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Post by spikerthemovie on Sept 13, 2014 22:06:58 GMT -5
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Post by royhobbs on Sept 13, 2014 22:13:37 GMT -5
IT will be interesting to see how the Illini fare next weekend... Creighton... in Omaha...
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Post by VB Watcher on Sept 14, 2014 10:43:22 GMT -5
I have to agree with ncaa123, where is our middle game. Yes, the middles did get some stats on kills this weekend but they need to be more involved. Watching FL this weekend (and I understand they two exceptional middles) but the middle game FL ran held the opponents middles long enough to open the pins. We just set the pins all the time to the same three players. The team needs time to develop? Didn't they have the whole Spring together to do that? It will be interesting to see what happens in Omaha next weekend.
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Post by oshkoshdadmjs on Sept 14, 2014 12:18:38 GMT -5
I have to agree with ncaa123, where is our middle game. Yes, the middles did get some stats on kills this weekend but they need to be more involved. Watching FL this weekend (and I understand they two exceptional middles) but the middle game FL ran held the opponents middles long enough to open the pins. We just set the pins all the time to the same three players. The team needs time to develop? Didn't they have the whole Spring together to do that? It will be interesting to see what happens in Omaha next weekend. I completely agree. Didn't watch the VT game but I'm assuming it was much of the same on the offensive side. This is a team that plays a ton of transition offense and are too slow at it, in my opinion. Middles need to be up in the air if we plan on getting them kills, and they seem late to transition almost every time. I once again will place this on the coaching end. I would like to see us stop playing "don't make a mistake" volleyball and try to utilize the middle and spread the ball more effectively. That way if the sets aren't 100% there, we should still get kills if we can keep the opposing middles confused and get solo blocks. The style right now asks a lot of the players and is only going to work with perfect execution on the offensive end, which is tough. As for the 6-2, I like Allie Stark for the fact that she seems to be quicker in transition than McMahon. But there's definitely a learning curve for the 6-2 and no matter how long they had together this summer it doesn't really compare to real gameplay. So I would give it at least another month or so to look the way we hope it does.
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Post by hammer on Sept 14, 2014 16:37:31 GMT -5
That was a shocker ... Hokies are better in football and their campus runs rings around the Illini's, but in volleyball I was thinking no way.
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Post by dorothymantooth on Sept 14, 2014 17:50:59 GMT -5
My concern is that the team has not totally committed to the 6-2...especially when I read remarks from VT posters that I suspect are parents of players. As a coach, I don't know what you do about this situation, except play on. Let's remember this is only the second week of the season. This team needs to be given time to develop and evolve into the final product by tournament time. Crucial to this development is freshman libero, Donnelly. She is shouldering a lot of defensive responsibility. I very much believe she will be a top libero before the season is over. I rarely regret postings I make on VT, but I wish I had never gotten so enthusiastic about the arrival of setter Allison Palmer. From reading postings by the aforementioned parents, I suspect I made it even harder for Palmer to be accepted by her teammates. I do believe Hambly had to do something for Illinois to achieve more than they did last season. If it does not work out, I still believe going to the 6-2 was the right move by Coach. The whole early in the season thing applies to everyone but Illinois a little less given the returning players.
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Post by vbwheatley on Sept 14, 2014 19:39:48 GMT -5
That was a shocker ... Hokies are better in football and their campus runs rings around the Illini's, but in volleyball I was thinking no way. Well, at least you got the football part right.
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Post by vbwheatley on Sept 14, 2014 19:52:59 GMT -5
Indeed, at this point you would expect more consistency. Not there yet. The talent is there to make a run.
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Post by notpriddy (COIF) on Sept 15, 2014 5:53:51 GMT -5
LOL Notpriddy.......I can just feel all the positive vibes. Signed, A "so old I know what the boneyard is" Illinois alum paulj...for being an old Illinois alum who knows what the boneyard is...you seemed to have switched to a U of Michigan fan. You are doing a lot of postings on the Michigan threads seeming to indicate where your loyalties lie...no "Illinois Loyalty" in your heart!
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Post by notpriddy (COIF) on Sept 15, 2014 6:01:52 GMT -5
No. 12 Illinois Splits at Tennessee
Sat, 09/13/2014 - 11:27pm | Scott Richey
The Illinois volleyball team watched a 2-0 lead slip away Saturday afternoon in a five-set loss to Virginia Tech at the Blue Raider Bash in Murfreesboro, Tenn. A few hours later, the 12th-ranked Illini rebounded to sweep Washington State 25-20, 25-20, 25-23.
The Illini hit .404 as a team in sweeping the Cougars. Katie Stadick’s seven kills in 10 attacks led the way, but Morganne Criswell did hit .562 with 10 kills in 16 attacks. Jocelynn Birks led the Illini with 16 kills, while 21 assists apiece from Alexis Viliunas and Allison Palmer kept Illinois’ balanced offense running.
Illinois won a marathon first set against Virginia Tech and seemed in control following the second before the Hokies bounced back for a 33-35, 17-25, 25-22, 25-19, 15-13 win.
Birks led the Illini with 20 kills against the Hokies — the 20th 20-kill match of her career — and made it a double-double with 12 digs. Liz McMahon and Criswell had 18 kills apiece, with McMahon leading the Illini with a .417 hitting percentage.
