TEN QUESTIONS WITH...

Your team began the season with a 2-1 mark at the UB Hampton Inn-vitational. Discuss what it means to continue being successful in the non-conference portion of your schedule.
The importance of staying up early in our non-conference schedule is that it will give us the confidence that we’ve lacked the last two years. It starts the ball rolling, but we need it to continue throughout the entire year. That confidence will then carry over to our conference games and people will start to respect us within the Mid-American Conference. If we are also successful in the other early-season tournaments, it will help us step it up a notch and continue to win. There is nothing quite like the feeling of winning and once that happens, you will do anything you can to keep that feeling.

What goals does your team have this season in regards to play within the MAC?
The obvious goal is to win this year, no one wants to see the big fat zero first in our record. But like I mentioned before, we are looking for some respect. We are sick of being the bottom of the barrel and it’s about time people started looking at Buffalo as a competitor in the MAC. As players, know we can compete in the conference – we're not here because they needed extra players, we're here to make a difference and everyone should start to expect that because it is going to happen.

With only two seniors, your team is very young. Looking ahead to the future, how significant is that to the program as a whole?
The future of this program is just absolutely amazing. I'm so jealous that I'm an upper classman. I almost wish I were a freshman again because the coaches are going to take this program to where it deserves to be. Not only are we going to be the best local team, but we are going to be one of the best teams in the MAC.

The freshmen are going to grow so much as players and learn so much through their senior year. They also will have time to play with each other, to establish a core for when the upperclassman leave – a strong core to lead them to the top of the list.

Talk about your new coach Sally Kus and what effect she has had on the team, along with assistants Joe Fisher and Randy Syracuse.
‘Kooz’ is so positive and she’s already made such an impact on the team. I remember walking into the gym on the night of our opening game and talking to her and saying, " I can’t believe that I’m standing here talking to you as my coach, it’s the most amazing feeling." She never has anything bad to say, and if you did do something wrong, it's ‘Try this next time.’

The three of our coaches are just such fountains of knowledge that even after 10 years of playing volleyball, I’m still learning a number of new things. We love playing for our coach and we will do anything to make her proud.

After being your primary setter for two years, Larissa LaCour graduated last year. How difficult is it to adjust to your new setters - Molly Schrantz and Amy Brown?
Adjusting is something that we don’t have time to think about. We know that we have new players and we need to adjust right away - that is a major part of the preseason. They weren't hard to adjust to at all. Both are amazing setters. Molly set for us in the spring, so we know her sets. With three weeks of playing with Amy, it feels like she’s been around for years and not just a freshman thrown into the setter’s spot.

During the 2001 season, you led the Bulls in both kills and digs. What is the key to your versatility as a volleyball player?
The key is simple, keep the ball off our court and put the ball down on the opponent’s side. I do anything I can in my power, but I also need my teammates to help keeping the ball off the court and feeding my setter. There are so many key contributors .To be successful I need every person on my team to be there, and they are.

Go through your mindset before you serve the ball.
I mostly serve a ‘floater ball,’ but I look to see where the open spots are and who the opponent’s weakest passer is. Then, I look to the bench to see where the coaches want me to serve. I make sure it's aggressive - this all goes through my head in a span of probably three seconds. I'm then focused on court to see where the ball is going to go next. Once I then step back on the court, I couldn’t tell you exactly what goes through my head, because I don’t exactly know!

You were thrown into the mix early, having played 113 games in your freshman season. How much of an impact did seeing that much playing time early in your collegiate career have on you?
I was fortunate enough to be able to start as a freshman - it helped me grow up on the court and kept my game going from my high school years. Starting as a freshman is an honor, but you also need to be able to demand respect from your opponents and teammates, which is a hard card to deal. That experience helped me grow so much on the court, and I can’t believe the things that I am learning even now. It will help for the wins that we are going to get this year.

Talk about the preparation you had for the collegiate game at both North Tonawanda High School and on the Western squad at the Empire State Games.
Both give you an edge that many people don’t get the chance to experience. They make you play up a level, and do prepare you for the college game. I think it would have been a lot harder to be thrown into the spot of a starting freshman if I didn’t have the chance to be part of something so great.

What was the experience like winning another gold medal at the Empire State Games this past summer?
Winning the gold medal this summer was just absolutely incredible. I am so proud to say I was a part of that team, just like I am so proud to be part of UB athletics. It made me realize how much I took for granted when I was in high school and played on the Western Scholastic Empire Sports Games team. Now, I take nothing for granted and I want that feeling with the UB team. It’s something that most people don't get to experience in their lifetime, and I get to experience it over and over again. It’s so hard to put the feelings into words.

-The ’10 Questions with…’ feature is compiled by Geoff Nason.