PSU/Stanford

[farmwatcher]

The team that passes better wins. Either team is capable of passing nails or totally blowing up on the first touch. If this happens it will be interesting to see how long the coaches stay with their starters. I agree about the RS weakness as well, but I am going to go with the team that passes wins. Of course, I think that is pretty much the case for the top 8 teams in the country right now...a lot of stud hitters, some pretty good setters, but not a premium on ball control on the pass.

[flyingl123]

Not sure why so many posters are mentioning Waller as a RS liability. What is this based on? A single weekend's performance?
The girl more than held her on last season helping her team win the PAC-10 as well as reach the National Championship match. She is coming off a pre-season injury (ankle sprain in believe?) and is working her way back into the line up. She will be fine against Penn State. Besides, Cassidy is more than a suitable replacement in case she is not.
Just my two cents...

[ESTRELLA]

vbcoach said:

tyorder1 said:

Fawcett has one shot... hard cross. She cannot pass and is a liability in the backrow. Klineman is similar, but she can hit any shot, at a much higher contact point I might add and block well.

Have you ever seen Fawcett play in person? She touches something like 10' 6" and hits the ball at a high point. Also has shots. While not a great passer or defender, is good in the back row - not a liability.

If Brown ever break-out on the right side, look-out.

VBCOACH,
I agree with you in everything you said except the back row part. She may be able to attack, but if the ball does not come right on top of her (meaning hits her) it is a black hole as a defender. Great talent, but never learned how to move defensively and read of the block.

Sorry dude....she is a liability!

ESTRELLA

[abcd098]

Who will be setting for Penn State? Glass hasn't set a whole match since Cal Poly. Russ has been playing musical setters for the last few matches.

[bigtenfred]

I think Yantz will start and if she does not perform than Glass? They are both good setters not a bad problem to have. Ball control is going to be the factor with Stanford.

[abcd098]

bigtenfred said:

I think Yantz will start and if she does not perform than Glass? They are both good setters not a bad problem to have. Ball control is going to be the factor with Stanford.

They are both good setters, but how good is it for the hitters and for the morale of the setters to keep switching?

[Reach]

Its a toss up on the setter's issue. Yanz is a pure, technically trained and groomed by SPRI setter. Where as Glass is just a great all around athlete that is probably a better defense but not as strong as running the offense. The problem begins with their pass. They might as well have the middles set because if they don't learn to pass they will never be able to use the talents of either setter.

[bigtenfred]

Russ Rose worried about morale I don't think so.

[aishaxs]

If Gabi Ailes' right hand has healed and she passes and digs like she normally does,
then Stanford has a high chance of winning.

[baywatcher]

Haven't seen Penn State play this year, but a big part of bad passing is good serving. If Ailes plays, that gives them Klineman, Barboza and Ailes with pretty good jump serves, and Foluka's comes out of the rafters. Can keep the pressure up and lead to strings of points, which Stanford doesn't seem to surrender too often.

[Tex_VB_Fan]

My money is on PSU on this one in a close match. I guess I am biased since I've seen PSU in person this year but I think Kehoe and Waller will not be able to contain Fawcette and Hodge on the left. I'd bet on Stanford if this took place at the farm.

[jgrout]

The thing that makes Pavan so dangerous... and is making Akinradewo become much more dangerous... is that she's an athlete who is also a volleyball player. Penn State's repeated failures against top-level NCAA tournament competition suggest exploitable volleyball flaws in their athleticism... the kind that Stanford found last December against the Longhorns. Maybe this will be the year that PSU doesn't fail at that level... but it's been a long time since a Russ Rose team has seen a Final Four.

[bigtenfred]

Only 0nce in 29 years?

[mervynpumpkinhead]

jgrout said:

The thing that makes Pavan so dangerous... and is making Akinradewo become much more dangerous... is that she's an athlete who is also a volleyball player. Penn State's repeated failures against top-level NCAA tournament competition suggest exploitable volleyball flaws in their athleticism... the kind that Stanford found last December against the Longhorns. Maybe this will be the year that PSU doesn't fail at that level... but it's been a long time since a Russ Rose team has seen a Final Four.

"suggest exploitable volleyball flaws in their athleticism..."

What in the world does that mean?

[jgrout]

mervynpumpkinhead said:

"suggest exploitable volleyball flaws in their athleticism..."
What in the world does that mean?

I remember one top NBA center saying he hated to defend Robert Parish because Parish could drive left, drive right or pull up... everyone he faced was an athlete (or they wouldn't be in the NBA) but Parish didn't have tendencies or limitations... "basketball flaws"... that would allow a smart defender to cheat toward (or away from) one of those options.

A poster in another thread shared his frustration with Big 12 volleyball being about low-percentage, high kill total attacking. I think this is an example of "volleyball flaws" at work... even if a player is too athletically gifted to be overmatched physically, a smart volleyball team is more likely to be able to hold her down because she is too predictable in the context of her team's offense, allowing her to be blocked or dug too often, or has mechanical flaws that cause her to hit diggable balls (or hit out) too often, or (to borrow a line from another poster talking about Texas) "can't find the floor" in transition.