B1G Volleyball Media Days 2023


So cool that the BIG started giving VB programs their Media days (I believe starting last year, right?). Can't wait to see what coach Cook has to say. Gotta make sure to set my DVR now!
 

Has Coach Cook addressed the allegations against one of his coaches, Kristen Kelsay.
 


Pedro Mendes gets the pleasure of representing the Wildcats while kicking off Media Days

PEDRO MENDES: Hi. My name is Pedro Mendes. I'm the assistant coach at Northwestern here today representing our head coach, Shane Davis, and the program. I'd like to thank you guys for being here, and I'm hoping to talk through some of the things that we have to talk through today.

Q. Could you respond, please, to the allegations of hazing in the program that Northwestern's own investigation concluded was hazing in the volleyball program and how you respond to that and react to that, please?

PEDRO MENDES: Sure. So since I wasn't part of '20 to 2022 coaching staff, I'm not able to get into that. I could definitely share with you whatever you want to know from the moment I joined the team in February of 2023. That's all I can say about it.

Q. Can you say going forward how you try to create a climate of being tough in practice without having hazing or abuse?

PEDRO MENDES: Absolutely. I don't think since I joined the team I have ever experienced or heard or seen any type of situation where I would consider myself or the players around me as hazing.

The way we coach, at least, again, from my time here, it's been a lot about respect, and we try to keep the standards pretty high, but we're always trying to make sure that the athletes are feeling respected and heard. That's how we do it, and we're going to keep doing it the same way.

I think they can speak more to it than I can, so that's what we're going to keep doing, what we already do at this point
 

Has Coach Cook addressed the allegations against one of his coaches, Kristen Kelsay.


The plaintiff claims that Davis and assistant coach Kristen Kelsay, who is currently the associate head coach at Minnesota, “permitted” Northwestern’s team captains to “pick” the punishment for the player. Two former players confirmed that the punishment was player-led.
 




Kelly Sheffield talks about Carter Booth:

Q. Obviously, Coach, you brought in two big transfers from the Big Ten in Temi Thomas-Ailara and Carter Booth. What are the expectations for them this season? And also, the two setters, what it's going to be like getting them integrated into the team and setting for them? Have you noticed how they play and things like that?

KELLY SHEFFIELD: They're two very different personalities, first of all. Both of them are kind of at different points in their careers.

The important thing is they fit. They fit really well. Both of them came in with very different personalities, and on day one, they were trying to carry their weight, if you will. They jumped in.

Carter can be a little bit more boisterous, I would say, and it sounds like day one in the weight room it's "I'm announcing my presence with authority" with her voice, I would say. Temi is probably "I announce with my presence with my authority with how I play." And it was certainly great to have her for a week with us in Europe.

Both of them are extremely talented. Both of them are extremely driven. Both of them have really big goals in front of them, and they fit. They fit from a character standpoint, from a work ethic, from a hunger standpoint and wanting to learn.

When you're going to take in transfers, that is more important than just chasing talent. It is somebody that is going to fit into the culture that you've established and want to be a part of that, is hungry to be a part of it.

Both of them are certainly that
 




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