Pepperdine vs. Cal State Northridge
4/22/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
April 22, 2006
Recap | Final Stats
Northridge Head Coach, Jeff Campbell
How would you say your team performance was tonight?
We played the first two games not so well, but we got better in game three. We just kind of played medium. I don't think we played great. I think Pepperdine did play great; I think this is the best I've seen them play in a long time. We lost, but I don't think it's so much us; I think it's them because Pepperdine played very well.
Were you looking to (Dan) Rhodes to have another stellar performance against Pepperdine?
Well, look at what he was hitting in the first game and a half. I think he was negative; he was really hitting poorly. We have 18 wins and we've beaten a lot of good teams this year and when we did that Dan Rhodes was playing well. So we knew that in order for us to win he had to have been in there playing.
Your serve/receive you only had one ace and 17 errors. Do you think that made a big difference?
It was a big difference. I thought that Pepperdine served consistent. I don't think they serve 'lights out', but they definitely served consistently and we did not handle those serves as well as we could have. We were serving well. I think the libero and the outsides did an extraordinary job against our serves.
Can you talk about (Cary) Hanson coming in?
Cary settled down the passing a little bit and did a nice job of that so that was the main reason he came in.
What kind of match-up problems did Pepperdine pose for your team?
I don't think it was a blocking match-up situation, I think it was passing and serving. I didn't see that to be the big key (blocking). I think the big key was that they were serving and we really weren't handling their serves as well as they did.
Pepperdine Head Coach, Marv Dunphy
How would you assess Pepperdine's performance tonight?
We felt that we had to slow down their middle and for the most part I think we were able to do that. Last time we played them their middle hit very well and we were fortunate that we either slowed them down or they slowed themselves down.
Dan Rhodes really started to heat up in game two. What was the plan to slow him down?
He's a good player and a good hitter. We were giving him too much line and he took advantage of it. We went out on his line. He's just a good hitter.
The home court in Firestone Fieldhouse tonight was one of the loudest all season. What advantage do you think that played?
I think it's really nice to play at home in front of your peers and I think the kids were acknowledging that support.
How has Paul Carroll progressed as a player and as a freshman?
He's getting stronger. His one leg was much weaker due to a severe ankle break. I think the key for a lot of it is our ability to receive the serve and so his passing has improved along with everyone else's and I think that's the main thing.
How big of a factor was Pepperdine's four aces and seven errors compared to Northridge's one ace and 17 errors?
I think a big part of their game is serving. They have some really strong arms and have the ability to knock people off the net and were able to handle their serves early on.
