Sand Volleyball Update with Head Coach Moritz Moritz

Feb. 14, 2014

COLUMBIA, S.C. — With just 22 days until the South Carolina sand volleyball team opens its inaugural season, Gamecock head coach Moritz Moritz sat down with Gamecocksonline.com to give an update on the program. The Gamecocks’ first match is schedule for March 8 at North Florida.

Q: What has been your favorite part of the process of getting this program going?

Moritz: “It’s tough to identify just one thing as my favorite because in so many ways this is such a special opportunity. To learn so much nearly on a daily basis and to be able to continue to evolve as a coach has been huge, but ultimately the best part of any program in my opinion revolves around the people that share a mutual passion for not just the game but for the growth and development of our student-athletes.”

Q: Now that you have had quite a bit of time on the courts, what are your thoughts on the new facility?

Moritz: “I genuinely believe that we have the best facility in the country, especially because it sits in the heart of our athletics village. I believe that we are helping establish a new standard for what a sand volleyball facility should look like. It’s been such an intricate undertaking and it continues to evolve with new additions all the time. We are lucky to have such an amazing place to train, but best of all we get to call it home.”

Q: You’ve been able to observe the team at practice since early January. What have you seen from the squad during this time?

Moritz: “The team has been working hard, especially in a lot of less than ideal conditions. We have had to contend with super windy, cold, raining and even sleeting conditions, but I have seen great enthusiasm and effort in the face of those variables.”

Q: How have the players responded to the different weather conditions and situations they have faced the last month?

Moritz: “We have been fortunate to train in nearly every type of weather you can imagine. We have had tents fly away because of the wind. We have had it rain sideways. There have been little piles of sleet accumulating in pockets of sand as we are playing, and through it all the players have jumped into the sand with excitement and enthusiasm every time. It is really rewarding when you know you can show up to the courts to get ready to start practice and everyone is fired up regardless of what is getting thrown at them. That is part of the foundation that this team is working to create. There are no excuses, and we don’t whine about anything. We get out there and get after it because it’s an opportunity to get better.”

Q: What’s the team chemistry been like, especially with the indoor crossover players only being at a few of the practices?

Moritz: “The team chemistry is awesome. We have a lot of players pushing each other on a daily basis, and the great thing is that they already have a great connection. That comes with a solid understanding of what we are working to build together, and there has been no distinction between sand only and crossover. We are really attacking this new effort as a single entity working to improve day by day.”

Q: How have the crossover players transitioned into the sand game?

Moritz: “The biggest factor for them transitioning to the sand is getting their sand legs. That is probably the largest obstacle because the sand really affects everything from basic conditioning to timing and speed. The crossover players have a good understanding for the game and they can see what needs to happen, but that transition into the sand as well as the addition of the elements like wind and rain really changes how they view and execute, so that has been our focus to start.”

Q: Most coaches have a set of goals they present to the team at the beginning of each season. With this being the first-ever sand volleyball season at South Carolina, what goals have you set for the team?

Moritz: “We have really narrowed our focus into thinking only about today. Controlling what we can control right now and working to improve in every opportunity and in every moment that we can. One thing that permeates throughout the entire program is best expressed with the saying Mia San Mia (adopted from Bayern Munich), which roughly translates into “we are who we are” and concentrating on developing the attention to detail necessary to get better.”

Q: You’ve only had limited opportunities to see the entire roster practice together. How are the pairings starting to come together?

Moritz: “We will really start working to identify those potential pairings in the next couple weeks. We have a lot of combinations that we believe could be successful and we know that we have to give them time to work together to develop the communication and comfort to really play the game with the right flow. Developing that understanding is something that comes with time and work, so we will give them the opportunities to create that, but it’s also going to be finding the players that complement each other the best. It’s probably the most difficult part of the process, but the innate competition is really fueling a lot of intriguing dynamics.”

Q: Every team seems to have a group of individuals that step up as leaders. Who on this team has filled the leadership roles?

Moritz: “This endeavor has really been a whole team effort, but we couldn’t create that environment if we didn’t have excited and motivated student-athletes making an inspired effort on a daily basis. We are learning that there are a lot of different dimensions to the team concept particularly when your main components compete in subsets of the whole. We will always win or lose as a team, but it will take great effort from every individual to create the most competitive pairs to then really elevate the whole team, the whole group. Our main focus will always simply target improvement, and that pulses throughout every facet of this program.”

Q: With only a few weeks until the season begins, what are some of the things the team needs to work on between now and the opener?

Moritz: “We can never highlight the details enough, the small mechanical and fundamental movements and principles that are going to allow the players to execute consistently at a high level. If we can really concentrate on those and playing with composure and confidence, then we believe that we are moving in the right direction.”