived the right way, so a lot of my job is to keep them motivated: to make sure I am saying the right things, coming up with speeches or things to read. It has to happen in the locker room, so it's a lot about the culture and pride that they have. They have a lot of pride as a group. Most of the pride are the traditions here. They don't want to be the team that doesn't win a Big 12 Championship. That's the goal every year and that's why it motivates them.
Senior Outside Hitter Amy Neal
On the upcoming matches: I think Baylor will be a really good game and then we have K-State Saturday. We have to play good defense, because they are always scrappy when they play us. It is hard not to look at the NCAA tournament, but I think from past experiences we definitely know to focus on the game right in front of us.
On the Big 12 Title: It is a huge goal of ours and that is what we focus on first. We had a good opportunity to come out and get an advantage after winning over Kansas and we just have to come out and finish strong. I think that is really motivating the team.
On her growth as a player from freshmen year to now: I am a completely different player than I was my freshman year. I came in and lost all of my confidence. I didn't really know how to play at this high of a level and Jerritt and Erik [Sullivan] worked with me a ton. Starting the spring going into my sophomore year was huge and that is when I started working hard with extra reps, going back to my club in Austin where I played working with my old club coaches, and really realizing what it takes to play here. I think that is the biggest thing and confidence is the biggest lesson I have learned.
On the impact of club: Well I have played there since I was 13. My coaches and I are still so close and they are awesome. I would go back there and play with their 17 and 18s team in the spring. I would just go in and pass with my coaches. They would just serve, I would go in, and they were also willing to help me.
On this being her senior year: I feel the same. I thought my freshmen year, the seniors and even the juniors were so much older than me and that seemed so far away. And now that I am a senior, I am looking back and Molly [McCage] and I are saying, 'that was just us and now we are seniors.' They just felt way older than us and now we are here, so it is a little weird but it is really fun. It is fun being a senior.
On if it is difficult to balance emotions in balancing senior year and postseason:
It is weird it is coming to an end. I am trying not to think about that, because I don't want to get sad. It is interesting to think about how much work I have put in here and how fast it has gone. I think the older I get the year goes by faster, and the season goes by way faster. The season has flown by. It is insane, but it has been a lot of fun. I have learned so much from myself off the court as well. I think the credit goes to our coaches. They really do a good job with the life lessons you learn and volleyball will also help you in life.
