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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Sept 8, 2007 16:07:29 GMT -5
My observations on the middle situation: I think it's unfortunate for Gregory and Sanders... I am THE BIGGEST advocates for these two, I really, REALLY wanted the two to have strong All-American like senior seasons, HOWEVER, I must say that they have probably become spoiled playing with Kamana'o for three seasons. The three played under Kamana'o the longest and I am pretty sure people will agree that the middle connection is SO important and takes a lot of time to get it where it was last season. Now that there is a new setter, I think the two just haven't been able to adjust to the sets. Or maybe Brandt can't adjust to Sanders and Gregory. Or maybe its both... but bottom line is Blood, Kaufman, and Simmons can connect with Brandt... but Gregory and Sanders can't. I think that has a lot to do with the loss of Kamana'o, who had BEAUTIFUL connections with the middles and knew how to isolate them and get them one on ones. I hate saying this, but I think Gregory should sit... I really hate saying that. But I think Kaufman or Simmons can put up what Gregory is, and better and GREGORY, IMO was the biggest benefactor of Kamana;o's sets. defintely, HI needs a more assertive presence in the middle -- blocking, but especially on offense. Gregory's connection with Brandt was one that I (and many fans) had hoped would begin to work itself out over time. Gregory can be a great attacker, but she moreso than the other middles needs a lot more help from the setter to be effective. not sure what you are basing your statment that Blood and Simmons have better connection with Brandt than does Gregory and Sanders. Blood has played all of one time so far. and Simmons has had bright spots as well as mis-timed sets, same as Gregory and Sanders. Kaufman too, in fact. the connection in the middle is just one that needs to develop and won't come easily or quickly with a new setter on the court. that said, I liked what i saw from Kaufman last night. she is an offensive threat that opposing blockers have to respect, which will only help the OHs. she's quick and closes the block well. and she, more than Gregory at this point in the season, can do more with a set that is not quite in the right location. i've been a big supporter of Gregory's over the years, but right now, the team would be better served using her in situational blocking.
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Post by Cubicle No More ... on Sept 8, 2007 16:20:31 GMT -5
Another peeve I have is Shojis comment on this years offense that he wanted it to be basic. Why is that? Watching WSA with their double quicks, 3 sets, and inside slides was so intresting. They have more deversity for an unranked team. Hawaii's offense is so boring! Left, Left, Middle, and the occasional slide when we get a decent set. I dunno, Im just venting.. I just wish Shoji can mix things up with our offense, since the game is changing so rapidly, that all teams seem to be trying new things except for Hawaii. We rely too much on the left, it gets sooo predictable. Okay Im done for now.. Sorry for the rant. well, we can't have it both ways, can we? as fans, we can't complain that the timing is off between setter and hitter, both middle and outside ... and yet complain that the offense is not diverse enough. a diverse and more complicated offense is just that ... more complicated. and if the timing isn't quite there yet on the basic plays, it would be a lot to ask that it be there on more complicated set plays. that said, HI is beginning to incorporate a few things, like some x-plays ... but the team needs to involve these a little more slowly, and making sure the timing is there on the basic plays first. if anything, Brandt needs to make better choices in crunch time. have more confidence to go to some of her other hitters (and not just to Houston). for now, that would help keep the offense from being so predictable.
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Post by shai87 on Sept 8, 2007 16:24:20 GMT -5
people should stop grumbling and take it as a win, it was a great game to watch. had its up and downs but what games doesn't.
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Post by italianmattd on Sept 8, 2007 16:49:15 GMT -5
people should stop grumbling and take it as a win, it was a great game to watch. had its up and downs but what games doesn't. Nebraska's games...
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Post by ACE on Sept 8, 2007 17:18:59 GMT -5
I think it'll be great for volleyball if Hawaii lost the WAC this season and I would even go so far as saying that Hawaii should finish 5th behind New Mexico State, San Jose State, Nevada, and Boise State. I know this'll never happen (especially Boise State) but it'll be good nonetheless. Good for WAC teams in recruiting, exposure, and confidence-building, and ultimately, good for Hawaii because, hopefully, as their WAC opponents get better, they'll provide better competition for the Wahine to increases their chances for future NCAA title runs. I'm still not sold on the notion that playing in the WAC hurts Hawai'i during the NCAA tourney. I think a more glaring issue in regards to Wahine success in the tourney is travel. Hawai'i has faired well in the tourney in relation to most teams in the PAC 10, Big 10, and Big 12. Take for example Hawai'i vs Oregon last season. Oregon Coach Jim Moore was confident going into the first round tourney match vs Hawai'i because he felt his team was battle tested just coming out of the PAC 10 season. Hawai'i mopped the floor with Oregon and later went on to knock USC of the tourney in the regionals. In 2005, Hawai'i went to Austin and did what no other team, including Nebraska, could do that season...beat Texas in Gregory Gymnasium. The Wahine have made 9 consecutive regionals. The WAC competition argument holds little water. I agree with BIK, although it might have some merrit to it, playing int he WAC is not the reason Hawaii has not had national championship. Hawaii and Florida has played in two "weaker" conference, but have made it to Elite 8 or Final Four appearences throughout this Millenium. The parity in women's volleyball has grown, it's just Stanford-Nebraska seems to get the best of the best. Let's see what type of Noise Texas can do in the next couple of years on a National scene with their recruits and their conference to battle test them.
