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Post by roy on Aug 25, 2007 14:05:38 GMT -5
Well, this was a great win for Michigan but not a bad loss to Hawaii. Michigan looked steady and Zimmerman is going to provide the Wolverine faithful with a great 4 years. I like her volleyball IQ. She is a bit riskier than I prefer. I think there was a few bad choices that were made, however she is a freshman playing in a huge match, so there is time to work on that. Michigan is very well balanced and more importantly, passed really well. I agreed with Shoji's strategy in the beginning. They served a lot of balls to the libero Selsky. As last years setter, she would not have been a primary passer so I thought it was a really good that she passed so well. If they can continue that pace, Michigan could very easily be a top 20 team.
Hawaii lost, but it wasn't a critical loss. The regionals are set and we know Hawaii is going somewhere tough to play. This was more important for Hawaii to learn about their personnel and who they should start. Brandt and Otineru proved they should be out on the court and both contributed well. Houston had a really bad night, but I expect to see her back. Hawaii's biggest weaknesses is there lack of height on the left side. Hittle and Otineru did a decent job attacking but the right side attack couldn't be slowed down. Against bigger middles, they need Houston to block. Passing was definitely better than previous years but serving needs some work. All floats and not a single jump server. They needed to mix up the serving.
Based on last night, Hawaii and Michigan were the best teams in the tournament. Neither should have a huge problem with Oregon State and Colorado State. Overall, should be a really fun tournament.
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Post by PukaPants on Aug 25, 2007 14:06:57 GMT -5
Throws rocks, broken bottles, coconuts or whatever at me...Wahine volleyball needs a coaching change perhaps? I'm not talking about just last night...I'm talking about the last 10 years of so.....but that's just me.
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Post by wolverine on Aug 25, 2007 14:29:03 GMT -5
Wouldn't it be funny if Hawaii now lost to Colorado State an Oregon State?
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Post by LowVBIQ on Aug 25, 2007 14:33:06 GMT -5
Wouldn't it be funny if Hawaii now lost to Colorado State an Oregon State? No.
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Post by ladeda on Aug 25, 2007 14:37:17 GMT -5
Wouldn't it be funny if Michigan now lost to Colorado State an Oregon State?
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Aug 25, 2007 15:01:55 GMT -5
the two 5 gamers last night foiled any attempts to DVR the HI-Mich match ... DOH! so i only saw about 2 and a half games, unfortunately, it was the beginning where HI was at their worst.
a dissapointing way to start the season. even with the new faces in the lineup, this was one that i felt HI should have won. but all the credit to the wolverines!! a very big win for their program. karpiak and brudzinski impressed ... and did they really start a freshman setter? wow, certainly outplayed UH's (redshirt) frosh setter.
it's been said, and i agree cubi-otineru and brandt should be starting ... very dynamic players who can raise the energy level and consistency on the court. otineru really is a complete, all around player. she (and ka'aihue) really helped HI pick up their floor defense (to the point that HI equalled Mich in total digs by the end of the night -- 80 digs apiece). and otineru provided some nice firepower on the left side too.
i disagree that the setting position would be lacking this year. shoji has said he just expects his setters to get things done. but brandt i think is capable of making some amazing plays -- she's got great offense, and even made some smooth sets to the middle from the 3 metter line ... pretty dynamic to me ... her one year of experience shows, HI needs that at that position right now.
houston was an enigma last night ... perhaps trying to do too much? HI has a couple other bangers, so she really shouldn't feel she should, but she is too good a hitter to stay quiet for long. HI's success this season will be tied to her hitting. as someone else mentioned, i hope her troubles last night isn't due to an injury that we just don't know about.
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Post by Barefoot In Kailua on Aug 25, 2007 15:11:43 GMT -5
Sanders was solid. Gregory and Kaufman need to be set more, both looked good. I'd like to see Juli be more aggressive at the net. She was a little tentative on overpasses last night. Kari played well. Hawai'i will get a lot of production out of their middles this season so that is exciting. Hittle showed flashed of brilliance, especially hitting out of the row, but her passing was only so-so. Don't know what to say about Houston. After her first 3 errors, just got really negative. She's got all the physical tools to succeed, but her mental and emotional game need lots of improvement. Didn't much like her attitude thorughout. Tara made a ton of mistakes last night. She's a talented player but she needs to shake off the errors. Disappointed in Houston, she has the talent to take over a match. As well as Michigan as playing, I have to think that if Houston was in the match and on, Hawai'i would have won in 3 or 4 games. It was very surprising that it took her almost 2 games to get her first kill. As for Michigan: great setter, unstoppable slide, terrific libero, I think they could surprise some teams this season. Michigan played well no doubt. Zimmerman was impressive and the Wolverines floor defense was impressive as well. If they play the way they played against Hawai'i last night, they'll be very competitive in the Big 10 this season.
