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Post by I'm.A.Badger! on Oct 27, 2006 23:02:17 GMT -5
OH MY GOD!!!!! I am so excited!!!!!! I am so happy that Maria really stepped up and showed people that she is a great player, even against tough competition!
Pete Waite for president!!!
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Post by Alberta on Oct 27, 2006 23:09:26 GMT -5
Wisconsin rocks!
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Post by bucky415 on Oct 27, 2006 23:19:37 GMT -5
It was pretty simple, actually. The Badgers played well tonight and PSU didn't. PSU started really slowly in the first game and gave away a lot of points with service and hitting errors. Hodge really struggled with out of system sets, which accounted for several of her hitting errors. She also didn't jump serve for most of the match after missing one about 20 feet long. She didn't pass very well in the first game, so the Lions shielded her the rest of the match. Penn State had their opportunities in the second game, but they got called for a net violation on a ball that would have been out and given them a 29-26 lead. Fawcett hit some amazing angle shots late in that game to put PSU ahead, but the Badgers made some plays and were able to close it out. Glass slipped on the court at 28-28, allowing a ball to fall for a point. That was just bad luck for the Lions. Other than that, I thought the Badgers just outplayed Penn State tonight. The Lions struggled to pass and didn't have much success in out of system plays. Harmotto and Walbridge were effective on the sets they got, but Glass either didn't have the ball control to go to them or chose not to at times. The Penn State defense was inconsistent. They made some really nice digs but also were vulnerable to tips. Hodge and Fawcett are a very strong duo offensively, but the lack of an all around left side hurts them in the back row, I think. Fidler played back row for Fawcett most of the match, and Brown came in as a serving specialist. Price played the majority of the time at RS but didn't get many sets. I think that makes PSU a lot easier to defend.
On the other side of the net, the only negative was the service errors. The Badgers were able to give the Lions problems when they actually served in bounds, serving to spots on the court, as Wack and Dolgner didn't use their jump serves. The Badger block did a good job; they didn't have a ton of blocks for points but were able to get a lot of touches and force the Lions to hit around them. I thought the middles would have to play well for Wisconsin to win, and I think they were better than the stats might indicate. The Badgers also made some really nice digs, with Wack digging at least three missiles from the outsides. PSU was effective with some tips, but it was a good effort from the Badger defense. Offensively, the Badgers played really well. Their passing was good, allowing Simpson to use all her options. Jackie really set a nice match tonight; I would name her match MVP even despite Dolgner's impressive night. Carlini and Dolgner were able to tool the PSU block repeatedly and just blast some balls when they were one on one. Reineke was effective on the slide, as PSU had trouble closing the block. I was also surprised that Jeffers only hit .250, as she was impressive as well. Simpson's best set of the night was to her on the right side for a kill on a ball where Jackie had to come off the net.
Anyway, I am thrilled the Badgers were able to pull off the sweep. The students rushed the court; I hope they had enough fun so they come back to more matches. It wasn't an error free match for Wisconsin, surprisingly given the result, but they just outplayed PSU, winning the battle at the net. It helped that Hodge had a really off night; she looked pretty raw tonight but obviously has a ton of potential. Dolgner, on the other hand, really did a lot with the relatively few swings she got. Her only error was on a back row attempt she hit long. She also had a kill on a tip that was almost sick. It looked like she was going to swing away but changed up at the last moment. It was impressive. I am sure Hodge will learn that, because PSU's coaching staff obviously knows what they are doing, and then she will be just scary good, but Dolgner is more polished at this point from what I saw tonight. Also, Carlini played really well, so the poster here who likes ripping her will probably be away for a couple of days. She played back row for most of the match, which is a good sign that her foot may be getting better. I hope that the Badgers can keep it up against OSU on sunday and then figure out how to play well on the road. This was their most impressive effort of the season, but they weren't light years better than they were against Purdue or Michigan at home. I also hope that ESPN2 will just show the match and not do too much cutting to show interviews or whatever. It will be interesting to see how Penn State responds and plays in a now must-win match at Minnesota tomorrow night. They will need to improve their passing and do a better job of closing their block to win, I think.
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Post by parent on Oct 28, 2006 0:06:54 GMT -5
How did Hodge play in the back row? I'm sure playing in the Field House was a scary experience for PSU's freshman.
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Post by bucky415 on Oct 28, 2006 0:15:24 GMT -5
She definitely needs work back there. Dolgner picked on her while serving the big Badger run in the first game, and I don't think she passed after that. She was able to dig some hard hit balls but struggled against offspeed shots. It was just a rough night for her all around. She had some impressive kills and a solo stuff of Jeffers but wasn't able to get in the groove consistently (the UW block and defense did play a role in that). I think the environment may have rattled her a little. Glass played okay, in my opinion. She can run a fast tempo offense for someone who wasn't a full time setter before and did well on her attacks, but I think she did set the left side too much at times. I think there was only one completely missed set from her, though. In her defense, the ball control left a lot to be desired at times.
