"Bird" Kuhn ready for start of SEC play after games against OU, Texas
On what stood out in tough-fought win vs. Oklahoma:
Their fight. We’re at home, we’re defending our home court. It wasn’t pretty, execution-wise, but they found ways to score and they found a way to win. That’s just knowing who you are, and finishing when you have your opportunities.
On losing leads late in sets during Texas match and how to correct it:
Focus on the finish. If we’re going to be a side out team, we have to be able to maintain that lead, and it comes down to siding out. That’s confidence and just knowing that you’re in control. And again, taking advantage of the opportunity. It was the same situation, it was just a different outcome because you have to execute at all times.
On the hostile environment at Texas and lessons learned from playing in that gym:
It’s a great volleyball gym. That’s the kind of environment you want to be in. That’s why you play at this level. Texas A&M-Texas; that’s a match a majority of people would want to be playing in. I saw our team actually perform really well and execute at a high level, but again, it’s just finishing and finishing in-game and knowing that you’re going to do it and just doing it.
On being prepared for the SEC schedule:
After this preseason, I think we’re prepared. We see them prepare for matches in that setup; the two matches spread out last week got us into more of a rhythm for SEC play. We had a good practice yesterday, and we’ll get another one in today and just really focus on what we got to do against Alabama, and what we have to do on our side to execute at a high level.
On what needs to be done to beat Alabama on Tuesday:
It’s always going to come down to basics – serve and pass. We want to be in system and be able to balance our offense again and find that balance, and we want to keep them out of system. Our goal is to serve tough and be able to execute defensively who we need to shut down and manage on their side.
On preparing for Tennessee on Sunday:
They’re going to be a solid team. They were really good last year. We’re on the road, so it’ll be our first road SEC match. In preparing after Alabama, we’ll get our kids focused on them after this match and we’ll execute defensively, but again, it’s going to come down to our balance and our offense getting going when we’re there.