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University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina-Texas A&M Post-Match Quotes
December 3, 1999 | Volleyball
Dec. 3, 1999
Texas A&M head coach Laurie Corbelli:
"Aloha! Well, you can tell we are pretty giddy right now. This is a
dream we've had for a while now. We've seen a lot of things North
Carolina does and does well, and I thought we really came out pumped
up and ready to play tonight -- sometimes too much. I thought North
Carolina did a great job against our block. We beat a very good team,
and I'm glad we did it on our home court. We've tried to be balanced
in our attack. I don't think they had any choice but to key on
stopping Amber (Woolsey). Celia (Howes) was hot tonight - she played
fantastic.
(On this year's team being different from past teams)
"Their balance, athleticism and the belief they have. I can't pinpoint
one player. It comes from all of them. We have great team meetings. It
will get you pumped up for anything. They want to win, they really
want it. It's a mature group. I'm a serious coach and this group fits
in well."
Texas A&M outside hitter Celia Howes:
"I really wanted to come out and say goodbye to my home court. Having
our crowd and our 12th Man there, we just wanted to make them proud.
Amber does an awesome job. When teams scout us, they key on Amber. I
knew it was my turn to step up my game. My teammates made it easy for
me tonight."
Texas A&M outside hitter Summer Strickland:
"G. Rollie is just home to us. We're so excited to go to Hawaii, but
this is our home. I thought on that last point maybe we could screw up
so we could play longer. We love this place."
Texas A&M middle blocker Amber Woolsey:
"Of course this has been our goal. They (Hawaii) have a really good
team and great fans like our 12th Man. In my heart I think we have a
good shot of winning. They (UNC) put up a tall block on us. It helps
us prepare for next round. They have a tall block and an excellent
defense."
North Carolina head coach Joe Sagula:
"I thought it was a really hard-fought match. The score didn't
indicate how hard both teams played tonight. A&M played phenomenal. We
knew we would have to play a great game to beat them at home. They
were on a roll tonight. They took us out of our transition game. We
relied on that all season. They were scoring well with Woolsey and
Howes. They had Celia digging balls well all night. They played great
defense. They were on and in all aspects of the game.
"I'm very proud of how we played. We've had a lot of injuries this year, and still found a way to come out on top. It (playing at G. Rollie White Coliseum) is a great environment for volleyball. It's a great experience for our team to see this. We have a lot of young players who gained a lot of experience tonight. One team finishes the season with a win. We gave it our all tonight. I think they have a great team. They will be an underdog out there in Hawaii. Hawaii has a lot of knowledgeable fans. A&M will give them a battle because they are a physical team, and they play great team defense. I wish them the best out there."
North Carolina outside hitter Casey Simpson:
"It was pretty amazing out there tonight. We've been to Hawaii and
they have great fans out there. But it was nothing like here. I am in
awe of the spirit of the fans here. It's amazing. We kept looking for
our game to come to us, but it didn't. They surprised us with there
defense. We were ripping the ball and they kept coming up with digs.
They played great. They are right up there with the top teams in the
country."
