Huskies take it one match at a time

By Rob Bolton

Volleyball coach Pete Waite … on the attitude:

“(The season) is going really quickly for us. Especially now, we’ve got some weeks when we are just into conference play. … When you’re winning, things go very quickly.”

Coach Waite … on the future:

“We just continue to look toward our goals at the end of the year. That’s going to be on us before we can blink an eye. I’m sure it will be exciting.”

Waite … on discipline:

“Main thing is, we can’t look too far ahead. We just have to take each match and finish it and go onto the next match.”

His group of Huskies is riding a 12-game unbeaten streak to tag on to the four-match winning streak.

Things are going just the way they like it. Everyone is healthy. Everyone is contributing. To single out a single star is not possible. And Waite is well aware of his situation of his 8-2 (1-0 in the Mid-Continent Conference) club.

“(Wendy) Mason came back, after having an off-weekend the weekend before (at Miami, Ohio),” Waite admitted. “She’s back on top of her game.

“Becky Ramsey has been playing consistently well. After being named to the All-Tournament team at Miami, she’s just been a mainstay on the team.

“Kori Schauer has been consistently on top of her game. She’s doing very well.

“Nikki Kozak’s shoulder is doing better. We were able to use her in all three games (Tuesday) night.” Kozak aggravated her shoulder, which was operated in the offseason, at Miami and has been rested for tougher opponents. She played one game against Wisconsin-Green Bay Saturday but all three in the Kansas victory on Sunday.

But the intensity, on which this team has a stronghold, is not taken for granted. It needs inspiration and sustenance for consistent success, a virtue desired by anyone but experienced by only winners.

“We give them new challenges,” Waite acknowledged. “Every match, we have another goal; we have another reason to work hard to win. One of them, always in the background, is being able to host that conference tournament.”

Waite … on success.