Welcome to our online chat with Kansas University volleyball coach Ray Bechard.

The chat took place on Thursday, September 8, at 1:30 PM and is now closed, but you can read the full transcript here:

Moderator: Hi I'm Andy Samuelson, the KUSports.com online editor, and I will be the moderator for today's online chat with Kansas University volleyball coach Ray Bechard.

Thanks to all our readers and viewers out there for joining us.

And a special thanks to Ray Bechard who managed to squeeze this in a day before his Jayhawks start the Pizza Hut Jayhawk Invitational tomorrow at the Horejsi Center.

Ray Bechard: Thanks for everyone joining us today and your interest in KU Volleyball! I am ready to entertain as many questions as I can.

Moderator: Ray, looks like your team is off to a pretty good start with a 5-1 record this season and already receiving votes in the CSTV/AVCA Top 25 poll. Talk about your expectations for this weekend. You take on Virginia Commonwealth (5-1) at noon and Michigan State (4-0) at 7 p.m. tomorrow. Then turn around and play Temple (3-3) Saturday.

Ray Bechard: We need to use this weekend to prepare ourself for our Big 12 opener next Wednesday. With the three teams we will see Friday and Saturday it will give us a good opportunity to do that. VCU is favored to win their conference and Michigan State is undefeated. Temple has a solid volleyball tradition, so it will be a very competitive weekend.

Moderator: Well lets gets to some reader questions.

Joe, Lawrence: Coach you're coming off back-to-back NCAA tournaments. I know you again lost some talented players to graduation. What do you think it will take to get back to the tourney this season and advance even further?

Ray Bechard: We have young players who will have to step into more prominent roles, and we will have to have big seasons out of our returning players. Staying healthy will be a huge factor.

Geof, Brettville, MO: I've been to a few matches in the Horejsi Family Athletics Center and I think it gives you a nice home-court advantage. Do you and your players have the same feeling when playing at home?

Ray Bechard: We sure do Geof, we've had many great moments since the Horejsi Center opened. It is very intimate and our fans create an outstanding environment.

Jimmy, Windsor, CO: Just what is a "libero"?

Ray Bechard: The libero is the term used for a defensive specialist. They can play all positions on the back-row and can serve. They are not allowed to attack the ball in front of the attack line. The intent of this position was to improve the defense in volleyball and to extend rallies, making our sport more exciting.

Ed, Papillion, NE: Ray: I thought the trip to Brazil was a great idea. It gave the players an opportunity to see different looks at the game of volleyball at an international level. This can only benefit the team in the long run. Any future trips like this planned?

Ray Bechard: Ed, this trip was one of the most rewarding experiences any of my teams have gone through. NCAA rules allow for an international trip every four years. We look forward to doing it again in 2009. It provided our players with a wealth of playing and cultural experiences.

Moderator: If I'm not mistaken I believe Ed is the father of former Jayhawk volleyball player Molly LaMere. Ray, coincidentally we have a question about your former setter who is now the head volleyball coach at Lawrence High.

Shawn, Tonganoxie: How do you think Molly LaMere will do at Lawrence High this year?

Ray Bechard: Molly will make a great coach because she understands the game, and she will build the same type of energy and desire in her players that she took on the court every time she competed.

Jo, Olathe: With Nebraska looking so strong this year, what is it going to take to upset them?

Ray Bechard: Jo, Nebraska could quite possibly have the most talent they've ever had. It will take a team that can match up physically with them and not be intimidated by their size

Ryan, Ponca City, OK: Coach Bechard, Congrats on your success at KU. I was a student of yours at Barton back in the early 1990s and the one thing that sticks out in my mind is your Amoeba game, which I use in my classroom today (thanks, by the way.) Have your girls had the pleasure of playing the Amoeba game? Thanks for the inspiration and good luck this season!

Ray Bechard: Oh Ryan, the world famous Amoeba game...all of our players have participated at some point in time, and we have fun with the game at our camps. I hope you learned something in my class!!

CSH, DC: With the success of Caten and Lima, any new "Brasileiras" in KU's future? "Boa sorte" for the remainder of the season!

Ray Bechard: We will continue that connection dependent on our recruiting needs. Lima Caten and Correa have added lots of athletic skill and allowed our team to be more culturally diverse.

Moderator: Looks like we have time for just a couple more questions.

Kyle, Wellsville: How long do you plan on coaching?

Ray Bechard: Kyle, that depends on the day!!! Seriously I haven't put a timetable on my coaching career. This is my 26th year and I really enjoy it. There is no place I would rather be coaching. KU is truly my "dream job".

Terry, AD Grinnell High School: Coach Bechard, We here at GHS and the community of Grinnell continue to look on with enormous pride at the job you have done at KU. What is ticket availability like for the upcoming season? We are looking forward to coming down for a game. Does your program offer any group rates in the event the GHS volleyball team would like to come down as a group and watch?

Ray Bechard: Terry, it's great to hear from someone in "Warrior Country" Thanks for the kind words, and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't have some fond memory of Grinnell. My mom and sister still live there and it was a great place to grow up. We would love to have you in the Horejsi Center for a match, Students are only $3.00

Moderator:: Ray: I'm sure a lot of people were unaware that your roots are in western Kansas. Also weren't you a basketball player at Barton County before starting your Hall of Fame coaching days there. And now your son Brennan, a former LHS grad, is playing there, right? Will he follow in your footsteps?

Ray Bechard: I hope Brennan has a much better basketball career than I had. Barton was a great place for me to start my college days and a great place to work for 15 years. I hope my son has the same type of experience that I had.

Moderator:: Thanks for the insight Coach. Well it looks like we have time for one last question.

Mary, Baldwin City: We are very proud of Emily Brown and love to watch her play. How strongly will you continue to recruit such good players from the state of Kansas?

Ray Bechard: We always want the best players in Kansas interested in our program. It creates a local fan interest which is hard to beat. Emily is off to a great start, and she will only get better. We hope we can identify more players from the state who are just like her.

Moderator:: Well that wraps up our chat today with Kansas University volleyball coach Ray Bechard. Thanks very much for your time today Ray, I know you're very busy getting ready for the Pizza Hut Jayhawk Invitational tomorrow. Good Luck!

And thanks to all our readers and viewers out there for joining us today and talking about KU volleyball.

Ray Bechard: Thanks for your interest in Kansas Volleyball!! We need you all supporting us this weekend in the Horejsi Center. Matches at 12:00 and 7:00 on Friday and 10:00 PM on Saturday. Rock Chalk!!!