April 14, 2006
TEMPE, Ariz. -
As spring practice for the ASU Volleyball team enters its final two weeks, Head Coach Brad Saindon finds himself pleased with what has been going on.
"There is a new feeling in the gym. The girls are working extremely hard, and I think the culture is getting closer to what it needs to be in order for us to win championships. We finally have our new staff complete, and I'm very optimistic about the 2006 season."
After the first week of spring practice, ASU traveled to the University of Arizona where they competed against some great opponents. ASU saw success after only one week of training, which was encouraging. UNLV had beaten ASU for two seasons straight, but not only did ASU sweep UNLV, but earlier in the day they also swept in state rival Arizona 2-0.
"We are twice as good now as we were in that tournament," said Saindon. "The improvements that have been made both on and off the court since that first week of training are enormous. We are becoming a great serving and passing team, and our blocking has made huge strides."
With two full weeks of practice remaining, the ASU Coaching staff believes huge progress can still be made.
"We have to be mindful of every rep we take in the gym," continued Saindon. "Time is precious right now, and we need to not only continue improving as volleyball players, but we need to continue building the culture that has shed its light this spring. If we continue moving in this direction success will follow."
ASU will host Penn State April 21and 22 in three training sessions. Saturday April 22 will be open to the public. The following weekend ASU will wrap up their spring season by hosting a tournament in Wells Fargo Arena open to the public. ASU will play the University of Arizona, along with Northern Arizona University. Tournament times are listed below.
ASU Tournament Saturday, April 29
9:00 AM: ASU v Northern Arizona
10:00 AM: Northern Arizona v Arizona
11:00 AM: ASU v Arizona
1:00 PM: Northern Arizona v Arizona
2:00 PM: Arizona v ASU
3:00 PM: Northern Arizona v ASU
Admission is free to all spring matches