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Post by DaDawgFather on May 12, 2007 2:12:13 GMT -5
Give me a break. What do you mean expects??? They are among the nations elite. For the past 3 years people have been saying their schedule is too "light" for a team that "expects" to compete or beat the best. Much to everyone's suprise they defeat the nations best, have won the pac-10 title, have been to 3 final fours and have 1 national championship. All season (conference) long they play the nations best. Why "have to" load up and beat your team to death. Heck, they've only lost 9 matches in the last 3 years and this playing in the toughest conference. Isn't it Washington's expectation to be among the elite each year? Yes or no? It is to NO ONE's surprise that the Huskies made it into the Final Four the last three years. They've had the talent, cohesiveness, and leadership to do so ~ not to mention a VERY favorable home court advantage during the NCAAs. Last year, Washington shouldn't have been in the Final Four. They simply lucked out by hosting a regional. The Huskies did not win ONE match of note on the road last year. Are they good? Most certainly! But, put them on ANY of the other Regional courts and they do not advance to the Final Four .. my opinion of course. The last three years have been about a great group of young ladies that played together for awhile and were held together by an incredibly good setter. We'll see how this preseason schedule prepares them for Pac-10 play. If your belief is that they do not need a tough preseason because they always have the Pac-10, then so be it. I'm sure many would agree with you. However, this doesn't change the fact that it is a pathetically weak preseason schedule ~ and that was the point of my initial post. If you had left it saying it was a pathetic schedule ok. However, you qualified it by saying "expect to be among the nations elite". As for playing in the pac-10 I do believe its a tough enough conference (that's part of it) but the other part is that the rpi of the teams in the pac-10 are good enough so you don't have to play teams like that in the preseason like say Jacksonville State. As for the number of "noted" road wins I'll agree they maybe didn't beat teams in the top 10 (if that's your definition). Yes they lost to USC, UCLA, Stanford on the road however beating Cal at the end of the season was a good win in my book and beating Colorado State and Colorado were good wins as well. Having the regional at home surely was a nice perk but they still had to beat a good Purde and Penn State team. |
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Post by izzy on May 12, 2007 11:08:44 GMT -5
I keep hearing this arguement about how they were lucky to have home court last year... yes it is nice, but it's completely overated in my opinion. Same court everywhere, come out and play and earn your victories especially at the end of the year. Players, coaches, and fans love to talk about this advantage (and statistically it is there), but it's more psychological than an actual advantage. If a player on my team ever uses that as an excuse I haven't done my job as a coach preparing them.
Ok, that was an off topic rant... sorry... back to your previously scheduled program...
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Post by bucky415 on May 12, 2007 12:05:12 GMT -5
I am sure the Huskies will remain a power for a long time to come, but this might be a tougher year for them. It is great to have an excellent all around outside hitter as your starting point, but you never really know with a new setter until you actually see her in actual competition. Thompson had an amazing career for them. I saw her in her first weekend of collegiate play, and I was really surprised how good she was already. Wisconsin wasn't a very good defensive team at that point, but they just couldn't stop the Huskies, who hit over .400 in that match, something I don't remember anyone else doing in Madison. I am sure the Huskies would love a repeat of that level of performance from the start, but that is asking a lot.
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Post by redincolorado on May 13, 2007 11:07:24 GMT -5
Going to be a year to keep an eye on the Huskies. They've graduated some outstanding talent the last two years. Candace Lee was simply a marvel. Tomasovich was tough as nails. what a presents. Thompson was as fluid and deceptive a setter as you'll find.
If Washington stays in the NC hunt then it'll be time salute Mac for building and SUSTAINING talent and depth and just have to except that the Huskies are going to be a powerhouse.
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Post by dothaevolution on May 13, 2007 22:14:47 GMT -5
Smart schedule for the Huskies. I think this is a good move by coach Mac. Having a weak non-conference schedule helps the younger players get valuable playing experience. The Pac-10 will give Wash the challenges necessary to prepare the Huskies for a tournament run.
