Morrison's Ags ready for return to Reed after three-match road swing

Texas A&M welcomes Florida and Arkansas to Reed Arena on Friday and Sunday, respectively, as the Aggies look to build on a 3-2 start to SEC play. On Tuesday morning, head coach Jamie Morrison joined TexAgs Live as his Aggies are eager to get back in front of the 12th Man.

Key notes from Jamie Morrison interview

• For a little bit, it felt like our plane was our bus. We were hopping on and off of it. The girls handled it well, for the most part. I feel great.
   
• It was a hard stretch. I should be content and happy with 2-1 in a three-game road stretch. We are good enough to go 3-0. There is a little bit of frustration. I told the team how we respond to things is more important. I am looking forward to the response and to learning from the loss against LSU. We need to be ready for the coming stretch.
   
• We have not had a chance to work on ourselves. Usually, the first two days of a week are spent working on ourselves before we prepare for our opponents. We have had to prepare for our opponents for the last week and a half.
   
• We had a good game plan against Ole Miss. They hit .130 on the night. Our blocking and defense have been clicking pretty well. That was a tough place to play. The lighting was really bright, and it is a small gym. We got into a little trouble passing in the second set, but then we figured things out in the third and fourth. We were off to the races.
   
• LSU made some changes that were good for their team — hats off to them for coming in and playing a good volleyball match. We did not respond. It could have been fatigue from this whole stretch. I talked to our team about the response in the third set. How we react when somebody pushes on us is really important. The earlier we can do that within a set, the better we can be.
   
• Every group is different. We are starting to piece together what our best volleyball looks like. I try to push the right buttons.
   
• We scheduled hard opponents on purpose. This season is a grind. Anyone can lose to anybody. It happens every single night. South Carolina swept Florida for the first time since 1984. Certain teams will crumble. It is about the response. Some teams will get into grind mode and take it out on their next opponent.
   
• Each athlete is different. You must be able to motivate the masses and the individuals within it. That is the art of coaching.
   
• I told the girls that Florida is in the same boat as us. Whoever responds the best will win. They are a good team and well-coached. It will be a battle. I encourage people to come out.
   
• I am pushing to get away from RPI. It is the biggest influence on getting into the tournament and seeding. It does not encourage teams to play the most exciting volleyball matches. It encourages teams to play teams with a lot of wins. Sometimes, those two things don't match up. Usually, the top 45 teams in RPI get at-large bids for the NCAA Tournament. The top 16 in the RPI get to host their first-round matches. It is not the end-all-be-all, but it is the No. 1 thing the committee looks at.
   
• You must give your full attention to every match this year. Looking ahead of an opponent has bitten so many teams this year.
   
• I had the privilege of coaching some of Florida's players with Team USA stuff. There is a trio of them who are the best in the conference. I will start watching some videos on them. I have been watching videos on us. I will know a little more about them tomorrow. They have a talented roster. Their setter is coming back from an ACL injury.
   
• We talk about everyone being connected. Some people will have stronger connections than others, but everyone needs to be connected to everyone in some shape or form. I am big on the dinner table and changing groups. There is a camaraderie and connection between everyone. It makes you feel good when you hear one of your players say this is the closest team they have ever been on. At the end of the day, I am hoping we win a national championship, but I want this to be a lifelong memory for every athlete in our program. I want this to be the best time of their lives. Great teams have a connection to everybody. You can rely on and feel safe with everybody. We want to be accepting of everybody in our program.
   
• The No. 1 thing I am fired up about is working on us. Goal No. 1 is upgrading us this week. Step two is going to beat Florida. We have been away from Reed Arena and the 12th Man. I can't wait to get in front of our crowd again.