April 27, 2006

ACC Women's Lacrosse Championship
First Round - Thursday, April 27, 2006
#3 North Carolina vs. #6 Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech Head Coach Tami Riley
Opening Statement:
This is going to be a bit of an oxymoron...disappointing yet exciting. The girls really did a nice job playing together as a team. We had several hiccups throughout the game. The last timeout that UNC called, they gathered their troops in a sense and we needed to do that same. We played with a lot of emotion and at the end I think it was with too much emotion. We didn't play with enough head. We've been trying to find that balance throughout the season and that is something else that we have to continue working towards in the future.

On Hokies play this year:
It's a step up from the previous year which is really nice. I want to go even further. I'm not satisfied with the record that we have, I'm not satisfied by how we played and performed this year especially on away games. We didn't perform as well as we could have. But in the same breath, we have some individual players that stepped it up and as a team today it was very impressive. There were just several moments today that we were playing with too much emotion and not enough with our heads.

On playing at M&T Bank Stadium and how that impacted today's game:
I don't think it had anything to do with playing at M&T Bank Stadium. We were here last year, which helped us today. Last year we were very much in awe and I think that really affected us on the field. This year, we were not as much in awe. We were really prepared to play, we were ready for UNC, we watched video on them for a week straight and it got to the point where our players knew them as best friends. But on our performance as a team, I think it had somewhat to do with our youth and a lot to do with our ability to focus for an entire game.

On the impact Katie Russo played in today's game:
I think it was an amazing job what Russo did for us when she got into the game. It completely changed the momentum of the game. UNC is a great team and they are very good at pressuring you. Russo played with great composure; she took it right to the cage right as soon as she felt the pressure. She capitalized on their mistakes which was really nice to see. That was what really started the momentum for us.

Katie Russo, Sophomore Attack
On her emotions of the game:
It was definitely an emotional game. We had composure for a good majority of the game, but towards the end we did get a lot more emotional like Coach Riley said. We weren't playing as much with our heads. We were playing with a little too much heart and not enough composure. But I think overall we did a great job of working together and playing as a team.

On the Hokies gaining momentum late in the game and what happened after North Carolina called the timeout:
We got really excited. We came back and were ready to win. We wanted to win, we were prepared to win. When they scored those two quick goals after the time out, it messed with us a little bit and we started to play with a little less composure.

North Carolina Head Coach Jenny Levy
Opening Statement:
We are really excited to be here. To be able to compete in a professional arena with all the ACC teams is exciting. It's was a thrill last year when we first played here (M&T Bank Stadium). Overall, it's exciting; the ACC right now is the best in the country and this tournament is going to highlight all the great things this conference is about. The competition, the talented athletes we as coaches have the opportunity to coach day in and day out.

Virginia Tech has a lot of seniors that play and have played for Coach Riley for the past couple years since she's been there. We didn't take the game lightly. We certainly let our kids know that they (Virginia Tech) were going to give us all they had. Their kids worked really hard on the field. They were really quick on ground balls and 50/50 balls, which I wasn't too happy about with my team. But we are happy with the win and excited to move on.

On not overlooking Virginia Tech:
They were going to give us all they had. You just can't afford to sleep on any team, no matter who they are.

On playing as a team, and not having "one" star:
We have some really talented lacrosse players. Our progress as a team this season has been focused on everyone contributing at the highest level they potential can. And on certain days, like today, we have Brooke (Dieringer) and Stephanie (Scurachio) step up and other days I'll have some midfielders step up. It's certainly not offense by committee because we rely on certain kids to get the job done and run our offenses and run the midfield. We have a really well-balanced team. I don't think you can take anyone out of the equation and not have us be successful.

On playing Virginia in tomorrow's semifinal:
Last time we saw Virginia was in mid-March. Both teams have improved and changed throughout the course of the season. Virginia is a good team; they score a lot of points. They had a tough loss to Georgetown last time out, but they are putting up 16, 17, 18 points per game, so obviously they've improved since the last time we played and its going to be a good physical match.