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Post by truffleshuffle on Dec 19, 2010 4:12:39 GMT -5
maybe if they had beaten cal and texas 25-0, 25-0, 25-0 people would believe that the best team won?
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Post by nitneliun on Dec 19, 2010 4:14:46 GMT -5
If the Pac-10 co-champ and Texas shouldn't have given Penn State any trouble, then I guess nobody should have.
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Post by Guest on Dec 19, 2010 4:34:14 GMT -5
Well, even if USC addresses the weaknesses in their passing game and defense, they still aren't going to beat any PSU team with that moonball offense of theirs. I don't think PSU is going to forget how to block and play defense any time soon. well we all know that the NCAA committee will give Penn State another break in the bracket next year too...why stop with just this year... Say it with me so that you won't forget it between now and next August - MOONBALL OFFENSE. MOONBALL OFFENSE. Good, now remember that when you're team gets waxed next year. |
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Post by rtael on Dec 19, 2010 6:08:58 GMT -5
Of course not, but the Big Twelve isn't exactly chopped liver. I don't know why you would say Oklahoma isn't on the same level as Purdue and UCLA. Pablo #39 v. Pablo #9 and #13. That's why. Every school I was listing as an "elite" team is in the top 20 of pablo. PSU, which was the #1 team in pablo and almost certainly the best team in the tournament, was denied the chance to prove that beyond all doubt because they only played two other pablo top-20 teams. PSU is the champion. They passed the test they were given. No one denies that. But it's just too bad that they weren't given a chance to display their dominance against a tougher field, that's all. PSU has won the national championship four years in a row. Nothing you say is going to change that, no matter how much you might not like it. You pretend to give them credit but only so you can take it away a second later, and that's really disrespectful. Russ Rose and the women from Penn State deserve what they have accomplished, and for you to try to diminish that is quite sad (for you). |
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Post by nyline on Dec 19, 2010 7:43:19 GMT -5
My favorite part is watching the scrubs be so much more excited than the real players They're all real players. |
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Post by nyline on Dec 19, 2010 7:49:12 GMT -5
I am not a fan of Penn State (that is to say that I am a fan of Stanford, not to say that I don't like Penn State), though I am happy for Russ Rose most of all. He is so genuine, loves his job, and loves the sport of women's volleyball. He is such a class act and puts his program and most of all his players before himself. Congrats to you Russ!! +1 |
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Post by Phaedrus on Dec 19, 2010 8:00:58 GMT -5
People can sit and Monday morning quarterback all they want, and kvetch about Penn State's draw, but to be at the Final Four and watch them work is amazing. Setting aside the athleticism, this program is all about the hard work. Not to say that their opponents don't work hard, but the Penn State team is relentless, smart, and incredibly focused on the task. They don't flinch when the other team goes on a run, they just narrow their vision and work. It is the consistentcy of the effort and the way they are able to sustain that intensity through out the match that is incredible.
I sat with coaches that had been beaten by Penn State in one of the earlier rounds, they kind of sat up and took notice in the second game, and when it was all said and done, with Penn State winning that game, they just shook their heads. The consensus is that you can make mistakes against Penn State, they will find ways to fight back because they are so good at digging in and fight.
I think the seniors this year is a perfect example of that. One of the coaches from the Pac 10 was saying how he loves watching Blair Brown work during time outs and breaks in the match, she is like a mother hen just taking care of her brood, making sure the freshmen, on the court and on the bench are included and engaged in the match, and how she manages to calm the skittish freshmen whenever they seem like they are going to burst.
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Post by nyline on Dec 19, 2010 8:10:38 GMT -5
Um, how many teams had to beat four elite teams in this tournament? If you want to say that UCLA, Purdue and Washington are elite, fine. I just don't see it. Yeah, I would say all those teams count. Cal would have had to beat Minnesota, Washington, USC, and PSU. Washington would have had to beat Hawaii, Nebraska, Cal, USC, and PSU (and also Michigan, though some say their injury problems dropped them out of the list of elite opponents). Nebraska would have had to beat Washington, Cal, USC, and PSU. Texas would have had to beat UCLA, Illinois, Purdue, PSU, and Cal.PSU had to beat Duke, Texas, and Cal -- and Duke is pretty questionable as counting as an elite opponent. It's not PSU's fault. And they are the champions, no matter what else is said and done. And they probably were the best team. It's just that when the team which was given the easiest path ends up winning it all, people are bound to continue to question that. Penn State swept Texas, split with Illinois (swept them on PSU's home court, lost in Champaign before A Scott started playing), split with Purdue (L 2-3 at Purdue before A Scott started playing; won 3-1 w/ A Scott), and swept Cal. Granted, not all those wins were in the tournament, but they beat alot of tournament teams, and after A Scott entered lineup, lost only once, to a very, very good Minnesota team. |
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Post by nyline on Dec 19, 2010 8:13:22 GMT -5
I'm SOOOOOOOO glad to see Megan Shifflett graduate. It's pretty annoying seeing her crying/screaming her head off/taking credit for the NCs that she didn't contribute to. She's a junior, and they all contribute in different ways. What a weird, nasty comment. Badly done. |
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Post by nyline on Dec 19, 2010 8:24:40 GMT -5
How did Stanford beat Penn State at the beginning of the season? Just looked at the stats-- wasn't even close. 26-24, 12, 18. Dismal hitting for Penn State .091 Tonight they looked by a well-oiled machine outplaying Cal in every aspect of the game. It's pretty simple. Player development. Those freshmen who got abused by Stanford early in the season developed into some pretty damn good players by the end of the season. Russ said all along that his goal this year was to make all of those younger players better as the season went on. I think he met his goal. +1 |
