Nov. 25, 2006
Game 4
MVC Tournament
#3 Missouri State vs. #2 Wichita State
Missouri State quotes
November 24, 2006
Missouri State head coach Melissa Stokes
Opening Statement...
"Tonight was another very tough battle between Missouri State and Wichita State. I'm so proud of our team for playing eight games in a ten-hour span and for coming back after being down two games to one tonight. They (the team) showed really great effort."
On Northern Iowa...
"We are going to have to go over the tapes of them and the scouting report we took today. They have a lot of firepower and are very good in transition defense. They are solid at every position and we are going to have to play like we did tonight and maybe even better to win the title. We are going to have to be at our best.
On relying on her veterans who have played in championship matches...
"It's huge. I look to those players all the time. I look to players like Erin 0'Connor, who has won two championships, to educate the others on what it takes to be successful."
Junior Sara Thomas
On coming off a game earlier in the day...
I don't think it (playing earlier) affected us that much. We had our adrenaline pumping and we were ready to win. We were going to do whatever it took to win and we'll do the same thing tomorrow. We are excited and we want to win another (Valley) championship.
Senior Erin O'Connor
On tonight's match...
"Before the match, we all looked at each other and said we aren't losing. We wanted to go to the finals. We owe it to ourselves (to win the championship) and we deserve it."
On the match up versus Wichita State...
"The two of us have always been a good match up. There is a rivalry between us. We have played them the last two years for the championship. It is always a battle. They are one of those teams you look forward to play because it is always a good match."
Game 4
MVC Tournament
#3 Missouri State vs. #2 Wichita State
Wichita State quotes
November 24, 2006
Wichita State head coach Chris Lamb
Opening Statement...
"We have played Missouri State three times and every match has gone to five (games). To me there are three teams, including Northern Iowa, which are equally as good and can win on any given night. This (losing in the first match) is what can happen in a tournament. I'm proud of the way my team played all season long despite injuries and other obstacles. I refuse to be a coach that forgets about what went on over the course of two and half months because of a loss at a tournament."
On tonight's loss to Missouri State...
"We missed a bunch of serves in game four and we got tentative. We weren't serving the ball tough enough. They have as athletic a setter with range as you'll find and maybe the best pair of hitters in the Valley, which made it tough for us. We tried to chip away at them but they were passing so well and we could never get them out of rhythm."
Junior Sara Lungren
On the team's play against Missouri State...
"There were times when everything was clicking and we were all on the same page passing and converting digs. There were other times where we slumped and were not on the same page."
