Intro

Kathia: 00:00 – 00:22

Hey Gators, welcome back to the Chomp Pod. My name is Kathia Noriega and I’m the managing editor of Golden Gate Xpress. Today, I’ll be joined by Matt Hoffman, the head coach of the women’s volleyball team, to discuss their success this season as they reach the NCAA championship in Sioux Falls, a recap of their season and more. Let’s get started. 

Interview

Kathia: 00: 23 – 00: 25

So first, I just want to say thank you so much for joining me today. 

Matt: 00:26 – 00:28

Thanks for having me. 

Kathia: 00:28 – 00:31

I just wanted to start by asking you, like, how did you feel about this season’s experience?

Matt: 00:32 – 00:49 

The season was amazing, I mean, especially the last two weeks. We got to the NCAA tournament, we got our first-ever win and then made it all the way to the finals to get to the national championship game. The last two weeks was just pretty crazy with the quality of teams we played, the ways we came back. It was just a pretty special run.

Kathia: 00:50 – 00:57

And what was it like traveling to South Dakota for the championships and what was it like for the team? How was the excitement? 

Matt: 00:58 – 01:23

They were really excited. I mean, the travel is a little interesting. We had to split our team in half. So half the team flew to Denver and then Sioux Falls and the other half went to Dallas and then to Sioux Falls. But, yeah, it was good. It was a little colder than here but they were pretty excited to have the opportunity. When you get to that level, there’s a lot of — a lot of ways they make you feel really special. So that was fun for them.

Kathia: 01:24 – 01:35

I know you guys won the first two rounds of the championship. How was it like getting to advance and knowing that the team was getting far in the championships?

Matt: 01:36 – 01:59 

That was pretty incredible. I mean, once you get to that level. You’re playing really, really high-quality teams. And in both matches, we had to come from behind so it was just a lot of excitement and we just came up a little short in the last one. But yeah, it was a great run and each match, we kept building on that excitement and kept having fun and enjoying the process. 

Kathia: 02:00 – 02:12 

So give me a full walkthrough in that last game. I know it was a lot going into it and I was also watching as it was happening, and I was really excited to see the team kind of show resilience. So can you tell me more about that?

Matt: 02:13 – 02:46

Yeah, so the first two sets, we lost. In each one of those first two, we were up kind of later in the games and we kind of let it get away. I was really proud of them for, you know — we come back after being down two games to zero and win the third pretty convincingly, win the fourth pretty convincingly. And then that fifth game was just back and forth the entire time. It was —they just came out just two points better than us in that last set. So, yeah, it was pretty cool to come back in that game and watch them have a lot of grit and resiliency and a lot of fight in them.

Kathia: 02:47 – 03:11

What were your words of encouragement, like knowing that you guys were down 2-0? Like, as a viewer, I feel like I saw the efforts and the motivation that it took to get them to tie the game and tie the match… and it was just pretty interesting to watch, pretty exciting to watch. So what was the team feeling and what were your stance on that?

Matt: 03:12 – 03:51

The thing we kept reminding them was to just keep playing loose because when you get in those moments, if you get tense or tight, you tend not to play as well. So we just kept reminding them to play loose, enjoy where we’re at. You know, look where we are kind of thing, like we’re at the national championship game, this is pretty cool. Not something to kind of get tight about but just to kind of relax and kind of lean into it a little bit. And as the game went on, you could see them playing more loose, smiling more, having more fun and we played better when we were that way. We were down 2-0, you know, in the first match too so we kind of were comfortable in that environment.

Kathia: 03:52 – 04:06

Could you tell that, I guess that kind of helped the team, like, get more plays in as they were seeing that they were losing 2-0, but just seeing that motivation give them more to build off of?

Matt: 04:07 – 04:26

Yeah, you definitely can see it. When they were loose, you know, the bench was dancing and the girls were smiling and, you know, not looking so serious. You could see that change in them and that came out on the court in just a relaxed environment, and that’s exactly how we needed to be.

Kathia: 04:27 – 04:41

Can you tell me more about your players, like Izzy [Issak] and the DeBoer sisters? Can you tell me more about how their game was in that match and how were they kind of encouraging other teammates?

Matt: 04:42 – 05:30

Yeah, so that game was a very good reflection of us as a team in terms of how we spread out the offense. Kimbo [Kimberly DeBoer] did a great job of distributing the ball to all of our hitters and you know, our serve receive Izzy and Bri [Brianna DeBoer] mostly did an amazing job of getting us in the system. So each one of them did kind of their part. And then Tamaya Wilson, Aidan Goodrich, [Anastacia] Staci Garza and Katie Parker did a great job filling whatever they needed to do. But we were very balanced between, you know, four of our attackers, which is kind of exactly how we tend to play when we do well. So yeah, Izzy, Kimbo and Bri did a great job of anchoring down, particularly those first two contacts, the pass and the set, which allowed us to be good offensively.

Kathia: 05:31 – 05:35 

Can you tell me a key moment that you want to highlight?

