Opening Statement: John Dunning (Head Coach) –
“I would like to say that the match must have been a long hard-fought match because none of these three players could walk up onto the podium without being in pain it looked like. I’d like to congratulate USC on a great season. I would say they’re probably three times as good as the first time we played them. They did an amazing job tonight- it was an amazing match. I thought these three played great tonight so I’d like to congratulate them.”
John Dunning (Head Coach) – On where this matchup with USC ranks all-time
“I’m never one to compare different years but I’m pretty sure this was the best volleyball match on the planet today. It was truly a great match and fun for everyone to see. (USC Head Coach) Mick and I have seen each other a number of times and this was a great one, no doubt.”
Bryn Kehoe (Senior Setter) – On what was going through her mind when Stanford was down 14-13 in Game 5
“I was just trying to figure out how to win the next point. I thought our team did a great job moving on, point after point. When you’re down, you just can’t think ahead to the end of the game.”
Bryn Kehoe (Senior Setter) – On making adjustments after struggling in Game 1
“I thought in game one, USC served really great and it was hard to get our offense going. I thought our passers did a fantastic job adjusting in games two and onward. Really just reading the serving and passing much better gave me a lot more opportunities.”
Foluke Akinradewo (Junior Middle Blocker) – On playing such a consistent match
“I think it had a lot to do with confidence which is a big thing with volleyball. I would have never guessed that the stats would say now that I did what I did, because I didn’t really feel that way. But it was great and our team really pulled through and everyone played their role whether on the court or on the bench.”
John Dunning (Head Coach) – On what things didn’t go as well tonight that need to go better on Saturday
“I’d say there are two things that have to happen in any volleyball match, and those are things we were in and out of tonight, and that’s serving and passing. Our serving has been getting better all season and it was great last weekend, and I don’t think it did much in the first part of the match but it did after that. I thought we got our setter to go deep in the court and change the timing and then get after their outside hitters a little bit. I thought the longer the match went we figured out how to pass the way they were serving at us, strategically. We started taking people out of formation so they couldn’t attack our hitters as much. I thought the players did a great job adjusting with that. And I think that we’re getting better at blocking but that’s definitely a key for us. We need to get better at blocking for the next match than we were tonight I’m sure.”
Foluke Akinradewo (Junior Middle Blocker) – On the moment when Stanford won Game 5
“Well I was on the bench so I was just holding on and thinking ‘God I hope we win.’ Obviously there wasn’t much I could do but I just trusted my teammates and knew they could do it. When Cynthia (Barboza) tooled that blocker just right on the court, I was really excited. It’s an amazing feeling to get back to the National Championship again.”
Alix Klineman (Freshman Outside Hitter) – On the moment when Stanford won Game 5
“It was pretty surreal. When I looked at the scoreboard and it was 14-13 (USC) I was worried at first but I knew we could do. Like Bryn said, our team did a great job of playing in the moment and not getting sidetracked by the plays before it. Everyone on our team pulled through really well tonight in the clutch.”
Foluke Akinradwo (Junior Middle Blocker) – On this year’s freshman class
“They have been great, not only on the court but also off the court. I think it’s really great that they’re only freshmen and they’re stepping up big and doing what they can do. I really appreciate them obviously. They stepped up and they don’t think that just because they’re freshmen that they can’t do anything, which they showed tonight and in games past.”
Alix Klineman (Freshman Outside Hitter) – On being 6-5 and having 30 digs in the match
“Usually I struggle a little bit on the defensive side and try to make up for it with my hitting, and tonight that was reversed. My hitting was up and down so I was just trying to be as aggressive as I could on defense.”
John Dunning (Head Coach) – On it being such a hard-fought match despite the stats being in Stanford’s favor
“We were playing a great opponent, and when you get into this time of year, there’s just magical things that happen. If you saw the match we played last week against UCLA, they were 9-9 in our conference and that’s a statement about volleyball in our country right now. That was a tough match and they were anything anybody would want to handle. That was a magical match with amazing defense. That’s part of why volleyball is such a great game to watch. You look on paper and think it should have gone a certain way, but you watch and wow, it’s just a fight all the way.”
