Nov. 4, 2005 Washington faces Stanford and California this week at Bank of America Arena. The Huskies defeated both teams on the road last month but it wasn't easy as Cal took UW to five games and Stanford took one game from the Huskies. It marked the first games Washington had lost all season. GoHuskies.com caught up with senior All-American Candace Lee and talked with her about last week's thriller at Arizona and this week's visit from the Bay Area schools. GoHuskies.com: Last weekend was a dog-fight against Arizona and it marked just the second time this season that Washington has gone to five games. What was that match like? Candace Lee: "There was good volleyball on both sides so it was pretty much a war the entire time. It was really intense but I felt like we were relatively calm and didn't get frantic even though the score was basically one point after the other, we got a point and then they got a point." GH: Arizona had not lost at home until that night. Is McKale center one of the more hostile environments to play at in the Pac-10? CL: "It definitely is one of the more hostile places to play. Arizona always has a lot of fans and this was a big game so even more people came out." GH: Washington had its share of fans at the ASU match the next night with the football team in town. What does that support mean to the team? CL: "We were really excited to have people there that maybe normally won't have made it out to see us. There were a lot of football fans there and it was nice to have that kind of support where they came out to support another Washington sport." GH: Is it common for Husky athletes to support other teams on campus? CL: "Yes. The cross country team came to watch us against Arizona and they came out to watch football too." GH: Does the volleyball team have a team or two that it routinely goes out and supports? CL: "We support a lot of basketball and football." GH: The team got to attend the football game on Saturday, how much fun was that? CL: "It was a blast. We looked at our schedule when it first came out and saw that we would be in Arizona at the same time as football so we had been looking forward to that game since August." GH: This week you have another tough schedule lined up with Stanford and California coming to town. How does the team stay mentally and physically prepared week-to-week with such a challenging schedule? CL: "We just try to keep improving everyday. We analyze film and go into practice and try to meet our standards. We try to stay in the present. The Pac-10 schedule is really preparing us for the postseason schedule where we face tough teams every night." GH: Thursday's match vs. Stanford will be televised on FSN and Holly McPeak will be calling the action. What is it like for you to meet and play in front of a volleyball legend like herself? CL: "It's great. She is someone I have admired for a long time and I was really excited to meet her when she was here a few weeks ago. I've watched her play for a long time and she's someone we all look up to. She offered me congratulations on the digs record and I was really honored to have her say that." GH: Do you think Stanford and Cal will be facing the same team it did in the Bay Area last month or have you guys mixed it up? CL: "I think we have improved since then and are tougher. It was really hard playing down there and I think that we have prepared even more since then to face them. The fact that we are at home will be an awesome advantage too." |
