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Feb. 14, 2008

Press Conference Photo Gallery

FRESNO, Calif.- Fresno State athletic director Thomas Boeh introduced the Bulldogs new volleyball coach Lauren Netherby-Sewell to the media on Thursday morning. Netherby-Sewell is fourth volleyball coach in Fresno State history.

Below are quotes from her press conference.

Fresno State athletic director Thomas Boeh
"We are pleased to have Lauren here. In several years as an assistant coach and a head coach at the Division I level Lauren has already built a reputation as a great recruiter, great tactician, great relationship with student athletes and a terrific institutional representative. She has been identified by many as a rising star in the industry. As we called around and talked to people in the volleyball community nationally her name came up regularly. We are pleased to have her here."

Lauren Netherby Sewell
Opening Statement
"Today is an exciting day for my husband and I. Fresno State has the potential that I am looking for to do something really special here. I am going from a great program at Hofstra University that is already built that has potential to be very good this year to a great challenge. I think the potential is much higher here to go farther. "What a great team. I met them yesterday. I think we have a wonderful future with a great administration. I have been more impressed with them than anybody. Their value system and business plan was so impressive to me that it made my husband and me jump on a plane from New York to Fresno, California. So here we are. We are very excited."

On what she expects from the team
"I already talked to the team about taking control of what they can. Right away they can be the hardest working team in the country. Maybe not national championships right away but they can certainly be the hardest working team and the fittest team. They can work the hardest in the classroom. All the things that we can control right away are what we are going to do. That changes the culture immediately. We are going to be reaching out to the community and coming up with exciting new ways about doing things and just get people excited about Fresno State volleyball. If our team walks around with that confidence when we walk into gyms they are going to know things are on the way.

"I am one of the most fair people you'll meet. Everyone deserves a shot. I am certainly a coach that you have to earn your way. I am tough with testing and discipline. They will be holding themselves accountable for everything. From what I here we have a lot of talent with great athletes and they just need to go in a different direction. That is why I am here. I am going to bring new philosophies. I have been successful with those. I look forward to getting in the gym with the women. I know I can impart right away a winning attitude. I know how to motivate student athletes. I know how to take them and train them at a level where matches become easy. We just train at a very high level. We will be very prepared for matches. That is why I was successful there. We had a team (at Hofstra) that needed a little new blood to take them to the next level. Whatever I did worked and I am certainly going to do the same thing here. How long will it take? Let me see them practice on the first day and I'll let you know."

On the timing of her hire

"It is great that I am coming in the spring. We'll have so much time to work together and create a great team. It is a young team so that is terrific. I'll have years to build and train. By the time August comes around they will be in good shape."

On her first impressions of Fresno State

"Before my interview I looked at Fresno State and did not know a lot about the school except for the conference. The area I was somewhat familiar with being from California. I had a lot of people call me and say you need to give this a shot. On the way out here I didn't know what my expectations where to be honest with you. The first thing that made me serious about this job was when I met the administrative staff. I wanted to work with people who had a vision of success by doing it the right way, by taking care of their coaches and student athletes. They are honest people. I was just so attracted to that. The glory years are certainly coming and it is going to be with this administrative staff. The facilities are tremendous. Any athlete that comes here is going to be very lucky to play in a place like the Save Mart Center. Even the locker room is like an NBA locker room. I would want to play here. I was impressed by so many things."

On recruiting in California

"I really love teams that have the athletes but just need a boost. I love being able to work with people like that. They are so eager and willing. That really excites me. Fresno has tremendous volleyball players at the club and high school level. I had to recruit California kids to New York for volleyball. It was tough. Here you have wonderful athletes right at your door step. I look forward to getting to know the high school coaches. Recruiting to Fresno State is a no-brainer. Potential and resources are important to me. We have it here. We have a great plan and a great future ahead of us. I was impressed. I don't know of many volleyball programs that can play in a facility like the Save mart Center. It is exciting to have that on campus and it is a wonderful venue."

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