Sylver Samuel and Lauren Cumbess talk about facing UCLA in the NCAA Super Regional.
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#2 Sylver Samuel, Sophomore, OF
On what it would mean for the program to break through and win …
“Historic. It would mean a lot to us because we have six seniors on our team who have been dying to go there and we’re dying to go there as sophomores and freshmen and juniors. It would just be a new era for us and something that we can only imagine right now, but we’re just really excited about going out there and hopefully getting two games and getting to the World Series.”
On just being happy to be there last year …
“Well, I think that had something to do with it too, but I also think that we just didn’t start the way we wanted to, it didn’t work out in our favor but this year we’re going to have a lot more fire. We’re going to be more excited about coming out there and winning some games. I think that’s something new we need to do and something we need to bring to the games.”
On what she thinks the team’s strong points are …
“Like I said, our defense is a lot of why we have won so many games. I think that obviously our pitching has been helping us shift the game more towards us. If we bring our offense to the game more, that will be a lot better for us.”
On recognizing that UK is like another stepping stone for UCLA to reach the World Series …
“I don’t really know much about UCLA because I’ve never played them. The sophomore class and freshmen class has never played them. But I know they’re a good team so we know we have to bring our A-game when we play them. So it’s not really about what they think of us, it’s how we go out there and start our games.”
#19 Lauren Cumbess, Senior, P/INF
On what she remembers from the 2012 series at UCLA …
“I do remember it wasn’t our best, but UCLA had a great team. For us this year, obviously that was two years ago, so we have a completely different team as well. I’m excited to get back there, it’s a cool atmosphere to play in, there’s so much history on that field. So it was a lot of fun.”
On recognizing that UK is like another stepping stone for UCLA to reach the World Series …
“Yeah, maybe they do because absolutely, they’ve won their share of World Series titles. They’ve been to the World Series before. That program knows what it takes to get there but like I said, our team, we’re a big fighting team, we just won regionals. We’re just on a mission. Our senior class including me, we’ve been to super regionals, this will be our third time. So we know what it’s like to be there and that’s not enough for us. We recognize that they’re an awesome program and they think they might just want to beat us easily, I don’t really know what they’re thinking but we’re going to go out there and give them a good fight and hopefully beat them to get there.”
On what it would mean to break through to the World Series …
“It would really mean the world for all of us here, everyone has worked so hard and it would just be really cool to set the tone for the next coming years and the girls that are going to come in because we can show that it is possible to get there and it’s not an easy feat but I know we can do it.”
On what the older players are saying about being on this stage before …
“My freshman year, we were just really happy to get there because that was the first time in school history we went to supers. So it would be incredible. I get so happy talking about it because it’s just never been done before. This team already has made so much history from things that we’ve done this season. So we’re just saying, why not? There’s more to be accomplished this year.”
