Who is your best player?
"It is impossible to single out one player. I think we have three players that could fall under that category of best player. I think that Chrissy Hirsch is our best passer and best defender in the backcourt and someone who ranks among the top players in the country in the Libero position. She has the ability to control the game. Another one of our best players is Becky Potter. She is one of the most dynamic and explosive hitters in the country. I also believe that Kelli Sousa is one of our best players. She is somebody who can take control of the match. She has had times where all five of her hitters have been in double figures for kills. She also currently leads the country in assists per game which speaks volumes to her ability."

Do you think Becky Potter should be the player of the year?
"Right now I think it is a close call between Becky and Katie Wilkins of Pepperdine. I think both of them should be All-Americans this year. To me they are the top two players in our conference and would be in many conference across the nation."

Who has been the most influential in your coaching career?
"I would have to say there have been three people who have had influences on my coaching career. The first is my dad. My dad has been a coach for over 35 years, coaching a multitude of sports, even some he knew very little about. He has a lot of core beliefs about sports that has helped him guide teams to winning years that I have picked up in my coaching. Another person who may be the most influential as far as volleyball goes is Harlan Cohen. He was the setting coach at Pepperdine when I was an assistant there. He was also our national team coach back in the 60's for the men. He really got me to start thinking outside the box in how to develop and how to train athletes. Probably the most influential though is Marv Duphy who is the head men's coach at Pepperdine and was also the men's Olympic coach in 1988. His organization and planning, along with his in match coaching is something I picked up from him. Pretty much the A to Z of coaching I learned from him. I believe him to be one of the top five coaches in the world today."

Do you feel that you should be ranked #11 in the nation?
"It's hard to say. I think that our schedule has helped out quite a bit. We have been fortunate to win at the right weekends when other teams have lost. I believe our players have stepped up in key matches. Matches like San Diego here and San Diego on the road, along with Michigan, and Maryland on the road, to win matches that have national implications has been big. I also think that we have beaten the teams that we should have beaten which helps out as well. All four of our losses have come to teams currently ranked in the top-eight, so I think we are where we deserve to be."

Who has been your favorite player that you coached?
"There are a lot of them along the way but there are a specific few that stick out. I tend to like the players who start out with little to nothing and end up overachieving. One of them is Becky Twombley who ended up being a setter at Pepperdine. She went from being a walk-on to leading the nation in assists and helping our team to the playoffs. Another one is Melissa Plass who came in as a top recruit at Pepperdine and came through on everything she said she was going to deliver. Getting us into the playoffs and taking us to the sweet 16 for the first time in school history, so she ranks right up there. Another two are currently with me right now, Chrissy and Cindy Hirsch. Everyday they come to the gym ready to work, ready to get better and they always have smiles on their faces. They are athletic, they love life and the sport of volleyball and they are definitely two of my all-time favorite players to coach."

What is your outlook for the post season?,/b>
"I think that these days it is really hard to predict the postseason outcomes. I do hope that we end up in the top 16 seeds and get to host the first two rounds. I think we would still end up hosting at least two other powerhouses from California, which always seems to end up being the toughest region anyway. So it is hard to say without knowing the draws at this point, but I hope we can step it up since we have a legitimate shot of making it to the round of 16 for the first time in Santa Clara history."

Who has been your biggest rival in the WCC?,/b>
"Without a doubt it is Pepperdine. I think both of our programs are very similar in competitiveness and whom we recruit. They have been winning more of the battles lately than we have. I have only been able to beat Pepperdine once since I have been here, but it was for the WCC Championship in 2000, so that was pretty sweet. They are a great program and a great rival to have. Last weekend was a great example of the rivalry that is not only good for our respective schools, but for the conference in general. Our game on Friday was one of, if not the biggest game in the country. We were 11th and they were 9th entering the match and it went five games. Unfortunately for us the took the last game by a 15-13 score, but I think it showed how close to each other we really are."