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Post by IdahoBoy on Nov 4, 2006 0:08:13 GMT -5
Now if Stoyanova played at Hawai'i and was injured that would be a legitmate excuse for a loss. No. It's when you lose three Stoyanovas when you can start complaining. The beauty and difference is that Hawaii has figured out how to win the games it's supposed to win. knowitall, I'd hope that if I were injured, that my teammates would rally and pull out one of three games to earn the match so that my efforts were not in vain. While in the past I've called Tennessee a flash-in-the-pan, that was reserved for discussion of their Final Four appearance. It was one helluva flash, but its over. As unfortunate as the injury is, Tennessee choked tonight. At home, with a 2-game lead. It happens, it's not a horrible thing, just means they get an "L" instead of a "W."
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Post by Barefoot In Kailua on Nov 4, 2006 0:23:42 GMT -5
Now if Stoyanova played at Hawai'i and was injured that would be a legitmate excuse for a loss. Like IB mentioned, Hawai'i lost 3 starters for the season. Speaking of excuses, I remember many fans (who shall remain nameless) trying to make excuses for loses to LSU and Texas A&M early on in the season.
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Post by bucky415 on Nov 4, 2006 2:13:15 GMT -5
I hope that Stoyanova isn't hurt as badly as they think. If she is, I hope that she is back at one hundred percent by next fall. That said, UT really needed to win this one, and I have to think they have the talent to win one of three games at home even without one of their mainstays. This puts them on the bubble for the NCAAs, I think. They really need to bounce back and avoid any more slips the rest of the season. Their run last year might help them get in if it is a close call, though.
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Post by Chance on Nov 4, 2006 7:01:40 GMT -5
First, i don't know if she reads the forum or not, but i want to give a shout out to Julia. I don't know exactly what happened, but it looked like something involving 3 letter knee ligaments or a significant meniscus injury. Regardless of the specifics, it looked significant. Obviously that is bad for volleyball reasons, she is a great hitter who plays all the way around and it looks like we wont get her back this year. OH is a position we have a lot of depth at, but you don't just plug in another Julia... But when she's on the ground holding her knee and yelling, I'm not thinking "oh no, our star outside hitter!", I'm thinking "oh god, Julia's hurt." I hope the injury is as minor as possible and that she can get back to her regular life as soon as possible... Rehabing a significant knee injury is a big deal that takes an awful lot of work, and we appreciate every bit of it. Get well soon...
As for the Lunatics, because apparently people want to talk about that...
We have not "left the forum." I'm the only person who posts all that regularly, but the other's still post here some. I happen to be a lot less busy than they are, most of them take a full schedule of classes and work jobs. The other's don't post about non Tennessee stuff very much because I'm the only one who has satellite TV, and there just isn't much volleyball on normal TV... I have about 40 games DVRed, and I've watched almost all of them, but i haven't been following volleyball as long as a lot of you guys have, and i still don't know it nearly as well as football or basketball, so i don't have any "expert commentary" to offer.
We don't post a great deal about the Tennessee home games because we are there during the match, and we don't always rush straight home to get on volleytalk.
The same thing is true for a lot of the away games... I didn't post about the Penn State / Mizzou games because i was THERE. I didn't post about the SEC tournament, because i was in alabama... I didn't post about the Florida game because I was in Gainesville. I didn't post about the Kentucky game because i was in Lexington, etc... etc... When none of us post about the UGA and SC games, well, hopefully you can guess why.
And if none of us post much after a loss, it's not because we are afraid to show our heads and face the music... I don't have the normal message board poster hidden identity to hide behind. I'm not close personal friends with anybody on the team, but i see them and talk to them every so often... Some of the Florida posters can give a break down of how they think Rachel Engel sucks, or how Mary needs to sit Angie down in favor of the older setter (back her freshman year). I'm not going to do that. Even if i think "Jane Smith" played like crap, I'm not going to put that because "Jane Smith" isn't going to be thrilled...
And like I've said, I'm not a volleyball expert. I wouldn't even know who to call out half the time. I don't want to pull the volleyball equivalent of blaming the QB for a pick that was really the result of the WR running the wrong route... Even if one of our hitters did terrible, I'm not going to call her out cause maybe the setting was bad... But maybe the setter was getting terrible passes to work with... But even then i can't blame the libero (or DSes), because maybe the block was poor and she was getting hung out to dry...
Do i have my own personal theories about how good everyone is, and who needs to play more / less? Of course, every fan does. But even aside from the fact that i post under my first name and the players know who this is, i don't know enough about volleyball to post any of my negative theories publicly... And even if i could, why would I want to? I support every one of our players... Whether it's true or not, I'm not going to write some stuff about how "Sarah Brown" is a poor middle blocker on a national message board....
So after a bad game, what the hell do you want us to post? Just pull a "big trouble", and "post just to show we are posting?" "You said the Lunatics never post after a loss, so here i am posting?" Please...
As for the "flash in the pan" crap, I'm sure most of you are just trolling and trying to bait us, but i don't even care. I'm sick of this bull %*$#. If 900 people keep piling onto the same joke over and over, it stops being a joke. You're a bunch of snobs. Your sitting in your little island place, or the o-dome, or on your beach in California, and your pissed a team from "outside the club" made some noise in the tournament. Hawaii especially, you're the volleyball Notre Dame. Even when you arnt dominating, you just want to act like the center of the universe and act like everyone should lick your damn feet. I'm not saying Tennessee has a program equal to Hawaii, but you should take a look in the mirror and get off your high horse... Hawaii hasn't won a national championship in 19 years, which is about 3 years from being "never" in my book. If none of your players were alive for your last championship, it barely counts.
