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<I> Kris Grunwald--Volleyball Coach </I></H2>

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<B>As a first year head coach, what are your goals for the season?</B><P>
    "Our number one goal this year is to make the NCAA tournament. Of course we would like to win the western division in the SEC but we feel that we are capable of making the tournament even if we don't. We have been on the bubble several times before and we have fallen short."

<P><B>What do you feel are your team's strengths? </B><P>
    "At times we can be very physical but we still need to improve on the little things. The passing and ball control aspects of our team are the primary focus for us, because that is where we need to improve. After our first week of play we have seen that we can side out with people if we handle the ball and pass well. Sometimes we have struggled and gotten in situations where smaller and quicker teams have dueled us just with their ball handling ability."

<P><B>What are your thoughts on Auburn and SEC Competition? </B><P>
    "I think that our pre-SEC schedule will give us a pretty good feel of where we stand as a team. We have a wide variety of competition, there are some teams that we should have an opportunity to improve on and some will give us some stiff competition because of their experience in the NCAA tournament. When you get into SEC competition, you never know, every team we play will be a tough match for us. If we are mentally prepared to play every SEC opponent, then we feel like we could finish in the upper echelon of the conference."

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<B>Do you feel the expansion of the NCAA tournament to 64 teams will help Auburn's chances to advance to the tournament? </B><P>
    "The NCAA expansions doesn't really help us that much as far as our situation. It expanded eight spots from 56 to 64, but previously there were six play-in spots for the smaller conferences and now those conferences get automatic bids. It opens up two more spots for at-large teams and our chances increase but not as great as you would expect. When you talk about teams being ranked from 1-64 there is no doubt that I believe Auburn is one of the best 64 teams in the country. When you talk about the NCAA tournament, over half of the bids go out to the smaller conference champions and that is part of giving those conferences a chance and it is helping volleyball out as a whole."

<P><B>What is your strongest position on the team? </B><P>
    "The setter position is very stable with senior Piper Craig, but our middle blocker position is our strength with Jaunelle Hamilton who was the 1997 SEC Freshman of the Year and Heather Franey returning. The key for us to be successful is that we have to be able to handle the ball well enough to get it to our middles. If our middles aren't handling the ball well, then our outside hitters are there to take some of the pressure off, and we feel pretty good about their ability to sideout on a consistent basis."


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	<H1 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#FF8000">Q</FONT>
	<FONT SIZE=3>&</FONT>
	<FONT COLOR="#FF8000">A</FONT></H1>
	<H2 ALIGN=CENTER>
	<I> Kris Grunwald--Volleyball Coach </I></H2>

	<HR>

	<TABLE ALIGN=RIGHT WIDTH=180 BORDER=0>
	<TD>
	<IMG ALT=" Kris Grunwald " BORDER=2 SRC="pic/grunwald1_bw.jpg">
	<HR>
	</TD>
	</TABLE>

	<B>As a first year head coach, what are your goals for the season?</B><P>
	"Our number one goal this year is to make the NCAA tournament. Of course we would like to win the western division in the SEC but we feel that we are capable of making the tournament even if we don't. We have been on the bubble several times before and we have fallen short."

	<P><B>What do you feel are your team's strengths? </B><P>
	"At times we can be very physical but we still need to improve on the little things. The passing and ball control aspects of our team are the primary focus for us, because that is where we need to improve. After our first week of play we have seen that we can side out with people if we handle the ball and pass well. Sometimes we have struggled and gotten in situations where smaller and quicker teams have dueled us just with their ball handling ability."

	<P><B>What are your thoughts on Auburn and SEC Competition? </B><P>
	"I think that our pre-SEC schedule will give us a pretty good feel of where we stand as a team. We have a wide variety of competition, there are some teams that we should have an opportunity to improve on and some will give us some stiff competition because of their experience in the NCAA tournament. When you get into SEC competition, you never know, every team we play will be a tough match for us. If we are mentally prepared to play every SEC opponent, then we feel like we could finish in the upper echelon of the conference."

	<P>

	<TABLE ALIGN=LEFT WIDTH=180 BORDER=0>
	<TD>
	<IMG ALT=" Kris Grunwald " BORDER=2 SRC="pic/grunwald2_bw.jpg">
	<HR>
	</TD>
	</TABLE>

	<B>Do you feel the expansion of the NCAA tournament to 64 teams will help Auburn's chances to advance to the tournament? </B><P>
	"The NCAA expansions doesn't really help us that much as far as our situation. It expanded eight spots from 56 to 64, but previously there were six play-in spots for the smaller conferences and now those conferences get automatic bids. It opens up two more spots for at-large teams and our chances increase but not as great as you would expect. When you talk about teams being ranked from 1-64 there is no doubt that I believe Auburn is one of the best 64 teams in the country. When you talk about the NCAA tournament, over half of the bids go out to the smaller conference champions and that is part of giving those conferences a chance and it is helping volleyball out as a whole."

	<P><B>What is your strongest position on the team? </B><P>
	"The setter position is very stable with senior Piper Craig, but our middle blocker position is our strength with Jaunelle Hamilton who was the 1997 SEC Freshman of the Year and Heather Franey returning. The key for us to be successful is that we have to be able to handle the ball well enough to get it to our middles. If our middles aren't handling the ball well, then our outside hitters are there to take some of the pressure off, and we feel pretty good about their ability to sideout on a consistent basis."


	<P ALIGN=CENTER><A HREF="./" target="_top">TABLE OF CONTENTS</A> \| <A HREF="../" target="_top">PROGRAM INDEX</A> \| <A HREF="../../index.html" target="_top">HOME</A></P>

	<P ALIGN=CENTER><I>© 1999 Auburn Network, Inc.</I></P>


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