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Post by thevolleymaster on Apr 17, 2007 11:55:33 GMT -5
I agree with this statement. Last years team by all accounts (here VT) wasn't much of a TEAM. It seems as though they have settled their differnces and started to just play instead of arguing with each other. Yes, especially considering they just finished with the 4th best record in the program's history. Considering the 3 teams that finished with better records all won National titles, this says a lot about this very young team. They are going to be contending for a long time with the talent they have right now. They will have more time to mesh and get better together while other teams will be regrouping in the next couple of years. Can you imagine how hard it must be to mesh a team with so many fiery and different cultured personalities? I can't imagine it being an easy task. I got a pretty good laugh out of this one and I don't mean to piss off any BYU fans but it was too ironic not to make a comment. "this says a lot about this very young team". This is BYU you are talking about right? ;D When has BYU EVER had a " very young team"? Theres a reason why they don't list the birth dates of their players. I'm not trying to beat a dead horse here cuz BYU has definitely been slammed on enough, but this was just too good to pass up.
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Post by roy on Apr 17, 2007 16:45:53 GMT -5
Yes, especially considering they just finished with the 4th best record in the program's history. Considering the 3 teams that finished with better records all won National titles, this says a lot about this very young team. They are going to be contending for a long time with the talent they have right now. They will have more time to mesh and get better together while other teams will be regrouping in the next couple of years. Can you imagine how hard it must be to mesh a team with so many fiery and different cultured personalities? I can't imagine it being an easy task. The only trouble you have to consider with BYU is their schedule. This is their favorable year. They got to play UCLA, Hawaii, and Long Beach at their place with a struggling Hawaii and Long Beach team. UCI has put up a strong team in only the past 2 years and they were able to play UCI at home as well. The only real tough teams they faced on the road were UCSB w/ Patak and Pepperdine. Next year, they will have to play UCLA, Hawaii, and Long Beach on the road as well as a depleted UCI team. And while they get the luxury of playing Pepperdine at home and a Patak-less UCSB team at home. And while they have the potential to do well next year, with their road trips, it will be hard locking up the top spot for the MPSF, even with the talent they have.
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Post by lalalaluuuke on Apr 17, 2007 17:05:04 GMT -5
Yes, especially considering they just finished with the 4th best record in the program's history. Considering the 3 teams that finished with better records all won National titles, this says a lot about this very young team. They are going to be contending for a long time with the talent they have right now. They will have more time to mesh and get better together while other teams will be regrouping in the next couple of years. Can you imagine how hard it must be to mesh a team with so many fiery and different cultured personalities? I can't imagine it being an easy task. The only trouble you have to consider with BYU is their schedule. This is their favorable year. They got to play UCLA, Hawaii, and Long Beach at their place with a struggling Hawaii and Long Beach team. UCI has put up a strong team in only the past 2 years and they were able to play UCI at home as well. The only real tough teams they faced on the road were UCSB w/ Patak and Pepperdine. Next year, they will have to play UCLA, Hawaii, and Long Beach on the road as well as a depleted UCI team. And while they get the luxury of playing Pepperdine at home and a Patak-less UCSB team at home. And while they have the potential to do well next year, with their road trips, it will be hard locking up the top spot for the MPSF, even with the talent they have. How is playing a weak team at home any more favorable than playing them on the road? I would rather play a weak team on the road and play them at home when they are tougher. Pick your poison with UCI and Pepperdine. With each of them playing well the past couple of years, you are just glad to have one of them at home every year and not both on the road at the same time. I think if BYU had switched these teams this year they would have split at home and probably lost both on the road. Especially considering their starting setter was injured when they played Pepperdine. They did beat UCI soundly that first night, but it was at home. I guess I should put it as "very young." It is a relative term. They are "very young" in their athletic eligibility.
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Post by thevolleymaster on Apr 17, 2007 21:07:34 GMT -5
Now that is something I will agree with you on luke, eligibility wise BYU doesn't have a contributing senior to this years squad so they are a very young team. They will definitely be a force to be reckoned with next year... if not this year.
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Post by roy on Apr 17, 2007 21:53:52 GMT -5
How is playing a weak team at home any more favorable than playing them on the road? I would rather play a weak team on the road and play them at home when they are tougher. Pick your poison with UCI and Pepperdine. With each of them playing well the past couple of years, you are just glad to have one of them at home every year and not both on the road at the same time. I think if BYU had switched these teams this year they would have split at home and probably lost both on the road. Especially considering their starting setter was injured when they played Pepperdine. They did beat UCI soundly that first night, but it was at home. Basically, BYU’s chances of making the Final Four are greater in these odd years than the even years. They get a favorable home schedule. Don’t get me wrong, BYU is a talented team who deserves to be #2 in the MPSF. But this year, their road is easier than the even years when they have to travel to Long Beach, UCLA, and Hawaii. UCI was a non-factor before last season, so it’s not a “pick your poison” mentality. Of the “traditional powerhouses” (and I will use this term loosely as teams in the MPSF are strong but will obviously have their up and down years against each other), we are looking at Long Beach, UCLA, Hawaii, and Pepperdine. UCI is on the rise, but 2 years of success is too hard to judge as an indicator of being a consistent threat. Northridge, Pacific, USC, UCSB, and Stanford have been up and down. So in odd years, BYU faces the “traditional powers” in Long Beach, UCLA, and Hawaii at home and only has to worry about Pepperdine on the road. In even years, it is the reverse and they get Pepperdine at home but will have to face Long Beach, UCLA, and Hawaii on the road. The rest of the schools can be relative to the season, as there really isn’t a consistent way of predicting whether they will be tough or not. So, this year, with a favorable home schedule, they locked up the #2 seed, effectively avoiding the top seed in Pepperdine but not locking up the top seed along with the hosting rights and probably an automatic Final Four berth. Next year, to win that top spot, they will have to go through Long Beach, UCLA, and Hawaii on the road and while they are probably returning the most talent than any other team, the road trips make it a lot more difficult.
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Post by scorpianraider on Apr 18, 2007 13:44:47 GMT -5
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Post by banthony2 on Apr 18, 2007 14:16:43 GMT -5
I would agree with roy. The odd thing is the last time they won a NC was in 2004. It seemed pretty improbable since they had to play LBSU,UH, and UCLA all on the road. They won the MPSF, and the tournament and the Final Four. They lost twice in conference (once to Northridge and once to UCLA).
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Post by Not Me on Apr 18, 2007 15:19:25 GMT -5
I'm lucky enough to have to go to California next week on business, and will be heading to Pepperdine. Any chance that this might sell out? do i need to buy tickets in advance?
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Post by ucivball on Apr 18, 2007 15:32:03 GMT -5
i don't think it will sell out. i was at the mpsf hosted by pepperdine a few years ago where the other three teams were byu, hawaii, and uci.
the gym was probably at most 3/4's full during both matches.
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