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Chat With Head Volleyball Coach Andrew Palileo on Monday, August 25 at 10:00 AM PT.

Moderator: Good morning Cougar fans and thank you for visiting wsucougars.com and today's online chat with first-year Washington State Volleyball Coach Andrew Palileo. The Cougars open their season, Friday, Aug. 29 against Cal State Northridge at the Boise State Bronco Invite. Coach Palileo, I know you are busy preparing for the season opening matches this weekend so thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to join us this morning.

Andrew Palileo: Thanks for having me. I've been looking forward to the start of the season. We are in the process of finishing off the last week of practice before our first match, and I am hoping that we will be ready and healthy for our match against Cal State Northridge.

Lihue: Aloha Coach. Melia said you transferred to Washington and I thought I'd send you an email of congratulations. When we're in your area, we'll come by and bring you shoyu and to say hi. Mama

Andrew Palileo: Hi Mama! Thank you. I think May will do well this year with the new coaching staff. Yes, I will take you up on that offer of bringing me shoyu next time you are in the area.

Steve (Selah): Coach, welcome to WSU. I was wondering how practice has been going, and what have you learned about your team during this time.

Andrew Palileo: Hi Steve. Practices have been going well. The freshmen have been adjusting to college level volleyball, the returners are adjusting to a new system, and the coaches are adjusting to the new players. The players have been adapting to the new system very well. I have found that the adjustment period at this level does not take as long as perhaps I anticipated. I believe our team will surprise people this season based on how positive practices have been.

Julie (Spokane): Andrew, what are your expectations this season, and have they changed at all since you first arrived in April? Best of luck this season.

Andrew Palileo: As I spoke to the team last spring when I started, our expectations are to win and to win with the players we currently have. In the process of doing that, our expectations of working hard, preparation, and commitment will determine if we accomplish our goal. I want my seniors to complete their eligibility on a high note; therefore, this will not be a rebuilding year, but a year we use to enjoy the game of volleyball and, in the process, establish a tradition of winning.

Cindy (Seattle): Coach, what are your thoughts on this year's schedule. With the toughness of the Pac-10, what is your philosophy on scheduling non-conference opponents in the future?

Andrew Palileo: Our schedule this season will allow us to see how we are progressing as we head into the Pac-10 season. The preseason schedule is competitive with Notre Dame, Northwestern, and Wichita State. These teams will provide us matches that will gauge how we are growing as a team. As I mentioned during the summer, with a new coaching staff and new system, all the matches during the preseason are going to be tough, so we are not looking past any opponent. In the future, our preseason schedule will have opponents that will challenge us and help us gauge again where we are before we start the Pac-10 season.

Carson (Vancouver, WA): Hi Coach...we're looking forward to a great season! What do you see as your team's greatest strengths this year? On the flipside, what will be your biggest challenge?

Andrew Palileo: I think the biggest strength we have right now is the chemistry of the players that were here when I arrived. The new players have acclimated well and I believe that is due to the character and personality of the older players. Now, add a new system to a good team dynamic and I think that bolds well for a successful season. The challenge for us will be to negate the lack of size we have in a couple of positions, but I believe the new system will help release some of the pressure from those positions, thus having those players perform at a higher level.

Moderator: Okay, time for a couple of more questions.

david (pullman): your back row seems to be up in the air...hyder and weishaar return with new freshman coming in...i was just wondering who you anticipate being in your first rotation...do you play the older members of the team who are returning with game experience or do you play the newcomers to get them the experience?

Andrew Palileo: I believe after two weeks of preseason, I am most pleased with our defensive effort. The changes that we made on the defensive side of the ball has really cut down on the easy errors that they made in the past. I think we have a great group of defensive specialists, leading with Kelly Hyder and Stephanie Weishaar, along with incoming freshman Bree Flach and sophomore Faith Hutcherson. Right now, they are in tough battle for the position of libero, which is what I wanted to create. In the end, the player that makes the most impact during matches will be the player that starts and rotates in early on.

Sullivan (Winston-Salem, NC): With preseason practice going on, were you able to watch much of the volleyball matches in the Olympics?

Andrew Palileo: Unfortunately, with three-a-days and no cable or dish yet in my home, I was not able to watch a single point of the Olympic matches. After having watched them train this summer, I thought they did much better than what most volleyball insiders thought they could have done. That goes to show you that playing with emotion and purpose, a team can accomplish great things.

Moderator: Okay, that is all the time we have. Coach, thank you for joining us once again.

Andrew Palileo: Thank you. I appreciate it and all of our fans support.

Moderator: Thank you to everyone for your questions. Remember, to get all the information about WSU Athletics, go no further than wsucougars.com, the official website of Cougar Athletics. Please check back to wsucougars.com for future online chats.