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Post by roy on May 14, 2007 2:28:48 GMT -5
Smart schedule for the Huskies. I think this is a good move by coach Mac. Having a weak non-conference schedule helps the younger players get valuable playing experience. The Pac-10 will give Wash the challenges necessary to prepare the Huskies for a tournament run. Whether or not this is a smart move will play out in their conference season. Their players could have a lot of confidence after those easy victories and use that as momentum against their conference foes, but his team can also get shell shocked when facing a top team and have their confidence crack. If their confidence does crack, it's really hard to get that confidence back. With a new starting setter, I'm not sure if this is the way to go. But McLaughlin knows his players better than...well, any of us. Truthfully, this kind of scheduling will be dependant on his players. If he feels his players need the confidence or he feels the players he has now will be better off by building their confidence, then it's best for his team. This won't work for every player. Some would prefer not to have that kind of schedule, but again, this is McLaughlin's decision and we'll see how he does when conference play starts. |
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Post by pedro el leon on May 14, 2007 20:44:06 GMT -5
Smart schedule for the Huskies. I think this is a good move by coach Mac. Having a weak non-conference schedule helps the younger players get valuable playing experience. The Pac-10 will give Wash the challenges necessary to prepare the Huskies for a tournament run. Whether or not this is a smart move will play out in their conference season. Their players could have a lot of confidence after those easy victories and use that as momentum against their conference foes, but his team can also get shell shocked when facing a top team and have their confidence crack. If their confidence does crack, it's really hard to get that confidence back. With a new starting setter, I'm not sure if this is the way to go. But McLaughlin knows his players better than...well, any of us. Truthfully, this kind of scheduling will be dependant on his players. If he feels his players need the confidence or he feels the players he has now will be better off by building their confidence, then it's best for his team. This won't work for every player. Some would prefer not to have that kind of schedule, but again, this is McLaughlin's decision and we'll see how he does when conference play starts. I think part of Jim's approach though is that the Huskies play the same way whether it's Ball State or Hawai'i, Davidson or Stanford, etc. The returning team next year is definitely a veteran team (I can't believe some people in this thread are saying "new players" like the majority of the roster are newbies. Yes an integral part is a frosh (setter), but the roster is going to be dominated by experienced Juniors and seniors including 3 all-americans in that group (Morrison, Deesing, and Brick) along with some veteran passers (Aratani, Tama) and OHs (Mussie, Collymore) though I think Becky Perry will be an impact RS frosh from the get go, perhaps even start at some point this year?? The great thing is that UW's new setter - Hagglund - is on campus and practicing which should help with chemistry, esp. with the middles. I didn't get to see any spring training or scrimmage unfortunately...  |
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Post by Huskyfan on May 14, 2007 22:32:32 GMT -5
The girls looked great at the scrimmage. Except for Stevie, everyone (including Court and Janine) played. In all games, the setters played front row, so I didn't get to see opposite plays. Jenna looked very comfortable out there. It is hard to be compared to Courtney (especially since Court was there playing), but I really like Jenna's presence. Washington will have a bigger block at setter position this coming season. Becky is going to be good, she attacked with a lot of confidence. Kindra was at OH and hit a heavy ball. Floor defense was excellent, resulting in exciting long rallies. The team will test their progress later this month at the US Open in Austin. The team name is: The Dub  |
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Post by Pirate VB Fan on May 14, 2007 22:39:02 GMT -5
So Kindra was there and playing? That is great news. It was disappointing to have her "here one minute. gone the next" last year.
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Post by prosem on May 14, 2007 23:24:02 GMT -5
The team will test their progress later this month at the US Open in Austin. The team name is: The Dub How does that work.. Are they then a club or a university team.. Are they there with the university coaches?. Are they still spring training btw.. I saw the scrimmage and thought that Jenna will be fine. I thought she and Kindra looked a bit wide eyed, but have allot of skill. I loved Becky's aggressiveness. |
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