Dec. 4, 2004

University of San Diego

Head Coach Jennifer Petrie

On advancing to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time ever: I think it is a milestone, something we've tried to reach for a long, long time now. Not only this team, but a lot of the alumni and kids and coaches that have contributed in the past to try and get past this next step on the ladder. We have these high expectations and these high goals and to finally meet them, meet one of them, it's outstanding. This group has finally broken through the Group of 32 and onto the Sweet Sixteen. We don't want to stop and we want to see the season continue. We made it a close one tonight and we anticipate another couple of tough matches on the road. We're excited and anxious to continue on.

Comparing this year's team to those of the past: Mentally, we have been really tough this year. That's because our conference play we have. We played two back-to-back five game matches and we were down in both matches on the road. And I think mentally, these girls just don't give up. It doesn't matter what the scoreboard says, we still go after it and we still believe and we still fight the fight no matter where we are in the match.

On the play of Sherburne: Lindsey [Sherburne] is the quarterback of the team. She did an excellent job tonight of isolating the hitters. Arizona did a fantastic job of keeping it up... it was a constant chess match out there. I think those last couple of points in the match where their blockers had released on our hitters, Lindsey was wide open.

On San Diego's play after the intermission: I don't think [Arizona's win in Games Three and Four] was a matter of letting up. Arizona made some key adjustments on us and we continued to adjust.

Emily Haas, Sophomore Middle Blocker

On the play of the team: It helped that the whole team, all 16 of us, practiced... we would not have had this tough of a team if it weren't for 16 of us, working hard everyday. We are a really well-rounded team.

Lindsey Sherburne, Junior Setter

Opening remarks: We've been in this position before [going five games]. We've been in some really tight five game matches. We had those two five game matches against LMU and Pepperdine and I think they really prepared us for tonight. We came in and beat them in the first two games. We lost the next two, but I think we all knew that when we looked into each other's eyes, we wanted this so bad tonight and we knew we could do it.

Talking about making school history by advancing to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time: I think [advancing to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in school history] just added to the excitement of the match. We were here in front of our home crowd tonight and they were amazing. They really helped us through that fifth game, knowing that this is our home, that this could be it. We also knew that this could be something brand new for the SD program.

Jackie Bernardin, Junior Libero

On digging Arizona's All-American candidate Kim Glass: I just tell her to bring it! I tell her not to roll-shot it. I just tell her to hit it hard! No, she's a very, very smart hitter and she sees over the block very well that she can place the ball anywhere. I just tried to stop her and be where I am supposed to be on defense and hopefully she'll hit it to me. We went over our defense a lot and we did really, really good.

On facing Glass for the first time: She's a very good player. Her and [Jennifer] Abernathy put up a really good fight. They got a lot of their kills and we scrapped hard and just tried to make the adjustments.

University of Arizona

Head Coach David Rubio

Opening remarks: Playing on the road in front of a very partisan crowd, the kids really hung in there. USD is a terrific team. They did well. They hung in there and got some good leadership and I wish them the best of luck the rest of the tournament.

On the adjustments Arizona made in the later stages of the match: I thought Games One and Two, we didn't do a good job of blocking or defending. Our blocking has always been the strength of our team. We had the right scouting report, but we just didn't execute. They had their way with us on the slide, the sets behind the setter and in the intermission, I said the game was going to come down to blocking. Blocking leads into transition points for us. We started to do a bit better in Game Three, we hung close and then Game Four, I felt the momentum really shifted. They kind of came back in Game Four. Game Five was back and forth until the very end. They called a timeout [with Arizona up] 10-7, and that's where we didn't side out immediately. If we had sided out right then, the momentum of the game would have stayed on our side. But we didn't and we got stuck in that rotation... Anytime you lose in the postseason, unless you get the Final Four, you are going to be pretty disappointed.

On playing San Diego before: Maybe they had the confidence [of beating us before], but that's something they can really only answer. We might as well put on a different uniform and put on a different school name from the first time that we played. I don't think anything, in my mind, really transferred from the first time we played each other.

On Sherburne's key dump late in the game: The heart and soul of the team was the setter [Lindsey Sherburne]. She runs that team and at the end of the match, she made plays for them.