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Post by nyline on Dec 19, 2010 8:32:54 GMT -5
People can sit and Monday morning quarterback all they want, and kvetch about Penn State's draw, but to be at the Final Four and watch them work is amazing. Setting aside the athleticism, this program is all about the hard work. Not to say that their opponents don't work hard, but the Penn State team is relentless, smart, and incredibly focused on the task. They don't flinch when the other team goes on a run, they just narrow their vision and work. It is the consistentcy of the effort and the way they are able to sustain that intensity through out the match that is incredible. I sat with coaches that had been beaten by Penn State in one of the earlier rounds, they kind of sat up and took notice in the second game, and when it was all said and done, with Penn State winning that game, they just shook their heads. The consensus is that you can make mistakes against Penn State, they will find ways to fight back because they are so good at digging in and fight. I think the seniors this year is a perfect example of that. One of the coaches from the Pac 10 was saying how he loves watching Blair Brown work during time outs and breaks in the match, she is like a mother hen just taking care of her brood, making sure the freshmen, on the court and on the bench are included and engaged in the match, and how she manages to calm the skittish freshmen whenever they seem like they are going to burst. ESPN caught a great example of that during one of the time outs, where Blair was patting either Deja or A Scott on the shoulder throughout the entire time they were on screen. It was a remarkable picture -- and you (or that coach) said it perfectly -- like a mother hen. |
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Post by pogoball on Dec 19, 2010 8:48:03 GMT -5
How did Stanford beat Penn State at the beginning of the season? Just looked at the stats-- wasn't even close. 26-24, 12, 18. Dismal hitting for Penn State .091 Tonight they looked by a well-oiled machine outplaying Cal in every aspect of the game. It's pretty simple. Player development. Those freshmen who got abused by Stanford early in the season developed into some pretty damn good players by the end of the season. Russ said all along that his goal this year was to make all of those younger players better as the season went on. I think he met his goal. Not taking away from this overall point, but Slay & Scott were not even in the lineup at the beginning of the year. They developed enough to earn their starting positions. Slay beating out Balza, a prior NC starter, is pretty impressive. To a certain extent, Coach Rose deserves credit for recognizing that the young players passed the veterans over the course of the year. Many coaches tend to get tunnel vision with their lineups and don't see development within their own team. |
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Post by nyline on Dec 19, 2010 9:06:00 GMT -5
Many congratulations. No program in volleyball is your equal. You are a dynasty, a legend, a leader, and whatever other accolades people want to apply. The Big Ten has made it impossible to be both a Legend and a Leader. Going forward, you are either in one division or the other.  |
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Post by hardbop on Dec 19, 2010 9:12:46 GMT -5
People can sit and Monday morning quarterback all they want, and kvetch about Penn State's draw, but to be at the Final Four and watch them work is amazing. Setting aside the athleticism, this program is all about the hard work. Not to say that their opponents don't work hard, but the Penn State team is relentless, smart, and incredibly focused on the task. They don't flinch when the other team goes on a run, they just narrow their vision and work. It is the consistentcy of the effort and the way they are able to sustain that intensity through out the match that is incredible. I sat with coaches that had been beaten by Penn State in one of the earlier rounds, they kind of sat up and took notice in the second game, and when it was all said and done, with Penn State winning that game, they just shook their heads. The consensus is that you can make mistakes against Penn State, they will find ways to fight back because they are so good at digging in and fight. I think the seniors this year is a perfect example of that. One of the coaches from the Pac 10 was saying how he loves watching Blair Brown work during time outs and breaks in the match, she is like a mother hen just taking care of her brood, making sure the freshmen, on the court and on the bench are included and engaged in the match, and how she manages to calm the skittish freshmen whenever they seem like they are going to burst. Very nice post. You nailed it. All the top teams have great athletes, good coaches, want to win etc. At this level the difference between winning and losing has deeper roots than who has had the highest ranked recruiting classes or some other more superficial or obvious attribute. Another thing struck me when I read your post that I had forgotten about. Before the season I talked to a number of upperclassmen and some of their parents and they all volunteered that they really liked the new freshmen. In truth they were gushing about how they "loved" the new kids. Later as the season progressed I heard exactly the same thing again. A sense of "team first" and attention to team chemistry when recruiting is another part of PSU's success story. |
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Post by tomclen on Dec 19, 2010 9:16:27 GMT -5
This is what many of us knew was going to happen.
No matter how convincingly PSU won against Texas and Cal, there would be questions about their draw that would, in the eyes of some, diminish their incredible accomplishment.
And that's why I said earlier, Russ Rose is the one person who should be doing the most to try to make the brackets more equitable.
No question Penn State clobbered Texas and manhandled Cal.
But Cal had to play their very first tournament game against a conference tournament champion and then got sent to the Seattle "Regional of Death;" then had to play a Pac-10 team that had already beaten them twice.
Penn State traveled in luxury to the final four in lecticas carried by the likes of Niagara, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma.
Even Karch felt obligated to mention their draw at least a half-dozen times.
No matter how remarkable their accomplishment getting the 4th trophy, there are some who will always put an asterisk on it.
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