Preparing for volleyball's 2023 season with head coach Jamie Morrison

We are just 50 days away from Texas A&M volleyball and the start of the Jamie Morrison era. On Monday's edition of TexAgs Radio, we caught up with the new head coach as he gave us an update on some key contributors this fall and how offseason is going.

Key notes from Jamie Morrison interview 

• I think it is awesome to know how deep the Aggie community is. It has been awesome getting to know everybody.
   
• I have been lucky and honored to be the head coach of the USA U19 program. That program has given me all the knowledge I have now. I owe it a lot, so I like to give back by finding the best players and training them. I feel like it sharpens my sword as well. I have to create a team in two weeks and compete against the best in the world. Also, it’s an honor to wear red, white and blue.
   
• Balancing the U19 team with A&M is not too difficult. The training is very similar. A lot of the training we do there is remote. I get a trial run with them, then get to come back and do it with us. 
   
• You want to prepare your team for success. We want to make the postseason and have the best-seeded team possible. Our schedule will have a lot of really good volleyball matches. We are home for two weekends. I wanted to get us around our home crowd as much as possible.
   
• The coaching comes from a mix of practice and matches. There is a lot of pressure and learning that comes from matches. You want to take what you created in practice and put it under pressure on the weekend.
   
• Most of the time, the best players in the country can out physical everyone else, but when you get to a higher level, you aren’t the biggest fish in the sea. It is one of the best environments to learn in.
   
• I think the best teams I have been around are optimistic problem solvers. We have to find a way to get out of this. The best players love what they are doing. Make sure it doesn’t feel like work. Find a superpower in your game. Make that part of your game stand out. There is a team element and how you can help the players around you.
   
• The transitions between levels are ignored a lot. People talk about the speed of the game. I think club volleyball helps, but I don’t think anyone is prepared for the stress coming into collegiate athletics. I think a lot of athletes struggle with it. 
   
• We have a transfer outside hitter. I can’t name who she is. She is coming back to Texas. She adds size and depth on the outside. I want someone that wants to get better both physically and mentally. Morgan Perkins is already here. I am really excited to have her here. She will add some depth to that middle blocker position.
   
• We have three freshmen coming in. Margot Manning is coming in, and we are excited. She was one of the best setters in the country. It was a no-brainer to pick her up. Alayna Pearson came in as a freshman. She is a defensive specialist and one of the hardest workers on the team. 
   
• We talk a lot about being generalized specialists. In our sport, you need to be able to do everything, but you need to be exceptional at a few things. I love the offensive side of the game and how we pick apart a defense.
   
• The biggest thing we have harped on is the attitude and mindset on defense. The point of our sport on defense is to get a kill. It isn’t just to get a stop like a lot of other sports. I love that everything is connected in our sport. Bianna Muoneke latched onto everything we were teaching. She is great on both sides of the ball. I could see you hearing her name across the SEC.