Sept. 16, 2003
WACO, Texas - Three of Baylor's head coaches spoke to the media at Tuesday's press luncheon. Below are excerpts from their comments.
Head Volleyball Coach Brian Hosfeld:
On the season thus far:
"In the last three weeks, we've played at Hawaii, Florida and Houston - 11 matches. We've been on the road a long time. We've learned a lot about our team over the last three weeks. We hit our stride in our last match against Jacksonville, where things started to gel. It's a good time for that, heading into conference play vs. Missouri."
On Missouri:
"It's going to be interesting across the net. They've got a girl who I think is 6-foot-5, the same as Desiree (Guilliard-Young). We're both good blocking teams that are offensively similar in nature. It will be a fast, upbeat match. Ball control will be important, because you have to receive the serve well."
Head Soccer Coach George Van Linder:
On last weekend's loss to SMU:
"It was sort of a double-edged sword for us. We were disappointed to lose, but we were close in the stats. We felt we were the better team, we were just a little unlucky. I think that game is going to be a benchmark for the rest of the season. We're done having moral victories."
On last weekend's win over TCU:
"We took out our frustration on them. They are a good team, but I think we could have played anybody and beat them that day. We had some help from Missy McConnell, a freshman walk-on, and Brittani Zonker, a transfer from Miami who had her first goal. It was nice to get the win, and to have some other people help out Ginny Rosario-Tull in the scoring."
On the upcoming weekend:
"Cal Poly is undefeated; it will be a big test for us to play them at their place. We hope to use this headed into conferrence next week. We need a significant win versus a ranked team; we don't have that yet.
"Air Force is 4-1. It will be our second game in two days. That's an unusual format, but it will be a good test for us."
On leading scorer Ginny Rosario-Tull:
"We've developed our offense around her. She loves to run, so we try to develop situations where she can run to the ball. She's been great for us."
Head Football Coach Guy Morriss:
On Baylor's trouble running the ball last week:
"Most of our stuff is technique errors. You've got to get over the top and get the linebacker blocked. We had a couple of times when the running back went the wrong way; you've got to know right from left. We'll go back to work this week and get all that fixed."
On whether the team might overlook Sam Houston this week:
"I don't know how they could think that way. I don't believe they will. In fact, I was kind of surprised after the SMU game; they were kind of quiet. They came in and worked hard."
On scheduling a I-AA team:
"I don't really have a problem with it, especially in the situation we're in right now. I felt it was good for the kids to get a little bit of success, to get things rolling. I didn't feel this was the time to go down to South Florida."
On Willie Andrews' two-way possibilities:
"It depends on how he keeps progressing from a defensive standpoint. That's my first concern; we don't want to take away from his progress out there to work on offense. When you start saddling him with offensive responsibilities, it takes away from his defensive abilities. Right now, we'll limit him to a couple of running plays or maybe line him up as a receiver, but very limited, at least for now. This time next year, he could go both ways. But the first priority as far as we're concerned is for him to keep improving defensively."
On freshman OL Nick Pace:
"To this point, he's done a very good job. That's one of the toughest spots to play, even for a second or third year guy. To come in this league and play as a true freshman is a credit to him. What he lacks in polish, he makes up for in enthusiasm and intensity. I think his best football is still out in front of him."
On injuries the team has suffered:
"Khari Long has a torn medial meniscus and is scheduled for surgery tomorrow. He will be day-to-day. Usually you can come back from cartilage injuries relatively quickly, anywhere from two to four weeks. He'll probably miss the Colorado game.
"(Joseph) DeWoody suffered a concussion. We're going to see another doctor today to do some more tests. He's day-to-day. Everybody else should be back on the field today."
