Turhan Douglas Quotations

This win means we're back. We won because of heart and by believing we could do it.

There are very few teams that do what they can do.

Luke is the best freshman libero in the country. He'll be a key player for us.

For us to continue with him and take a chance of blowing his knees out for good wasn't smart. That's a huge loss for us.

We're one of the smallest teams in the country. And going against a taller team poses quite a challenge.

Juan is one of the top young outside hitters in the country. He's an explosive jumper and that helps him attack fast. We have high hopes for him in 2006.

I think the better team won. We fought hard, and they fought hard, but they were a little more consistent with their serves and passes than we were, and that was that.

Jimmy is one of the nation's top setters. He has done an excellent job of leading us from the day he got here. He worked out in the off-season with the football team and is now a bigger, stronger, faster, more flexible and more physical player.

Matt is so athletic that he adjusted quickly after being switched back to the middle. He's a perfectionist and is always looking to improve, and that's very special to me. Chris works extremely hard and has progressed more than anyone in our program. He is one of our best blockers. He has an opportunity to play some this year and his future is promising. Sean is coming along amazingly fast after being moved to middle blocker. He's working hard and has a chance to see some playing time.

I think if we were able to play more than one ball in a row, it could have turned out differently in a game or two. Serving was a problem for us. And, for my experience, the teams that serve really well come out on top. All of the games we've won this year, we've served really well. We have a lot of work to do.

That's the one thing that makes it hard. I know how great we'll be this year. ... It took some time, but that's the natural progression when you're starting from scratch. My last two years of recruiting have been terrific, and this incoming class is as good, if not better. If I had to be known for anything, it would be that I left the program in better shape than I got it.

This year's team is on a mission. They're not just playing for themselves. They're playing for this school's honor and for the great players from the championship teams who came before them. They know they're being watched by those players. They feel a sense of responsibility.

When you looked at the advantages and disadvantage we had in this match, defense and ball control are our strengths.

We were planning to win. We trained just like we would if we were going to the playoffs.

B.J. really has been a surprise as he has stepped up his game. He is very competitive and prides himself on always being first in anything we do. Down the line as he develops, he will help us.

There's no doubt Andrew is the most physical middle blocker in the nation and he could be an All-American. When he gets back to 100% after the surgery on his knees, he'll take us to a whole other level. And it's nice to have Jeff back this year. He is our best blocker. His experience will help our young team.

Sometime last year I realized I didn't know my kids very well, and it seemed I was getting busier and busier and traffic was getting worse and worse. I got a little weary of the grind.

Right now the side blinders are on and we can't worry about everybody else. If we just win our three remaining (matches), we have a really good shot at making the playoffs. We're fighting for our lives now.

You play your defense around the block. You don't play your defense over the block or right behind the block normally, and they were hitting balls over us and right behind the block. Our defense wasn't in the right spots.

They have some very, very tough international players. Their level of play is pretty high, and they do pretty well against (NCAA) Division-I teams; they're a difficult team to prepare for.

A couple of disappointing things happened, with (sophomore middle blocker) Andrew Vernon out the last six weeks. The guys just fought through it and some good things happened.

C.J. will help us in a big way. We haven't had a true opposite hitter at USC since All-American Brook Billings (1999-2002). His size and being a lefty are assets, as is his championship experience.