 Welcome to Go Mustang Sports. I am Dave McHugh joined by women's volleyball coach Dave Trumbo as we are Exactly halfway through the 2014 season 34 total games. You got 17 down. You're 16 and 1. I know you didn't have that written up at the start of the season Now to tell you the truth. I do three different Scenarios and even the best possible Record was not 16 and 1. It was more like 13 and 3 So I'm really tickled and and really pleased with how well we're playing full match of games last week played five Wednesday you played Messiah four games then at York and in total in those five matches. You only dropped two sets You got to be thrilled with that especially how your team performed against Messiah in conference action Well, that was you know a lot of pressure and you know and on the day of the match Kristen Brooks You know was sick and I was not able to play and so then we had to take our right side Lauren Weaver a freshman Move her over on the outside to go along with another freshman on a course. We have two freshmen outsides and Jackie Zepa sophomore Who saw some meaningful time against st. Mary's because Annika was injured sure so Jackie Zepa really stepped up and played Well and in that Messiah match Messiah always gives us a best shot. You look at the score It does it just felt like so much closer than that because they beat us a set You know and they played really well and they were times where we just couldn't stop them and other times we played really well and So we set ourselves up now that We should be hosting the conference championship We set ourselves up also that we're probably going to get the fourth seed the fourth fifth playing game Because now we would have to lose two conference matches because we've beaten Messiah We've beaten Lebanon Valley, so we should get the number one seed although we have wider, you know, you have more in the schedule, but Hopefully good position. We're in great position to host again for the third straight year What's in what you mentioned the Brooks being ill and having to shake up your lineup You've had a lot of underclassmen Step up to the plate and different roles or at least early on where you probably weren't expecting You knew this was a young team, but you've had a lot of underclassmen almost stepping up like their vets Yeah, well when the wrong person when the wrong person gets injured then we go back down to that Seven you know we had seven p. Freshman coming in this year and we go back and dip down into that class and they are stepping up Megan Ren Defensive specialist plays a lot of back row for one of our outsides if somebody's you know a little bit hurt that day Sometimes they won't play back row and Kristen Brooks She was hurt Lauren weaver she played all the way around she hasn't played all the way around all year But I knew she could based on her club and her high school I've seen it play all the way around has not done it that much in practice, and I said, ah, let's try it And she was phenomenal. She had Lauren had 15 digs that game and I never even blinked And you know thinking should I take her out in the back row? She just had a perfect from performance and that's gonna be feel good We don't want to pronosticate the future obviously the 2015-16 type seasons But to have the underclassman already stepping up and feeling comfortable with his team He's got to make you feel good for not only the rest of this season, but the future of this program Well, it does except for right now still the glue is sammy perillo And how we're going to play without her taking so many server sieves and how many digs She just it's amazing what happens if you pass the ball perfect Or the other team just really hits one hard and sammy just digs it up purple purple Perfectly perfectly. Yeah, and then and then we're able to transition into all facts You know and what that and that just really hurts the other team when they think the ball is going down all of a sudden we pass it perfect and We it's a new stat. It's called dig it. We're using it Of course you are digs to kills I mean when when you can actually dig a ball and then we ended up killing it because there's a so much of a Difference between a dig that's behind the 10th foot line and then a dig right to the center, right? You know because if it's behind the 10, then we're very They know exactly what we're going to do with the ball But if it's it perfectly to the center we can go to all three options Don't want to let the weekend get away You played four games at york only dropped a set to york in the last match that you had Tough to have that many games But that that depth again the underclassman being able to step up Certainly is beneficial when you need to give some some players rest Well, and we you know that weekend was a weekend. We knew that we were going to get a chance to play everybody And it is very important how well they play with the pecking order is going to be for people coming off the bench So everybody got to play a lot Karen Schemler our our second setter. She got to play a lot this weekend, which is great. Everybody needs that game experience It's not quite the same as practice hearts a