The UW volleyball team has enjoyed the sweet taste of success quite a bit over the past three years, and it has been no coincidence that this recent success is mirrored with the arrival of Head Coach Pete Waite. Waite, who spent his playing years at Ball State University, led the team to a second-place finish in the 2000 NCAA championship and two Big Ten titles in the past three years. Waite sat down recently with The Daily Cardinal to candidly discuss not only this season but also his favorite volleyball movies.
The Daily Cardinal: How is the preseason shaping up?
Pete Waite: First of all, the pre-season is shaping up really nicely. We have been going for two-a-days the past few weeks and are now tapering back down to one-a-days as the team prepares for their first match. We want to let the kids get their legs back and be fresh.
On the court, things are really good. It's a veteran group with a lot of experience and now I want them to just realize the hard work and dedication that goes into winning championships.
DC: Is it time for the younger players to step it up or are they still at a developmental age?
PW: Right now on the court, it's still the upper classmen ... but the younger players have proven themselves capable to come off the bench and play some good minutes for us. Right now we really have some talented younger athletes that can do some amazing things for us. We are really happy with the depth of our team.
DC: What about pre-game rituals?
PW: The day of the game, I like to go for a run or hop on a treadmill. It helps to relax and get my head straight. Other than that, it's hard to get work done in the office and you just want to get started. For the players, I'm sure it's much the same. It's tougher for them to get into class and stay focused.
DC: What about the attendance of your games? Thoughts?
PW: Yeah, hopefully, the students will come out to the Field House and see how exciting it is here on game night. If they have come before, then they are probably hooked. It's one of the most exciting events on campus and I can tell them that we are third nationally in attendance. With 5,000 people crammed in here, it gets loud enough that it is hard to think. With more students, I think we could make it really hard on opponents to come in here and be able to play well.
DC: Which movie is better \Side Out"" or ""Spiker"" starring assistant coach Rod Wilde?
PW: ""Spiker"" is much better. You have the real players getting it done. You have national team members playing and when you understand the game, you look for the quality of play. I can't say much for the acting in either of them, so ""Spiker"" is better.
DC: Can you guys contend for the national title this year?
PW: I think we can. If you look back two years at 2000 and to the pre-season and we asked ourselves, ""What are our goals?"" There was no way we could predict being in the title game but we set out on that plan and we are employing that same idea this year.
I think this team has that capability ... and if they take care of the goals along the way then they can. But we have a long way to go and it's a long season.