Matt: 05:36 – 06:44

So the first match we played, we were down 2-0. I got stuck at an interview for ESPN so I basically didn’t have time to talk to the team in between games two and three. So we’re down to zero and I don’t have time to say anything. And all I had time to do was to get to them and say, ‘This would be one really cool story if we came back to win. Let’s go.’ And what had happened is, while I was waiting to do that interview, Chloe Henning, one of our seniors and one of the people on our leadership, she gave a very good motivational speech and really pumped up the team and really led in that moment. And they came out, and we were, again, so much more relaxed, so much more loose in that third set. That really kind of turned the weekend around because you’re down 0-2. You could lose the next one and go home and instead have that talk in the locker room. And she led it and that kind of kick-started our weekend. So that was pretty cool. I didn’t get to see it but it was cool to hear about.

Kathia: 06:45 – 06:52

And you mentioned ESPN, how was it like being on national television and knowing that you were representing the Gators out there?

Matt: 06:53 – 07:20

That was pretty cool. There’s not a lot of times that, you know, as a division two athletic team that you get to be on ESPN, and, you know, have commentators and cameras out there on the floor and all that stuff. That was a very cool part of the experience and it was awesome to represent the university. I know a lot of people were able to follow it and watch, and we’re just proud to have a chance to have done that for the university to kind of get our school and our athletic department out there.

Kathia: 07:21 – 07:31

I know they hosted a watch party here in the city and there was a lot of excitement. How did you guys feel knowing that you got, like, a supporting system out here?

Matt: 07:32 – 08:01 

That was amazing. I mean, we got videos sent to us from people, you know, whether it was in a training room or a restaurant or a watch party. You know, we received plenty of emails congratulating us, wishing us luck. I know, personally, I got texts from people that I haven’t talked to in 15, 20 years that were following and excited about it. So it was pretty cool to create a buzz about the team and the athletic department and definitely the school.

Kathia: 08:01 – 08:02

Yeah, what were your thoughts after and how was the team feeling?

Matt: 08:03 – 08:45

Um, you’re always disappointed when you don’t win the last one but only one team gets to win the last one. Um, we were very, you know, it’s kind of one of those things, don’t cry because you lost, cry because it’s over. You know, we just didn’t get time, we didn’t get another chance to play another match, another practice. So we weren’t — we wanted to win but we were kind of just sad it was over, and because they’re a great group. I mean, the team is amazing, every individual on the team and yeah, you’re bummed that you don’t get to do it again. And so we were glad to get all the way to the way to the end and play the last day you possibly could.

Kathia: 08:46 – 08:49 

From a coaching perspective, what are your thoughts on the team’s performance in the tournament?

Matt: 08:50 – 09:15

They were great. They were — we always say you want to play your best when your best is required. And the lights don’t shine any brighter than when at that stage and when it mattered when they needed to, they fought, they executed their jobs. As a coach, that’s all you can really ask them to do. 

09:16 – 09:48

You know, you want them to do that in just a normal match in conference and for them to do it on the biggest stage, on ESPN, you know, with so much on the line, especially because it’s an environment we hadn’t been in. It’s kind of inspiring to watch them do that because nothing fazed them the entire time. They were just resilient and it was something that came inside them. It wasn’t like I put that on them, it was just inside them and they let it come out. And it was really enjoyable. As a coach, that’s exactly what you want the team to do.

Kathia: 09:49 – 10:02

Did you anticipate any of this going into the season as a fresh start, like, did you think, “Oh, this is like a special group that I know can go far?” Or did you just, you know, try to do your best as the season went on?

Matt: 10:03 – 10:31 

It is a very special group but I don’t think we had, you know, the national championship in our sights. I mean, you dream about that, you go, ‘That would be really fun. That would be cool.’ But I don’t think any of us expected it realistically. I even asked them, you know, before the match, I said, ‘Raise your hand if you thought we were going to be here in August.’ None of them raised their hand. And I said, ‘Yeah, me neither.’

10:32 – 11:02 

But it was just one of those things that as the six matches of the tournament, the three that were in the regional and then the three at the NCAA championships — as they went on, we started to believe a little bit more. And then the other thing we did is we never really looked ahead. We always said, you know, ‘Don’t think about number two when we’re on number one. Don’t worry about number three when we’re still on number one. Just focus on what’s right in front of you and take it one step at a time.’

11:03 – 11:15 

So we never were really looking at a national championship, we just were looking at what was right in front of us. I think that those steps in that process really helped make the moment not get bigger than what it actually was.

Kathia: 11:16 – 11:32

I think that really showed in that last game, where you could tell that everyone was just focused on that specific moment and not so much thinking ahead. What were some moments where you thought, oh, like, this person really showed that they’re trying to focus on the now and try to turn things around?