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Post by notpriddy (COIF) on Sept 15, 2014 6:15:10 GMT -5
Indeed, at this point you would expect more consistency. Not there yet. The talent is there to make a run. I don't know if I agree with this. "At this point...". It was only the second week of the season with a freshman libero and a transfer setter splitting duties in the new 6-2. I am cutting Illinois some slack at this point. Though disappointed with the loss against Virginia Tech, I would be discouraged if the Illini had not come back to sweep a decent Washington State team that swept Virginia Tech. This group of Illinois players has had a problem with consistency really since their 2011 national runner-up year. I get criticized for posting too much on the mental aspect of the game, but I believe that has a lot to do with consistency problems. The physical talent is there. Hopefully, consistency will come as the season progresses, and this team with some new components can become more mentally strong!
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Post by dorothymantooth on Sept 15, 2014 8:30:10 GMT -5
Here is an article from the U of I student newspaper. Good read due to comments by Coach Hambly, setter Lexi Viliunas, and OH Jocelyn Birks. Article mentions Birks strong offensive display this weekend which led to her being chosen to the All-Tournament team. Is there any Illinois fan, who does not love watching a Birks spike? This is a sexist remark, but Birks to me has the perfect volleyball player's body. I have heard via the grapevine that a certain U of I men's basketball player thinks she is pretty perfect in every way! (Okay...enough of my TMZ.com type comments). Go Birks...and Go Illini! www.dailyillini.com/sports/women_sports/volleyball/article_f066b474-3c5d-11e4-9d57-0017a43b2370.htmlThis post is pathetic. What I want to know is why the Illinois Student paper is available at your jr high?
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Post by notpriddy (COIF) on Sept 15, 2014 8:57:11 GMT -5
Here is an article from the U of I student newspaper. Good read due to comments by Coach Hambly, setter Lexi Viliunas, and OH Jocelyn Birks. Article mentions Birks strong offensive display this weekend which led to her being chosen to the All-Tournament team. Is there any Illinois fan, who does not love watching a Birks spike? This is a sexist remark, but Birks to me has the perfect volleyball player's body. I have heard via the grapevine that a certain U of I men's basketball player thinks she is pretty perfect in every way! (Okay...enough of my TMZ.com type comments). Go Birks...and Go Illini! www.dailyillini.com/sports/women_sports/volleyball/article_f066b474-3c5d-11e4-9d57-0017a43b2370.htmlThis post is pathetic. What I want to know is why the Illinois Student paper is available at your jr high? I don't know if "pathetic" is an apt adjective. I want you to know dorothymantooth that I learned early on to totally disregard any posts you make on VT. I also have noticed that several other VTers feel the same way about your posts as I do. I do not believe there is another VTer who claims to have the 'inside' information on more women's volleyball teams than you claim. I also am forever amazed at your coach's connections. Is there a major college coach that you do not speak with on a regular basis? Judging by your postings, the answer has to be, "NO".
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Post by dorothymantooth on Sept 15, 2014 9:03:47 GMT -5
This post is pathetic. What I want to know is why the Illinois Student paper is available at your jr high? I don't know if "pathetic" is an apt adjective. I want you to know dorothymantooth that I learned early on to totally disregard any posts you make on VT. I also have noticed that several other VTers feel the same way about your posts as I do. I do not believe there is another VTer who claims to have the 'inside' information on more women's volleyball teams than you claim. I also am forever amazed at your coach's connections. Is there a major college coach that you do not speak with on a regular basis? Judging by your postings, the answer has to be, "NO". Interesting to see that after learning early on to disregard anything I post, that you are responding to something I posted. Whatever you feel about what I say, I am posting about volleyball not what girls are "liked" girls with nice bodies, and gossip about who thinks who is pretty. Pathetic is the appropriate adjective to your post. You know you are crossing boundaries when players mom's are calling you out.
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Post by dorothymantooth on Sept 15, 2014 9:45:28 GMT -5
I don't plan on starting a VT thread on Illinois volleyball gossip. I just could not help myself when I started writing about Birks. I know I do not give her and Liz McMahon (who also is a very attractive volleyball player) enough mention in my VT posts. I do not feel I need to with those two. They have done so much for Illinois volleyball, and are obviously vital to the success of this year's team. As far commenting about Birks perfect volleyball body, I remember when Colleen Ward transferred here from the U of Florida. A dismayed Florida Coach Wise, was pretty much gobsmacked by her transfer. I was reading about what she had to say about Ward's transfer trying to figure out what went wrong for Ward at Florida. I remember Coach Wise saying that she never substituted Colleen out of a set in her time at Florida. I also remember reading that she said Colleen Ward had the "perfect volleyball player's body". So I guess I am just following Coach Wise when I make that comment about Jocelyn Birks. Yeah right. I don't recall Mary talking about what basketball players also thought of her. You readily admitted your comments were TMZ-like. Nobody wants to read that crap on here, nobody wants to hear off-court gossip stuff either. Again, when you compel someone's mother to come on here, you know there are boundary issues. I can assure you if Birks saw this, the word she would use would be "creeper"
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