little bit faster the fans are cheering. It's a little bit different opponent It's different opponent. It's not it's not just friends over there You know what check because our practices are phenomenal. They're really really competitive, but it's still not the same It's truly a hundred percent even if practice is at full go full gear. It's still real hundred percent yes, and and You're now halfway And so getting that experience for all your players to have is certainly beneficial as you'd make the turn You've been dealt with a few injuries here and there at least people being sick Now we turn the corner you have a week off and you play A mac crossover match coming up here at stevensson While you won't play anybody in conference Technically in the commonwealth you'll see leaven and valley. They'll be here as well You'll play the freedom in the sense of eastern wilks. How important is it to keep the tempo up and send a message this weekend? Well, eastern has been our nemesis. They've beaten us the last two years the nc AA And so what we're looking at now is regional rankings right eastern As uh, we are starting to when I actually serve on that committee. So as we are you lucky Yeah, well, you know, it's it's really an honor to be yeah be able to serve and and find out how everything works and so Even though eastern is not in our conference. It's it's a huge regional Confrontation and if we can get by eastern, you know, that really helps our regional ranking in case we don't win our conference tournament That's what they'll go to for at-large bids. Right, you know who across the country is ranked Is the next team to come up and for those at-large bids Yeah, you certainly don't want to have a bunch of teams ahead of you No when it goes to at-large bids as sooner you can get to the table as they say the better But of course you want to win the conference tournament How important while there's these aren't conference games because you'll see a couple more to go How important is this weekend just to keep the momentum? Uh, even with even with a loss, I should say even if that were to happen They really won eastern. Yeah, but they do they this is they really won eastern and you know And we actually play them again later and when we go to juniata for a tournament. So and was Yeah, right and in eastern's conference and the freedom it's they're going to win Yeah, I mean they can play themselves and they're going to win They take it every year. I don't know eight nine ten straight years And so they're not too worried about at-larges because they know they're going to win their conference I was a little bit more competitive just to be honest. I believe eastern's a 10 a.m. game on saturday You'll follow with wilks at four o'clock You've never been down this road. How do you keep the team focused on on ready when normally it's closer time frame? I mean there there's going to be at least four hour difference Oh, and that's what the host school they the host school plays first and last and the other teams can play twice in a row and leave And so the mothers Will have lunch They provide a great spread right and uh, I don't think the orals are playing saturday. So we won't be You won't be distracted So I'm not sure. You know, maybe they'll go back to door. They're going to have to be there at a certain time We personally want to watch leaven and valet clay twice sure Because they could be who we draw in the conference tournament So it's a good chance for us to watch them a couple times and win or lose You want to keep the the mentality focused after the eastern game because as you said they won eastern But you don't want to lose focus against wilks. Oh, no, and wilks came in second place last year in the regular season And uh, so we'll be ready for them at four o'clock Any final thoughts looking at the second half of this season as you start as you say positioning yourself For hopefully a host in the conference tournament and maybe ncaas. Well, I think they're our toughest part of our schedules You have to come um the finally weekend. We have stevens tech It was out of the region But a very strong team and gettysburg what then we'll go to junior We'll have a we'll go to juniata play juniata eastern juniata isn't a top 10 eastern's around 14th right now Poles are coming out today and carnagy melan who just beat the fifth ranked team in the country All on the same weekend and then we play mulenberg who's 16 and 2 right now the following weekend along with lynchberg So we've got some really difficult conference matches, but really the schedule couldn't be any better We've got confidence. We're playing great and we're ready and you're certainly not where you expected it You'd be you're actually right far better team is 16 and 1 at the halfway point 17 games left to go in the season Those uh first two of those 17 will start at must at owing's mills gymnasium We should say here on stevensons campus 10 a.m. Against eastern and then 4 o'clock against wilks You can also catch leaven and valley against those two opponents in between for coach dave trumbo I'm dave mccue will catch up with the team after the weekend here on go mustang sports