Matt: 11:33 – 12:12 

Honestly, everybody. I mean, there wasn’t really a specific time where it was like she did something and that changed the landscape. It was very much collective. There wasn’t really, like, an outlying moment where, you know, outside of possibly Chloe’s leadership in between games two and three but it was on the court. It was just, it was just pretty steady. It wasn’t like, you know, someone made some miraculous play that turned the game around. Everyone did a part at some point in time to help us do that. So that was pretty cool to see because it was — it’s a very balanced group.

Kathia: 12:13 – 12:22

How do you feel about the team’s performance this year and how do you feel going into next season?

Matt: 12:23 – 13:10

It’s success on the court. It’s gonna be hard to top. There’s only one more game we could have won. So I’m just grateful that I had the opportunity to coach these girls and to see them have success and for the seniors to be able to go out that way is… there’s only so many teams that can say they had a chance to do that. For next year, it’s definitely going to be trying to use that for the returners and the new girls coming in as, you know, kind of not a standard but just definitely, this is what we want to try to get to every year and not make it a goal, but make it more just something that we’re capable of and we just have to strive for it.

Kathia: 13:11 – 13:24

What was your strategy in trying to help them, kind of help this team specifically, kind of turn things around, and not just like mentally but physically in that game?

Matt: 13:25 – 13:58 

So physically, we just had to, we had to trust our training on the court. There’s a lot of things that we do in practice that we had to remind them that, you know, you’re in this drill. We’ve done this plenty of times. You know exactly what to do. You just have to trust it and go and do it. So, yeah, I think that was a big part. Just allowing them to do what they’ve been trained to do, do what they know they can do but not trying to over coach it or over correct things.

Kathia: 13:59 – 14: 04

What were some patterns that you feel like you kind of wanted to build on and wanted to keep consistent throughout these matches?

Matt: 14:05 – 14:39 

Um, definitely, service pressure. I think serving was a big part of when we went from, you know, losing sets or not having success to winning some sets or having success, definitely, our service pressure was a big part of it to put some pressure on the other team, and then just varying our offense a little bit. When you get to that level, if you’re only setting one or two people, the other team can key in on it. So I think especially Kimbo did a great job of spreading the ball out so that we had a lot of attackers at all times.

Kathia: 14:40 – 14:48

How would you describe this season in your coaching experience and you know, your previous years being a volleyball coach?

Matt: 14:49 – 15:48

It’s up there near the top. I mean, it definitely, you know, one of the things that I talked to the group about after the season was over was we talked about the word ever. You know, you can say the best team ever, that’s a long time. And you can say, you know, Izzy ended the season with the most kills ever in a season. I mean, that was the best ever. And then Kimbo had the most assists in a season ever in school history. We had the most wins ever in school history. And that’s kind of powerful to say that you — in all time, the most ever, or the best ever, is kind of a lasting legacy that I think they left, and I think that’s very exciting for them to have gone through. And I think we’ll always remember everything about the season and especially these last two weeks.

Kathia: 15:49 – 15:55

Yeah, you kind of mentioned Izzy’s success as well. How do you feel about coaching someone who has gotten like so many — and had the most kills?

Matt: 15:56 – 16:31

I’m very proud of her. Izzy had an injury that kept her out of the 2022 season. So she had to support the team from the bench, she had to be a cheerleader and then she had to work way back to being ready to play. So when someone has to do that, you’re out an entire season [and] you just have to watch, and it’s hard to do. I’m very proud of her for having her come back to being able to play but also then closing out her senior year playing the best volleyball I’ve ever seen her play.

Kathia: 16:32 – 16:38 

What are some things that you want to keep consistent going into next season based off of this season’s experience?

Matt: 16:39 – 17:23

I think the biggest thing is, like, leadership. You know, four of our six seniors were on our — we have a leadership council made up of like five members of the team — and so those four have been on the council for like three years. They’ve been like a mainstay for our leadership and our culture. And that’s something that has to remain the same, even though the leadership might change. So if we can make sure our leaders are doing a great job and creating a very positive accountability, student-led or player-led culture, I think that’s going to really benefit us down the road because the volleyball part, we can always make them better at volleyball. It’s about the team being connected and cohesive.

Kathia: 17:24 – 17:37

Okay, are there any last things you want to say just based off of this experience? I know it means a lot of representing the school. I know the whole athletics department was just really proud to see you guys get so far.

Matt: 17:38 – 18:12

Yeah, I think it was like I said. It was just a special run that, you know, it was very fun to hear how many people were supporting us, whether it was family or friends or people I haven’t talked to in a while but mostly the community of San Francisco State. Whether it be administrators, whether it be people, other student-athletes, whether it be other students, really following and kind of latching onto it was very cool to see. And we’re just proud that we got a chance to do that for, again, the school, the department and our team. 

Kathia: 18:13 – 18:16 

Okay, well, those are all the questions I have for you. Thank you so much for joining me today.

Matt: 18:16 – 18:17

Yeah, thanks for having me.

Outro

Kathia: 18:18 – 18:25 

This has been Kathia Noriega for Golden Gate Xpress. Thank you for watching.