Volleyball Weekly Player Spotlight

Sept. 22, 2006

Lauren Rush, a sophomore outside hitter for the Lady Cardinal volleyball team recently sat down for a quick chat to discuss the season and her approach to a match.

Rush is fourth on the team in kills so far this season, registering 1.72 kills per game.

Q: In your opinion, what is the most important thing this team must do to win more games and win the East Division of the Southland Conference?

A: We are 4-10 right now, and that's not as successful as we wanted to be, but our freshman have gotten a lot of playing time with is crucial to our success. We have a lot of freshman talent that is going to help the upperclassmen. We started off slow, but we've cleaned up some of the things we had been doing that kept us from being successful by working really hard at serve receive and defense. The better we are in those two areas, the more we'll be able to get the ball to our middles, who have been dominating.

Q: What do you do to prepare yourself for a match?

A: I listen to my I-Pod and think about the things that I can do to help the team win. I focus on serve receive and defense so that I will be ready to pass well and play good defense.

Q: What is the teams' attitude coming into this weekends opening of Southland Conference play?

A: Our team attitude is that we are going to get two wins this weekend. We're going to do all the little things we need to do to win

Q: Are you excited to finally be playing at home after spending the first month of the season on the road and in tournaments?

A: It's so nice to be playing at home. My whole family is coming as well as friends, which is great. It's awesome to be able to walk in to class and tell everyone that we have a match and they need to come. It's also nice to be able to play in the Montagne Center.

Q: You had a sister that played college volleyball. How did that affect you as far as how you approached the college game?

A: When I first came here I knew what to expect after hearing all of her stories. I knew it would be a huge mistake to come in unprepared. The advice you can get from somebody who has played the college game is advice you just can't get from somebody else. We still talk a lot too. Whenever I have a problem she's the first person I call because she knows what it's like. She gives me advice and pumps me up.