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Post by huskerfan on Sept 11, 2007 13:31:35 GMT -5
[Does that mean Creighton is as good as Penn State? No. It means Nebraska didn't try as hard against Creighton because they knew they didn't have to.]
I don't agree with the effort evaluation. Nebraska worked in lots of subs against Creighton. For example, Tara Mueller came in for Houghtelling midway through game two and played the rest of the match. I would guess she put in as much effort as anyone on the floor, but it was her first appearance, so she understandably wasn't as "fluid" as Christina. Anyway, the subs affected their rhythm a lot, but gave the subs some crucial game experience. (But I do agree that they tend to let up a bit against weaker teams.) So it's a bit more complex than just looking at the spread and evaluating the effort based on that.
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Post by ersatzhusker on Sept 11, 2007 18:25:48 GMT -5
I just watched for the 2nd time the Pepperdine/Texas match that I had TiVo'd off ESPNU with an eye towards watching ball control and errors in anticipation of the upcoming NU/Texas match. I have also seen the webcast of the PSU/Texas matches as well as all NU matches both TV and webcast.
So, from my amateur perspective...
First, Destinee Hooker is a marvel. In one situation in game 1, she hit directly over a 6'5" Pep MB's outstretched hands and the ball landed about 6ft from the back line. And Destinee has developed a nice off-speed dink when everybody's playing back expecting the heat. Her enthusiasm and joy for the game are fun to behold. Except for some arguments about hitting % and quality of competition, I have no real problem with her being Big-12 POW this last week.
Second, freshman Juliann Faucette is the real deal. She can bring it, has a nice jump serve and plays pretty good, but not great, D all around.
Third, freshman Jen Doris was OK, as her numbers in the match reflect (5 kills & 6.5 blocks in 4 games). Junior Lauren Paolini had twice as many kills, albeit at a lower hitting %.
Finally, Texas lost game 2 and could have lost game 4 (31-29) against an unranked opponent.
BUT, Texas' ball control was not all that good (but better than Pep most of the time) and there were several other mental errors committed by Texas, like 13 service errors for the match.
If one factors in that Ashley Engle is either not playing at all or not at 100%, then this does not bode well for Texas against NU at home tomorrow.
IMO, NU sweeps in 3 (-20, -22, -19).
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Post by redincolorado on Sept 11, 2007 21:43:46 GMT -5
For you Texas followers:
Is Ashley Engle going to be playing in this match?
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Post by huskerfan on Sept 11, 2007 22:08:20 GMT -5
It says on huskers.com that it's online. It even says that it's FREE.
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Post by OverAndUnder on Sept 12, 2007 8:36:35 GMT -5
*** Wed,, Sept. 12 • NU Coliseum • 7 p.m. Tickets: Sold Out (95th consecutive sellout at NU Coliseum)
Television: NET (Ch. 12) and NET-HD (Ch. 112) with Larry Punteney and Kathi Wieskamp; Simulcast Nationally on CSTV (Ch. 610 on DirecTV; Ch. 152)
Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and KHUS 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Live Video and Stats : Huskers.com (free video on Wednesday) ***
Can anyone close to the program confirm whether this will be online or not?
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Post by Gelatinous Mass on Sept 12, 2007 9:50:40 GMT -5
I would love to think the Engle has been resting her injury in order to play in this match but something tells me she will not play for at least 2 more weeks.
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Post by southie on Sept 12, 2007 9:52:41 GMT -5
It wil be tough for Texas.
Nebraska is a team that Texas doesn't out-size or out-athlete. I think in the end, Nebraska's big block will frustrate the Texas hitters.
I'd love to see Texas play at a very high level in the most hostile environment they face each year, but this team hasn't quite got it altogether this early in the season.
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Post by bigfan on Sept 12, 2007 10:11:17 GMT -5
Nebraska in 4.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2007 10:20:07 GMT -5
Any word on who's playing libero for the Huskers tonight?
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Post by gobigred on Sept 12, 2007 12:26:31 GMT -5
From the Daily Nebraskan:
The NU Coliseum will be witness today to something it hasn't seen in the Big 12 Conference era.
It's the seventh-ranked Texas Longhorns.