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Post by hwnstunner on Sept 8, 2007 17:27:28 GMT -5
not sure what you are basing your statment that Blood and Simmons have better connection with Brandt than does Gregory and Sanders. Blood has played all of one time so far. and Simmons has had bright spots as well as mis-timed sets, same as Gregory and Sanders. Kaufman too, in fact. the connection in the middle is just one that needs to develop and won't come easily or quickly with a new setter on the court. i've been a big supporter of Gregory's over the years, but right now, the team would be better served using her in situational blocking. Well, from what I've seen when Blood came in, which was twice, she had clean hits from Brandt. Ya, its a small basis, but a basis nonetheless. I also believe that Simmons and Kaufman have connected better with Brandt in the middle in the limited time they have been in there when compared to Gregory and Sanders. I think in game situations, if you set Gregory/Sanders and Kaufman/Simmons 20 times, Simmons and Kaufman will put down more sets from Brandt. I know that's a bit far fetched, but my whole point is I feel Sanders and Gregory are SPOILED from Kamana'o's sets. They can't adjust to Brandt and it's taking too long... like I SAID as well, the middle connection between setter/hitters are hard to connect, especially with a new setter after how many years. Kaufman and especially Simmons have the luxury of NOT being spoiled by Kamana'o ... and I think that's a good thing, because they don't have to break the habit of only being able to hit a "Kamana'o set"
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Post by ooreo46 on Sept 8, 2007 17:59:24 GMT -5
I think it'll be great for volleyball if Hawaii lost the WAC this season and I would even go so far as saying that Hawaii should finish 5th behind New Mexico State, San Jose State, Nevada, and Boise State. I know this'll never happen (especially Boise State) but it'll be good nonetheless. Good for WAC teams in recruiting, exposure, and confidence-building, and ultimately, good for Hawaii because, hopefully, as their WAC opponents get better, they'll provide better competition for the Wahine to increases their chances for future NCAA title runs. I'm still not sold on the notion that playing in the WAC hurts Hawai'i during the NCAA tourney. I think a more glaring issue in regards to Wahine success in the tourney is travel. Hawai'i has faired well in the tourney in relation to most teams in the PAC 10, Big 10, and Big 12. Take for example Hawai'i vs Oregon last season. Oregon Coach Jim Moore was confident going into the first round tourney match vs Hawai'i because he felt his team was battle tested just coming out of the PAC 10 season. Hawai'i mopped the floor with Oregon and later went on to knock USC of the tourney in the regionals. In 2005, Hawai'i went to Austin and did what no other team, including Nebraska, could do that season...beat Texas in Gregory Gymnasium. The Wahine have made 9 consecutive regionals. The WAC competition argument holds little water. Hawaii wins those "big-time" matches because certain players have "big-time" nights. In the 2005 Hawaii vs. Texas match, Mason came up HUGE for the Wahine. Not only with her offense, but her key blocks and tough serving. In the 2006 Hawaii vs. USC match, Houston lived up to her expectations, becoming a terminator and putting down timely kills. After watching yesterday's match, I think this Wahine team is gaining momentum. They are actually working together and looking comfortable on the court. There's less of a "your fault" attitude and more cohesiveness - they are moving as a unit. Credit to Wichita State for a great match. They are a solid team - no one spectacular or brilliant, just good ol' volleyball players who play their hearts out and do as their instructed. I think Otineru is similar to Mason - both are volleyball savy. They don't power their way through the block but rather, put down kills by tooling the ball off the block. Otineru does not have the height and presence of Mason, but she's a smart hitter. I think Otineru tends to get tired down the stretch so props to Dave and Co. for subbing her out and giving her rest. Hittle looks so much more comfortable on the right. She is finding her form at opposite. I never doubted her when she was in her "slump" and I am happy for her overall improvement. Props to Stephanie Brandt. Everyone has to remember that her job is to get the ball to her hitters - not perfectly or to their preference, just to put up the ball. Steph is still learning the system and has the WAC season to fix and tinker out her set location and decisions. Kaufman suprised me at middle. Kudos to her. Brought back visions of Victoria Prince. Ahhh the good ol' days ;D I am already looking past this season and forward to the 2008 campaign. Should be a good one
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Post by roy on Sept 8, 2007 19:01:49 GMT -5
Overall, the match was pretty good volleyball considering we are only in the third week of the season. Wichita State looked pretty good. As said, they are solid team. No one really stands out a lot but you can see they have a pretty strong team chemistry. Niggemeyer was very interesting because they run all sorts of different plays with her. She hits a slide in front of the setter and that causes a lot of timing issues for the opposing blockers. They also have some great floor defense, however they have some trouble transitioning to offense. They gave Hawaii a lot of free balls and that helped Hawaii in the end. Their biggest problem is that they don't have that major terminator to get them into the top 25. They are a solid, well balanced team, but when they started to get down, they can't have just one person to get that critical kill or block to get them the momentum back.
