Quotes from after the Final Four

Our version of DUAN!  Yea, it’s 2:30 in the morning, so, of course, here’s a digest of a couple of interviews with Kendra Higgins and Vindya Dayananda.

Kendra Higgins (first-year, one singles, one doubles)

• “I thought we played extremely well. We gave it our all. You’re playing against the number-one team in nation; they’re obviously a great team also, but we left everything on the court. I don’t think we could have played any better; they were just a better team today. But it’ll be our time.”

• On playing doubles against the two-time defending National Champion: “There were points where Chrissy and I were just like, ‘Oh, what are we going to do?’ type of thing. We had no idea where the match was going to go. We just played really aggressive, just played one ball at time, played really patient, and when we got the opportunity, we would attack, and it paid off.”

• “Going into singles we were really pumped up. We knew we had the advantage, we had the momentum, and you could tell Amherst was really nervous. We knew they weren’t just going to give it to us; we had to go and fight hard. It’s hard going into singles when you’re up, but we never thought that way. We just try to win every single match.”

• On her three-set singles victory: “That was tough, just like doubles, it was one of those matches where it went every single direction…. We both felt like we had to win, not really seeing how tight it was [on other courts]. We both wanted it equally as much, and I was just happy to pull through today. She was a phenomenal player.”

• On the decisive two singles match: “Every point was fought hard. Jen played outstanding; the girl was just a little better today. It basically came down to making the first error. it was one of those types of matches where you have to play high percentage tennis but still go for your shots…. She did the best she could, and that’s all we could ask for—it’s a team effort. She played her heart out….”

• “We felt a little disappointed because we were inches from greatness like we usually are. Because we were so close, it was a tough loss for us. It just came from underneath us.”

• “We know it’s a learning experience, and we have many years ahead. Amherst has an older team than us, and I think we’ve done a great job so far this season, especially with the amount of new players we have.”

• On the third-place match against Emory: “I think third time’s a charm. We’re going to do it. We get closer each time we play them, and with a lot of teams, I think they’re scared to play us. They know we have the talent to beat them, they just don’t know it until they’re playing us.”

• “Hopefully we’ll just bring it tomorrow. Everybody is very energized; we really want to get third place tomorrow. We want to end the season right. Right now we’re ranked number four in the nation; we’d rather be ranked number three.”

Vindya Dayananda (fourth-year, two doubles, five singles)

• “I think we fought really hard…from the minute the match started until it ended. It’s just that Amherst was a better team today. On any given day, the outcome could have been different. The girls, I have to say though, they tried really hard.”

• “Number one doubles, they were really playing so well, getting all their volleys in, and Kendra was hitting winners… and on other side I could see Carmen and Tiffany, even though they didn’t win…they really hung in there and stayed to the very end…. They did their part, and that really inspired me and Jennifer to keep going and be aggressive.”

• “It could have gone either way, but they just ended up sealing the deal. It’s never fun to lose, but these girls took the loss very well. We’re already focusing on tomorrow; we’re just going to try to put today behind us because, still, the number three spot is up for grabs.”

• “This is our third time playing Emory, and third time’s always a charm. We’ve lost to them before, but we’ve gotten closer every time, and hopefully tomorrow will be the day.”

• “Emory’s got a great team. They’re ranked so high for a good reason. They’ve got some real fighters on their team, but the important thing is to focus on our side of the court, focusing on playing our games, not letting the pressure get to us. The idea is to finish strong, and do we what can.”

• “You look at the UAA match, we had to come back and play Wash U next day, and that was also for third place. It’s just about, the team that wants it hard enough will always come back and play.”

• “We’ve got to sort of forget that we’ve lost two matches, or else you go in thinking too much about what’s happened.”

• “I feel like our strategy so far has worked really well. That’s always been not letting down, playing really hard, not thinking about the consequences.”

• “Both coaches, Marty Perry and Jeff White, have done an incredible job this week. They’ve really been there for the girls, given us the right kind of support. They’ve been amazing coaches for the past year—for me, the past four years—but especially the past week they’ve been amazing.”