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Post by The Bofa on the Sofa on Aug 25, 2007 15:16:33 GMT -5
Michigan played well no doubt. Zimmerman was impressive as was their floor defense. If they play the way they played against Hawai'i last night, they'll be very competitive in the Big 10 this season. Yeah, they might even break into the top half of the conference.
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Post by Barefoot In Kailua on Aug 25, 2007 15:23:54 GMT -5
Michigan played well no doubt. Zimmerman was impressive as was their floor defense. If they play the way they played against Hawai'i last night, they'll be very competitive in the Big 10 this season. Yeah, they might even break into the top half of the conference. We'll see how long your cynicism lasts when the conference season is over. Do I expect them to beat Penn State? no but I'd be willing to bet that they'll finish in the upper half of the Big 10 Conference standings after the season is done. I think they'll finish ahead of Purdue, most definitely.
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Post by The Bofa on the Sofa on Aug 25, 2007 15:27:14 GMT -5
Yeah, and you didn't think Michigan stood a chance against Hawaii.
Shows what you know.
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Post by Barefoot In Kailua on Aug 25, 2007 15:33:41 GMT -5
Yeah, and you didn't think Michigan stood a chance against Hawaii. Shows what you know. Well, I didn't expect Hawai'i to play the way they did for the first half of the match last night. No one would have expected Jaimie Houston to be a non factor in the match. Things don't always work out the way one expects. However, we'll see how much I know when the Big 10 conference season comes to a close. I don't think I'll be of in my assessment. When it comes to the Big 10, I'm usually not off.
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Post by 3wood on Aug 25, 2007 19:23:24 GMT -5
Wouldn't it be funny if Michigan now lost to Colorado State an Oregon State? First game of the season, funny things happen. Karpiak hitting .571, 17 Ks, Houston hitting -.333, yet Hawaii barely lost. Actually, I wouldn't be surprise if Michigan lost to CU or OS or both.
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Post by Wolfgang on Aug 25, 2007 20:50:05 GMT -5
Here's what knaws at me re. Dave Shoji. We all have character flaws, and he's no exception. He puts together a lineup that oftentimes goes against his instincts. I don't know why. Perhaps: fairness to upperclassmen? fairness to work ethic? Favoritism of certain players? A slave to his own volleyball schemes? I don't know.
But come crunch time, when all is on the line, he resorts to his instincts and puts in his best players. Deep inside, he knows what he should do. And you can sometimes see it in his face, the way he's thinking, "Ah, I could kick myself for not starting ________!" You saw it last night. Brandt at setter, Aneli at the right (at first) and then left (eventually), Kai'ahue at libero. But it's too little, too late. Time and time again, this happens every year.
That's his character flaw. He knows what he should do. But he doesn't do it. He sets up traps for himself, putting himself in a desperate second-guess situation. And he employs the same scheme that has netted him zero national titles in the last 20 years. It's not working. But he can't get himself to change.
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Post by Barefoot In Kailua on Aug 25, 2007 21:34:19 GMT -5
Here's what knaws at me re. Dave Shoji. We all have character flaws, and he's no exception. He puts together a lineup that oftentimes goes against his instincts. I don't know why. Perhaps: fairness to upperclassmen? fairness to work ethic? Favoritism of certain players? A slave to his own volleyball schemes? I don't know. But come crunch time, when all is on the line, he resorts to his instincts and puts in his best players. Deep inside, he knows what he should do. And you can sometimes see it in his face, the way he's thinking, "Ah, I could kick myself for not starting ________!" You saw it last night. Brandt at setter, Aneli at the right (at first) and then left (eventually), Kai'ahue at libero. But it's too little, too late. Time and time again, this happens every year. That's his character flaw. He knows what he should do. But he doesn't do it. He sets up traps for himself, putting himself in a desperate second-guess situation. And he employs the same scheme that has netted him zero national titles in the last 20 years. It's not working. But he can't get himself to change. Wow, this is eerily accurate.
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Post by wolverine on Aug 25, 2007 22:01:01 GMT -5
Wouldn't it be funny if Michigan now lost to Colorado State an Oregon State? Actually, that wouldn't surprise me at all.
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