Ben Stroud Quotations

She's a legitimate player. Big block, good off one foot, so she'll help us.

Oh yeah. I mean, it's everything, especially when you run a 5-1. That's your quarterback and they have to make all the plays. They have to touch every ball. In every play, they're involved. She has to get the ball to the right people at the right time.

She is going to be probably the best setter we have ever had here. She's going to be real, real good. She already is doing some real good things. She keeps us in system and getting swings, and she can block.

I think we're a little overconfident, to tell you the truth. They think they're pretty good -- which they are -- but they have to understand that they're a young team and they have a lot of room to grow. We have to keep growing if we want to get where we want to be -- in that national championship.

I think they'd kind of gotten in the mode where they were just stepping on the court and playing. They weren't thinking. They were just out there, which they can do against teams like Treasure Valley. They just go play and win. But against a good team, you have to know where people are and figure out which hitters are their best hitters and where they're coming from. When you have to take something away, then it's a different ball game.

I think the Snow match has potential to be tough. If their football team is there in the stands like they are sometimes, the stands are really close to the floor, and things can get a little bit hairy that way. So I hope it's like that. I hope we do have an atmosphere like that, because we'll probably see something like that at nationals.

I tell you, her family, they are something though. There are so many of them and they get so fired up and have so much energy. They bring something special to the gym.

I think Jefferson will be right up there with what we saw (in Salt Lake City). I'm not sure about Florida, but I think on paper, they should be as good.

Well, really what I hope to see is us compete really hard. This is a team of people that are used to winning a lot of matches. A lot of them have won state championships and are used to winning, so I just hope they come out and compete as hard as they can and get something going.

We've had a few Division I coaches contact us about some kids, and not that I don't trust them, but I want to see them myself before I make a commitment. So we're waiting on film. Once we get that we'll make a decision and we'll get on it.

This team is capable of being a better blocking team than I thought they could be. That's an area we need to improve, because those are quick, easy points. Those are game separators. Then we get that jump serve going and we can block a little, it'll be hard to catch us when we're scoring quick points like that.

It's just good to compete against that kind of team. I thought we were in every game really, except the first game. I thought our game came up a little today.

It's possible. It's very possible. I think this team will get better and better and better, and I don't think the teams we'll be playing against will be able to make those kind of leaps, because we're just that much more talented.

That's a good deal for her. It's a D1 school and they have her major, so they're happy. We hate to lose her.

Still, the key is in the passing and setting ourselves up. If we can do that consistently, and with our jump serve, you can look up and it's 10-10, and the next time you look up, it's 18-10. We serve a couple aces, block a couple balls, and all of a sudden, we get away from teams so fast and put a lot of pressure on them.

Oh, I'm really excited with the nucleus of kids we have right now. We're so far ahead of where we normally are right now, it's unbelievable. So we're really happy with that. We're just really right now focusing on the right two international players to bring in to go along with this group. That's going to be the difference next year.

They just wanted it so bad, and I wanted it more. You know, after everything that happened last year, I wanted it. A little bit of this goes toward those kids.

I liked the way we finished strong. The first time we played (Missouri State), I thought we had both games we lost won, but found ways to lose them ... Anything they wanted to do, we let them. But we got smarter as the tournament went along.

I think North Idaho and Salt Lake will be the teams to beat, along with ourselves. So we'll get a look at them.

(Beck) had a couple good games. I thought she got a little tired at the end, but there were moments where she showed she can play a little bit, for sure.

I'd feel pretty good. I really would. I think, as you can see, we're crushing the ball out there. I'd like our chances if it started today. I still think we can get better, but I'd like our chances.

I don't think they're very happy about that.

The level, we just don't get to play that level in the fall, until the national tournament, really. And it's fun. The kids look forward to playing that and it raises their level a lot. The kids really get a lot out of that. I think our team really grows in the spring.