It may not sound like anything special, but the Longhorns will officially be the highest ranked Big 12 opponent to ever walk through the Coliseum doors.
"We've played some big matches in front of big crowds," Nebraska Coach John Cook said. "Every team we've played has been a real quality opponent. Our players are used to it, and I think this group is embracing it."
Tonight, the Cornhuskers will recognize some familiar faces on the Longhorn bench. Outside hitter Destinee Hooker is back for her sophomore campaign and is sitting in second in kills per game in the Big 12, averaging 4.67.
Hooker will be joined by senior All-American middle blocker Brandy Magee, who is second in the league in hitting percentage, and also a new face in freshman outside hitter Juliann Faucette, who sits eight in the Big 12 in kills.
Most would think NU is ready to switch it up another gear on Cook's metaphorical "10-speed bike" - a term he uses to describe the team's performance - as it rides into the conference season.
"There's more history," NU middle blocker Tracy Stalls said of league play. "You know more of what to expect and what has happened in the past and how to prepare."
Stalls, as the team's captain, will undoubtedly play an important role in Nebraska's success as the season wears on.
"She's our leader, our captain," Cook said. "She's an exceptional captain. That's something we knew the day she got here, she would be captain at one point."
Last year's squad had three captains, but the 2007 edition has chosen Stalls alone to head up the duties as team leader.
"It says a lot," Cook said. "The team votes on captains. It was unanimous. That's not just from the summer. It's from all of last year, the summer and this fall."
Stalls' next task is to be ready for the dangerous Longhorns.
Stalls has totaled 48 kills against UT throughout her career at Nebraska. Twenty-two of them came from just last year alone, as her team won both matches en route to another conference title.
Stalls said being a leader is something that comes easily to her on and off the court.
"I've been in leadership roles before," Stalls said. "It does sort of come natural, but to develop it on a certain team does take a lot of work. Developing it here at Nebraska has taken a lot of work to invest in people and really rub on people."
Stalls and the Huskers prepare to take on the Longhorns on Wednesday night in the NU Coliseum. The match's first serve will be at 7 p.m.
Stalls said she's just excited to be done with the non-conference tournaments. Now, Nebraska can spend more time focusing on the Big 12 season ahead.
"I'm stoked about it," Stalls said. "I love it. Everybody's just pouring into it. I love competition, and playing Texas is always just a thrill because they compete. It's going to be a battle, and I'm excited for it."
spencerschubert@dailynebraskan.com
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Post by Tex_VB_Fan on Sept 12, 2007 12:36:09 GMT -5
It wil be tough for Texas. Nebraska is a team that Texas doesn't out-size or out-athlete. I think in the end, Nebraska's big block will frustrate the Texas hitters. I'd love Texas see play at a very high level in the most hostile environment they face each year, but this team hasn't quite got it altogether this early in the season. The most hostile enviroment Texas plays at is in College Station against a&m. Their crowds stand and yell the entire match down to the last point.
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Post by bucky415 on Sept 12, 2007 12:58:13 GMT -5
That is probably a good point. Nebraska doesn't hate Texas the way that A&M does, I am sure. Also, I doubt the AARP club will be screaming at the Texas players the whole time. I hope that Hooker and Pavan are matched up against each other a lot, because that would be fun to watch. Of course, Faucette is no slouch, either. She was impressive against Pepperdine.
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Post by Tex_VB_Fan on Sept 12, 2007 13:05:46 GMT -5
That is probably a good point. Nebraska doesn't hate Texas the way that A&M does, I am sure. Also, I doubt the AARP club will be screaming at the Texas players the whole time. I hope that Hooker and Pavan are matched up against each other a lot, because that would be fun to watch. Of course, Faucette is no slouch, either. She was impressive against Pepperdine. It should be a brutal environment again but it's quite fun watching Texas beat the aggroids at College Station.
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Post by Chance on Sept 12, 2007 13:21:16 GMT -5
I like the one captain approach. It's ok to add 2 subcaptains or whatever like hockey does if you want, but IMO there should be one person who is "the captain."
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Post by cvbc14 on Sept 12, 2007 13:39:07 GMT -5
Anyone else think we'll see a situational 6-2 when Faucette starts pounding balls over Holloway?
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