Hawaii looked pretty good considering they lost the first 2 games. Again, part of the problem is that Hawaii doesn't have a momentum killer aside from Houston. Once the momentum starts to move to the opposing team, only Houston can really kill that momentum and she is not consistent enough to completely bring it back to Hawaii's side. Also, this team is still going through mental lapses. They let teams back into the match and that is dangerous, as teams can make runs on Hawaii and get a lot of confidence through the match. As someone said, that Hawaii aura isn't as invincible as it was and that leaves Hawaii vulnerable.
The good is that everything is still starting to smooth out. The connection with the middles wasn't great but it is getting better. There were a few missed assignments, but Shoji moved around some players with Hittle on the right and Kaufman in the middle. It was expected. I prefer Kaufman in the middle. This is a great way to integrate her and she is the fastest of all the middles and second in offense to Sanders. However, that keeps shrinking Hawaii's line up, so I'm not sure how they are going to respond to a tall team.
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Post by aaronic on Sept 8, 2007 21:39:40 GMT -5
This was a good win without a doubt for the Wahine. Wichita State is a good team with some scrappy players. Also morally, they can take away a lot from it. Especially confidence.
I think DS should start the same team that won this match tonight against SCU. Not only have they earned it, but it worked better than the others last night.
On another note, the officiating during parts of this match was one of THE worst i've ever seen in my life.
Good luck tonight to the Wahine. Another pretty good team. Very formiddable players. Lowe, Matich, and Cmaylo are ones to watch tonight.
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Post by Barefoot In Kailua on Sept 8, 2007 22:24:55 GMT -5
On another note, the officiating during parts of this match was one of THE worst i've ever seen in my life. Agreed. Dan Hironaka and Wayne Lee have been awful!
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Post by IdahoBoy on Sept 9, 2007 1:33:25 GMT -5
Agreed. Dan Hironaka and Wayne Lee have been awful! For as long as I've ever seen them... they've been getting worse each year. I think they are 'too comfortable' in the Stanley.
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Post by bunnywailer on Sept 10, 2007 2:02:20 GMT -5
Agreed. Dan Hironaka and Wayne Lee have been awful! For as long as I've ever seen them... they've been getting worse each year. I think they are 'too comfortable' in the Stanley. You and Stinkfeet in Kakaako should sign up for PAVO membership and then request to be crewed together. I'll even fly in for whatever match you two buttbrains get just so I can heckle.
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Post by IdahoBoy on Sept 10, 2007 2:14:03 GMT -5
For as long as I've ever seen them... they've been getting worse each year. I think they are 'too comfortable' in the Stanley. You and Stinkfeet in Kakaako should sign up for PAVO membership and then request to be crewed together. I'll even fly in for whatever match you two buttbrains get just so I can heckle. You should talk. As much as you critique the coaches but remain in the bleachers. Who wouldn't want to fly to the legitimate mecca of volleyball regardless of the officiation?
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Post by bunnywailer on Sept 10, 2007 10:19:10 GMT -5
You and Stinkfeet in Kakaako should sign up for PAVO membership and then request to be crewed together. I'll even fly in for whatever match you two buttbrains get just so I can heckle. You should talk. As much as you critique the coaches but remain in the bleachers. Who wouldn't want to fly to the legitimate mecca of volleyball regardless of the officiation? Well, unlike yourself who has never coached or reffed, when I critique it's not from a position of total ignorance. I'm only partially ignorant. You, on the other hand, total ignorance. And when I do fly to Hawaii, it's for much more important reasons than just to go see a volleyball match. If I happen to have some free time and I'm in town, maybe I might consider going. But it will be the same match I can watch on TV 3 hours later.
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Post by Wolfgang on Sept 10, 2007 10:37:55 GMT -5
Will you two go get a room already!
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