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Post by bomber on Oct 28, 2006 0:30:53 GMT -5
I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate Wisconsin on a very impressive victory, a sweep no less, against the bullies of the Big 10. I know my remarks may come as a suprise to many but some of my friends (who shall remain nameless) know that my sentiments are sincere. There is no longer one petal on the Big 10 rosebud anymore. Bik, this is an amazing posting from you. And very classy. If you were a Badger fan you would know how important this win was for them. I only hope they can take some of this truly impressive play out on the road with them for the rest of the season.
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Post by bomber on Oct 28, 2006 0:36:32 GMT -5
How did Hodge play in the back row? I'm sure playing in the Field House was a scary experience for PSU's freshman. I think Hodge has an amazing up side, and she's already scary good. I think once she broadens her repertoire of shots she'll be truly formidable offensively. Her defensive skills are another matter. I had read previously that she's somewhat of an adventure in the backrow, and now I see what people were talking about. Presumeably she will learn those skills, but she really hurt PSU there tonight. Raw is the word I would use to describe her skill level (or lack of it) in this department.
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Post by IdahoBoy on Oct 28, 2006 3:31:47 GMT -5
I predict an Ohio State victory tomorrow.
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Post by aaronic on Oct 28, 2006 5:06:31 GMT -5
Ouch to #2 Penn State.... it's funny though because if there was any team in the Big10 that I thought had the most potential to upset, it would have been the Gophers...
But congratulations to the Badgers.
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Post by ohiostatetad on Oct 28, 2006 6:49:22 GMT -5
I predict an Ohio State victory tomorrow. Which Sybil will show up to play in Madison? As a matter of fact, I'm not just talking about my Buckeyes. Wisconsin couldn't beat OSU, yet they swept PSU. We should have the conference changed to the Bipolar 11. Again: it's going to be Szerszen vs Dolgner. Whomever has the better stats (mainly, less errors) wins. Anybody in on that?
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Post by Thrill of the 'ville on Oct 28, 2006 7:13:02 GMT -5
I predict an Ohio State victory tomorrow.
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Post by bomber on Oct 28, 2006 9:00:09 GMT -5
I predict an Ohio State victory tomorrow. If you're anything, you're predictable............
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Post by Gorf on Oct 28, 2006 10:17:28 GMT -5
I predict an Ohio State victory tomorrow. Which Sybil will show up to play in Madison? As a matter of fact, I'm not just talking about my Buckeyes. Wisconsin couldn't beat OSU, yet they swept PSU. We should have the conference changed to the Bipolar 11. Again: it's going to be Szerszen vs Dolgner. Whomever has the better stats (mainly, less errors) wins. Anybody in on that? If the Badger serving doesn't keep the Buckeyes out of system then it could be a close match. On the relatively rare occasions where the Buckeye's passed well on serve receive they tan a pretty effective offense. The Buckeyes were also agressive on pretty much all of their attacks. Attacking out of the back row frequently when they were out of system. The Buckeyes' defense was good most of the night as well. I m not predicting a Buckeye victory over the Badgers, however, if the Badgers' serving and defense aren't at (or near) their best it could easily become a nailbiter of a match. Especially since it isn't unusual for a team to get a big upset victory as the Badgers did last night over the Lions and come out flat the next night. Something that Friday night showed though. Is that for at least this year (with the Badgers and the Gophers being travel partners) the Lions and Buckeyes actually have to change their practice strategies somewhat because they can't simply focus on Wisconsin or Minnesota when they make their trips up north and ignore their weaker (Iowa and Northwestern) opponents on those trips. Their having to face the Badgers and the Gophers on back to back nights this year is akin to what the other Big 10 teams has to deal with in facing the Lions and Buckeyes most years.
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Post by spikerthemovie on Oct 28, 2006 10:24:38 GMT -5
Well, having been there last night, I can tell you the Buckeyes didn't "simply focus" on Minnesota.
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Post by bomber on Oct 28, 2006 10:25:16 GMT -5
Which Sybil will show up to play in Madison? As a matter of fact, I'm not just talking about my Buckeyes. Wisconsin couldn't beat OSU, yet they swept PSU. We should have the conference changed to the Bipolar 11. Again: it's going to be Szerszen vs Dolgner. Whomever has the better stats (mainly, less errors) wins. Anybody in on that? If the Badger serving doesn't keep the Buckeyes out of system then it could be a close match. On the relatively rare occasions where the Buckeye's passed well on serve receive they tan a pretty effective offense. The Buckeyes were also agressive on pretty much all of their attacks. Attacking out of the back row frequently when they were out of system. The Buckeyes' defense was good most of the night as well. I m not predicting a Buckeye victory over the Badgers, however, if the Badgers' serving and defense aren't at (or near) their best it could easily become a nailbiter of a match. Especially since it isn't unusual for a team to get a big upset victory as the Badgers did last night over the Lions and come out flat the next night. Gorf, it's true that teams come out flat the next night after a big upset victory. It happened to the Badgers after they upset Hawaii in 2004. They were flat as a pancake the first game and a half against Stanford the next day. That's why i'm glad they have a day off today to get their mojo going again. Hopefully, they will be back down to earth and focused on Sunday afternoon.
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