If you haven’t read it yet, here’s the link to our Prep Friday feature this week — NK volleyball standout Taylor Ottomano.
There were some quotes that Taylor had said that just didn’t quite work into the story, so I thought I’d post them here. I’ve also added a few from coach Tim French too.
Taylor on playing in a long rally: I think that’s the time that you get really tired, but the longer it keeps going the more you, like, want to crush it down. It makes you get all excited and feels so worth it. It’s so cool when it lasts for five minutes and then you did win the point. And you won it to, they didn’t just miss it. You actually shoved it down their throats and killed them on it.”
On teammates and why team is clicking so well: This year we get along really well off the court. Last year, we got along well, but this year … we see each other in class or the hall and it’s not just a ‘Hey!’ anymore it’s like a ‘Oh! I’ve got to tell you this six-hour story!’ We feel closer and it does help on the court.
On why talking on court is key: I think it’s because you can’t do it all by yourself. Unlike basketball or other sports, you can’t just have one person take the ball. You need someone that’s going to pass it first. The more that you can talk and help each other, because from where you’re standing you can see so many different things. I know that I’m better at reading certain hits than another person is, or if you just talk and say, ‘They’re going to hit it wide,’ … it gets more positive that way. You can feed off of each other. And it tends to shut the other team down too.
On playing at a small college: I just don’t want to go to a big school very much. I don’t want to go to a school that has 600 kids in a class.
Tim on beating CK last week: It’s the first time one of my teams beat (Gordy Bushaw). He’s an amazing coach, the legend. I was so happy for the girls.
On club volleyball: The club is helping. They learn so much from the club. That’s helping a lot. The skills are so much higher than they used to be. We can spend more time with the system.
On assistant coach, Tara Curtis, an NK graduate: (Tara) was one of our standout players. She’s a valued piece of the puzzle.
