Coach Van Norden's Comments Heading Into Tuesday's Match With ULM

MATCH ADVANCE | VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH COACH VAN NORDEN

On playing a home match after 18 matches to date
"We're very excited to be playing on our home court. It's a beautiful facility in a great place on our campus. We can't wait to show the student, faculty and staff what we have to offer with our beach program."
 
On how her team has improved along the way
"I think we've gotten smarter. We're a very young team with a lot of freshmen as we've added new student-athletes to our program. We're excited that we're trending upward as the season has progressed. We've gotten better with every match. Obviously, the level of competition that we've played against has gotten a little better every time, and we're looking forward to this match."
 
On facing ULM for the third time this season
"This time, obviously, we're' hoping to win three of the five pairs. We definitely have seen what they have. They're a very smart team and they're very tactical from top to bottom. Looking at our pairs, we've made some adjustments in preparation for them and we're looking forward to playing smarter and more aggressive in our own way in the match tomorrow."
 
On who has stood out as the season has moved along
"All season, Cara [Sander] has been pretty consistent. Rachel [Kuhn] and Brook [Frank] in the three have been a strong pairing all season, and that's one that we haven't changed since Brook was cleared to play. Blessing [Dunn] has definitely given us a surge so we've matched her up with someone that's a little more like her. Sam [Uline] and Lauren [Levy] have come out and done really well also, so we're going to try them in a pairing as well. We've continued to make adjustments as we've gotten better, trying to make our one through five as strong as they possibly. Each individual has gotten better at making sure the other person compliments them very well also."
 
On playing three-straight home matches to close out the 2017 season
"We'll be hosting Tulane and Houston Baptist on our Senior Day. We'll be looking forward to sending our seniors out in good fashion. We've got Brook Frank, Lauren Levy and Courtney Roblez to recognize that day, and we're so excited because they've been with us since the very inception of our program, and hopefully we'll be able to send them out with two wins."