Oct. 31, 2006

Senior Guard Shay Doron
On being at the top:
"It's obviously going to be different, but every year is different and I'm used to that. We just need to go out and prepare the way we always have."

On playing with confidence:
"I think we all know that we can do it again, and knowing our personnel, it's just going to be easier to go out there and play. We don't need to learn about each other all over again. We can pick up where we left off, which is a great advantage that we have over a lot of teams."

Senior Forward Aurelie Noirez
On her senior year:
"I just am taking everything as it comes. I'm not putting any pressure on myself by saying that I need to lead the team, I know that I'm going to do that."

On the challenges facing the team this season:
"We just want to get better every day and do the best that we can every day that we're on the court. The challenge will be to not feel the pressure of being hunted, because we're going to get everyone's best shot. At the same time, we just have to play our game."

Sophomore Guard Kristi Toliver
On having a year of experience:
"We're just looking forward to getting back in the swing of things. Marissa [Coleman] and I aren't freshmen anymore, so we have to play like the veterans that we are. We're very excited about that."

On the focus of practices thus far:
"Practices have been all about defense. We know that is an aspect where we have to get better [as a team] in order to get back to the Final Four. We've been working very hard on that for countless hours each day. We're definitely getting better."

Sophomore Forward/Guard Marissa Coleman
On her offseason training:
"I worked a lot with our strength coach [in the offseason] and got into the weight room to build up my strength. That will help me on the defensive end, so I was focused on that this summer and it's starting to pay off on the court."

On the possibility of improvement:
"I think we can get better. That's what we're trying to do. Practices have been very intense, and every practice we've been getting better. Especially with the additions of Christie Marrone and Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood, we're definitely better than we were last year."

On difficulties of being on top:
"It's definitely going to be harder this year. We're going to get everyone's best shot. When we played Baylor last season [in the Sweet 16], we used the fact that we were playing the defending national champions as extra motivation, so I'm sure teams are going to be doing that when they play us."

Sophomore Guard Christie Marrone
On playing with the team:
"Emotionally, it was hard not being able to play last year, but I worked hard on things that Coach Frese said I had to work on, so I know that will help me when I get back on the court this season."

On what she brings to the team:
"I bring leadership as a point guard. I have to be the general on the floor out there. Coach Frese said that I have to be her on the floor. My teammates have to be able to trust me. Of course, my three-point shooting is a big part of my game, but my main goal is to make my teammates better. I just want to win. That's what I'm here to do."

Redshirt Junior Forward Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood
On what she will be doing between now and December:
"I just want to work towards getting back on the court in December, but most importantly I want to help make this team better every practice. We want to win another national championship, and that's what I can do for now."

On the development of the team since playing against them with Tennessee last year:
"The team has gotten a lot better as a team. The conditioning has changed. The guards have been pushing the ball and getting a lot more transition opportunities. That makes the team look better, because it's so hard for an opponent to run with a team like this that plays so up-tempo."

Junior Forward Jade Perry
On what has been most beneficial to the team:
"We have great team chemistry, and we're able to stay focused on what we're trying to accomplish. That's helped us tremendously over the long haul."

On her offseason training:
"I've just been practicing and working hard. The coaching staff has made sure that we've continued to work hard, because even though we're national champions, we're going to face everyone's best shots this year. We're ready to go out and work hard and take everyone's best shots."

Junior Forward Laura Harper
On improving from last season:
"We worked just as hard last season as in any other season and this year we're working even harder. We know what it takes to win. We know how hard we have to work and we're not going to let up."

On winning the National Championship game last year:
"We didn't play a perfect game and we didn't have a perfect season, but things fell our way and we want to improve. We're going to look at becoming a better team and I think we have become better.

Junior Guard Ashleigh Newman
On expectations for increased attendance at games:
"I think our games are almost sold out. There will be a lot of people there, and I'll know probably all of them. So far, my family alone has bought over 100 tickets."

Freshman Forward Emery Wallace
On committing to Maryland:
"I committed after my junior year in high school, so I knew before it all happened that Maryland was on the rise. I'm from Virginia, so everyone would always ask me `Why are you going to Maryland?' Then I could say they were the National Champions, so I knew I was doing something right. I know we're still on the rise, so I'm happy to be here.

Junior Center Crystal Langhorne
On the team's strengths:
"I think we're great defensively. We're a lot more mature. We don't have to go over the offense so much because a lot of us are returning we already know it so well. We're further ahead, but we could still get better defensively."

On how much better they can be this year
"I think we could be a lot better. This year we have more guards, and we're excited to work on our transition game. With these guards, we'll have fewer turnovers also. I think defensively we're looking better."