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Catching Up with Indiana University's Kara Butler
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Junior Kara Butler sat down with IUHoosiers.com for a question and answer session as the No. 15 Indiana Hoosiers (17-8) prepare for their upcoming games this weekend in Tempe, Ariz. against No. 9 Arizona State and No. 14 San Diego State.
Butler has played a key role for the Hoosiers this season, starting each of Indiana's 25 games. She has scored 18 goals to go along with 15 assists and 18 steals. Butler is also second on the team in earned exclusions with 40. She has scored multiple goals in five contests, and has also earned three or more kick-outs in five games this season.
On her role on this
year's team:
"I feel like I set up some of the offense and when they pass it in
I try to get the ejections to set us up for a `man up.' I feel like
we can generate a lot more from that. We've been practicing six on
fives a lot more and I feel like we just need to boost our
confidence a little bit more in it. I think that's definitely going
to be helpful this weekend because we have so many opportunities in
games. We draw at least 10 or 11 ejections per game. We just need
to capitalize on them."
On the adjustment to
being a starter this season:
"There's a lot more pressure. It makes me really nervous, but it's
so much more fun. We have a very deep bench so that helps a lot
too. It's just a whole different style of play because you're so
much more depended upon and you have to go right from the first
whistle. You don't have any time to watch and sit on the bench,
which is what I was used to before. The first couple of minutes you
could watch and see how the game is going to be played, but now you
just have to go right from the whistle."
On the upcoming games
against No. 9 Arizona State and No. 14 San Diego
State:
"I'm really excited for this weekend because we have been working
so hard to prove ourselves this whole season. A lot of games have
been so close and it's a disappointment to us and it makes us all
frustrated. This weekend's going to be a chance for us to show a
lot of those west coast teams that we are Indiana, that we
shouldn't be taken lightly, and that we are very serious in what we
do. It's a very good chance to prove ourselves and we've been
working really hard for it. I'm excited to see the outcome for it."
On goals heading down
the stretch this season:
"I really just want to prove ourselves as a team. I think that we
have a lot of really good things going for us. It seems like one of
our main problems is that sometimes we let down for a couple of
minutes during a game and you can't do that in water polo. You have
to play every quarter to your fullest. It's not that we're
unconditioned because we're a really fast team. I just feel like we
get too comfortable when we're in the lead and I want us to all
recognize that feeling, stay with it, not let down, and keep going.
This weekend will be a good chance for us to show that."
On her favorite part of
playing water polo at Indiana:
"I like the team and the diversity on the team. Even though most
of us are from California, we're all from different parts. If I
played someplace in California I would know everyone and I would
have played with everyone. I've played against some of my teammates
that I'm playing with here. The travel is also really cool because
we get to go to a bunch of places. A lot of teams in California bus
everywhere and we get to fly to places. Arizona is going to be
really cool. I've never been there in my three years here."
On leadership on this
year's team:
"I feel like everyone on the team brings their own personality to
their leadership so it just depends on who is perfect for what
role. That's something great about our team is that we all take
this sport seriously and we're all willing to put in our best
effort. We have leaders that will step in to plays when there needs
to be one and I love that about our team."
Release courtesy Indiana Athletic Communications
