Key notes from Jamie Morrison interview

• It was interesting because you go back to the Kentucky match, and you think everyone in the building, including me, was like, “We are going five,” and the way that it ended was like, “We’re not going five.” Everyone sitting there was like, “That’s it.” The energy in the building was palpable and amazing. I think we went on the road, and we were talking before we got on the air. In the SEC, you don’t know who is great and not great. Every night is a challenge. To go on the road, play in a hostile environment at Mississippi State and come out winning 3-0, it was a nice week.
   
• If you are to rewind 20 years, Florida was at the top of the conference, but they could never go out and win a national championship, and everyone would say that the SEC is not what it is today. They weren’t battle-tested. I've got to be good every single night. Winning a national championship is hard. I look at it from the Olympic world, where you can finish third and still get a piece of hardware. Whereas if you lose in the quarterfinals in the elite eight or the semifinals, this is hard. You have to win six games in a row. We have to be good every single night. It’s hard and tiring.
   
• We took Thursday off and are back on Friday. It’s going to take five sets or a really good team, three sets. We have pushed. Mississippi is 12-2. They are a good volleyball team. We need to push every single day. We came out with a sense of urgency in that match, and it paid off. If you keep playing at a high level, your endurance grows. That’s a muscle that you have to flex. It’s the same thing.
   
• I want them to be focused, put in the work and put their frustrations into our next match. We are close. We were in that fourth set, and almost pushed for a fifth vs. Kentucky, then you don't know what could have happened.
   
• Maddie Waak is huge. She's like the quarterback. She touches the ball every play. Her ability to locate and find those she is distributing to. It is impressive.
   
• Megan Fitch went out and had a great match. We had to rest Kyndal Stowers. The future of this program is bright. I think the young players that we have are waiting in the wings and ready to show up.
   
• Everyone has the iceberg thing. Only seeing the tip of what is really there. In football, you can see the people on Saturdays. In volleyball, there is no offensive team and defensive team. It’s the same team. These people are going to be the people to fill the shoes. Our practice gym is one of the best in the country. They hold each other to a high standard. You have to push to that level every single day. For us, it’s now and the future.
   
• It's been nonstop. We get to get our feet under us. We'll go lighter today and just work on us. We'll mix in some stuff for Oklahoma. This is the first chance that we get to get into a rhythm.
   
• Oklahoma is physical. They run fast and serve tough. They have two jump spinners. They are running a 6-2, and they run quickly. We are getting into how to handle that speed. The crowd's last home game was crazy. I want even more of the 12th Man there and fired up. I sent out a message on social media.