You're practically throwing a party, because the team you were pissed made it to the final four is struggling this year. You're just jumping for chances to put us back in our place and make a big deal about how we were lucky to ever crash your party to begin with. You brush of Julia's injury saying "come back when you lose three Julia's," but you sure as hell didn't hesitate to say we only got past Penn State because Harmatto was out. Then you try and rub it in like anybody talked trash that Tennessee would be back next year. We said our program was for real and that we are still on the rise, but nobody promised a repeat performance as early as this year...
But go ahead, get your crap in now. Make your flash in the pan jokes. Put the score of the Bama game on a giant billboard next to whatever passes for an interstate in Hawaii. I don't care. Enjoy it while you can. We have the best women's athletic department in the nation, and volleyball isn't going to be an exception. Are we struggling right now? Yes. We lost a giant chunk of what got us to the final four. But we got the 7th ranked recruiting class in the nation with a group that was put together (if i understand volleyball recruiting correctly) BEFORE our final four run, not to mention some nice talent in our sophomore and junior classes.
This current team could pull it together, string out some late wins, and make some noise in the tournament, and i would be thrilled. There is plenty of potential and ability there. They could also completely flop, lose 2 or 3 more, and miss the tournament. But you know what? I'll live. I'll be devastated for Annie, Kelsey, and Sarah, but I'll live, because i know we have a bright future ahead of us, regardless of what some guys on an internet message board think. I make fun of the other team when we play them, but i don't follow them around cheering for them to lose afterwords. If you take pleasure in the struggle of a team whose only sin was being better than they were "supposed to be," then you can blow me.
So go ahead and doubt us. You doubted us all the way to the final four last year. I can't wait to see how far you can doubt us over the next 4 years.
I drove 16 hours through a blizzard to get to Penn State. I almost died in a car crash. But that trip was still probably the greatest experience of my life, and the UMN comeback and UF win weren't far behind. I love Tennessee volleyball, and i have faith in our girls and our program, and what some goddamn haters on a message board think isn't going to change that.
Go Vols
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saldaman87
Sophomore
"Its not how you start, Its how you finish"
Posts: 244
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Post by saldaman87 on Nov 4, 2006 11:52:10 GMT -5
Go Chance!!... yeah, why do posters expect us to be on here all the time??? Does anybody realize that we are college students and have lives??? We have class, jobs, other sports (yes, we follow almost every single sport here at UT), and of course parties. Do you all expect us to have enough time to come on here and argue with you all about pointless subjects? Ohh wait, i got it, is it that most of you have been out of college for so long, you cant even remember what its like?
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Post by Barefoot In Kailua on Nov 4, 2006 12:00:09 GMT -5
Go Chance!!... yeah, why do posters expect us to be on here all the time??? You need to be accountable and present to recieve your just comeupance. It's one thing to ride a bandwagon, and another to stay around when the wheel has come off.
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Post by IdahoBoy on Nov 4, 2006 16:30:15 GMT -5
Since when does Tennessee have the best women's program in the country?
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Post by mahina on Nov 4, 2006 17:06:31 GMT -5
Chance, you are a true fan. Just ignore the trolls.
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Post by TIGERS PWN on Nov 4, 2006 17:17:01 GMT -5
Since when does Tennessee have the best women's program in the country? Since Pat Summitt said so.
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Post by GatorVball on Nov 4, 2006 17:25:33 GMT -5
Can't we all just get along?
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Post by Barefoot In Kailua on Nov 4, 2006 17:31:40 GMT -5
Can't we all just get along? Sure. We seem to managed to be cordial, after all the flaming between Rainbow Wahine and Gator fans in 2003. However, when the Lunatics were boasting and ripping on other programs last season in the midst of the Volunteer run in the tourney, IB and I told them that when the chicken comes home to roost, we'd be there to remind them....that is what we are doing.
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Post by jdouglasst on Nov 4, 2006 18:36:46 GMT -5
Tennesse has tons of potential. Right now they just dont seem to have a leader on the floor. Even when stoyanova was out there the girls didnt seem to respect her that much. She is gifted in this sport but to be one of the best and to have people talk highly of you, you need to have the respect of your team mates. Also you need to be able to make something out of bad plays and not blame others on the team. She is a great player but chemistry wise i think they will be better without her.
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Post by jdouglasst on Nov 4, 2006 18:37:37 GMT -5
But to go with that, for them to be better they need to find a leader. Haven't seen one all year from them.
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saldaman87
Sophomore
"Its not how you start, Its how you finish"
Posts: 244
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Post by saldaman87 on Nov 4, 2006 21:49:17 GMT -5
Go Chance!!... yeah, why do posters expect us to be on here all the time??? You need to be accountable and present to recieve your just comeupance. It's one thing to ride a bandwagon, and another to stay around when the wheel has come off. Well, we are here... we havent run away, we have stuck around now that the "wheel has come off". What do you want us to say??? Here's something for you... The Lady Vols will defeat Ga and SC this coming weekend. Is that enough trash talking to show that we are still here??
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Post by GatorVball on Nov 4, 2006 22:02:03 GMT -5
I don't mean to interrupt the internet argument, but is there any update on Yulia? I hope it's not as serious as a torn ACL.
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