Sept. 16, 2008

Timeout With Archive

Anna Breyfogle
Volleyball

How important is it to the psyche of the team to have such a strong start to the season?
"One good thing about the strong start is that it gives us confidence when going to play the harder teams. It also causes our fan base to grow because now people realize more so than before that we have a good volleyball team and it is fun to watch them play and as players that gets us pumped up to see all the fans out there cheering for us to win and makes us to want to play harder."

What is your mindset before each game?
"I try to force my mind to get intense and try to push everything else out except for the game and what needs to happen for us to get the win. By the time the game starts, I want to be completely focused and to be able to feel the power of that focus through the intensity of my game."

Due to the early success of the season, would you say that you have even better team chemistry this year than in prior seasons?
"Yes, I think that our freshmen have definitely come into our team and they are already a part of us. I really don't even think that they are freshmen anymore, I feel like they have just been with us since the beginning and I've never felt like that before so I would call that a big jump from where we have been in the past."

How does it feel to be part of a team that has the best start to a season for Baylor since 2001?
"It's a tribute to the hard work that we put in during the off season and the way the whole team has meshed together with such great drive and determination for wanting to have the best season possible and to hopefully win a championship."

How do you keep the same level of intensity throughout the entire season?
"It's tough, but through mental preparation and keeping our eyes on the goal of winning a championship we're able to keep strong and tough for the entire season. But also our fan base really helps us with our level of intensity because every time we go out there for a home game we feed off of the fans, and with this great start the fans will keep being there for us and I think that that will carry over for the remainder of the season and hopefully in to the playoffs."

Compiled by John Chay, Media Relations Student Assistant