The kids that came off the bench gave us a spark. Lauren Hare defensively, she got us a few big tips. Right when they were starting to make a run, she'd get a hand on the ball, a steal, and I think that was pretty big.

It's been key for us all year to score early and get our kids going. Last year you could tell in the locker room we were kind of looking around, not sure what to do. This year we're more confident.

It's tough facing a run-and-jump (press) from so many kids. Their depth smoked us.

For a lot of these guys, that light doesn't go on until they leave college. For some kids' cases, it's too late. For other kids' cases, it happens in the nick of time. As a coach, you have to able to adapt, trust these guys even though sometimes they don't trust you. I know it sounds crazy having said that, but I love my job.

You can talk theory and situation all you want. But what these kids need is to get more game-speed experience.

The varsity kids dedication is beyond explanation. I think that everyone played club volleyball, and they chose to do it on their own. It costs money and time to do that.