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Post by MTC on Jul 23, 2014 1:18:23 GMT -5
Does anyone think that Hunter can catch up to Mary? I would think it would be difficult since Hunter is probably practicing with the backup players most of the time.
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Post by jasonr on Jul 23, 2014 7:18:28 GMT -5
Does anyone think that Hunter can catch up to Mary? I would think it would be difficult since Hunter is probably practicing with the backup players most of the time. Hunter isn't practicing with the backups most of the time. They mix n' match in practice. Plus, let's be honest, Hunter could set the twins in her sleep, she's already done it for years. Cook treats both setters as potential starters, the current nod just happens to go to Mary since she won the job last year (in part due to experience and her connection with Robo). It's a very real possibility that Hunter could take the starting job during the season. Mary has to perform very well to keep the job because Kelly is finally healthy and is now seasoned in the system.
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Post by pepperbrooks on Jul 23, 2014 9:18:17 GMT -5
I didn't take the initial statement that way. Well then you took it wrong.
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Post by oldmanred on Jul 23, 2014 9:39:35 GMT -5
Does anyone think that Hunter can catch up to Mary? I would think it would be difficult since Hunter is probably practicing with the backup players most of the time. I don't worry about Kelly's ability; she'll be just fine!
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Post by hound4life14 on Jul 26, 2014 7:52:08 GMT -5
I saw some people put Purdue at the bottom of the list and think you are crazy. Purdue will have a fairly experienced squad seeing how they were all young last year, as well as bringing two top recruits in their respected position AND one who was the top recruit in her state. My final standings will have a brief explanation to each.
1.) Wisconsin - With only losing one starter in the libero position, they will have a very good year. 2.) Purdue- Only way they will be less than this is if the Freshman do not play the way they finished their season. 3.) Penn State- Will not be as strong as last year, but Ross knows how to deal with new talent. 4.) Nebraska- After losing Kelsey, it will be tough to fill her shoes but they will find a way. 5.) Michigan State- Young talent with high potential. If they don't get rolling this season they will next year. 6.) Michigan- They will find a way to be competitive with their new talent as well. 7.) Minnesota- Hugh is one of the top coaches in the nation so they will for sure be a strong squad. 8.) Illinois- They will be going through a rebuilding year so I will not expect much except a very competitive team like always, just not national contenders yet. 9.) Ohio State- For some reason they are always in a funk, but will get some big W's against the upper teams. 10.) Northwestern- I would put them hirer if they didn't receive a new coach. New system to get used to but will still be strong. 11.) IU- IU can put up a fight, but I do not think they will be worth much again. 12.) Iowa- Iowa is a huge wildcard. I will either be right or absolutely incorrect. The girls will make that decision for me, so who knows what to expect from them. 13.) Maryland- Rutgers and Maryland will not compete at all. Totally different style of play than their previous conference. 2-3 seasons before they become "competitive". 14.) Rutgers- They bit off a little more than they could chew. It will be a long season for them.
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Post by PSUVolley on Jul 26, 2014 9:44:45 GMT -5
I saw some people put Purdue at the bottom of the list and think you are crazy. Purdue will have a fairly experienced squad seeing how they were all young last year, as well as bringing two top recruits in their respected position AND one who was the top recruit in her state. My final standings will have a brief explanation to each. 1.) Wisconsin - With only losing one starter in the libero position, they will have a very good year. 2.) Purdue- Only way they will be less than this is if the Freshman do not play the way they finished their season. 3.) Penn State- Will not be as strong as last year, but Ross knows how to deal with new talent. 4.) Nebraska- After losing Kelsey, it will be tough to fill her shoes but they will find a way. 5.) Michigan State- Young talent with high potential. If they don't get rolling this season they will next year. 6.) Michigan- They will find a way to be competitive with their new talent as well. 7.) Minnesota- Hugh is one of the top coaches in the nation so they will for sure be a strong squad. 8.) Illinois- They will be going through a rebuilding year so I will not expect much except a very competitive team like always, just not national contenders yet. 9.) Ohio State- For some reason they are always in a funk, but will get some big W's against the upper teams. 10.) Northwestern- I would put them hirer if they didn't receive a new coach. New system to get used to but will still be strong. 11.) IU- IU can put up a fight, but I do not think they will be worth much again. 12.) Iowa- Iowa is a huge wildcard. I will either be right or absolutely incorrect. The girls will make that decision for me, so who knows what to expect from them. 13.) Maryland- Rutgers and Maryland will not compete at all. Totally different style of play than their previous conference. 2-3 seasons before they become "competitive". 14.) Rutgers- They bit off a little more than they could chew. It will be a long season for them. Thanks for the profound and detailed analysis. Fourteen, indeed.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2014 10:09:56 GMT -5
Thanks for participating in our forum. Please do not create another account. It will also be banned.
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Post by NebraskaVBfan93 on Jul 26, 2014 16:36:59 GMT -5
Does anyone think that Hunter can catch up to Mary? I would think it would be difficult since Hunter is probably practicing with the backup players most of the time. From what I've heard and seen, I'm not sure she has a TON of catching up to do. But as I've said previously, if she doesn't win the staring job, I sure hope she redshirts.
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Post by jma22 on Jul 26, 2014 18:09:32 GMT -5
I saw some people put Purdue at the bottom of the list and think you are crazy. Purdue will have a fairly experienced squad seeing how they were all young last year, as well as bringing two top recruits in their respected position AND one who was the top recruit in her state. My final standings will have a brief explanation to each. 1.) Wisconsin - With only losing one starter in the libero position, they will have a very good year. 2.) Purdue- Only way they will be less than this is if the Freshman do not play the way they finished their season. 3.) Penn State- Will not be as strong as last year, but Ross knows how to deal with new talent. 4.) Nebraska- After losing Kelsey, it will be tough to fill her shoes but they will find a way. 5.) Michigan State- Young talent with high potential. If they don't get rolling this season they will next year. 6.) Michigan- They will find a way to be competitive with their new talent as well. 7.) Minnesota- Hugh is one of the top coaches in the nation so they will for sure be a strong squad. 8.) Illinois- They will be going through a rebuilding year so I will not expect much except a very competitive team like always, just not national contenders yet. 9.) Ohio State- For some reason they are always in a funk, but will get some big W's against the upper teams. 10.) Northwestern- I would put them hirer if they didn't receive a new coach. New system to get used to but will still be strong. 11.) IU- IU can put up a fight, but I do not think they will be worth much again. 12.) Iowa- Iowa is a huge wildcard. I will either be right or absolutely incorrect. The girls will make that decision for me, so who knows what to expect from them. 13.) Maryland- Rutgers and Maryland will not compete at all. Totally different style of play than their previous conference. 2-3 seasons before they become "competitive". 14.) Rutgers- They bit off a little more than they could chew. It will be a long season for them. How is Illinois in a rebuilding year? It's the exact opposite, they return just about everyone and it'll be their best team since 2011. Most are projecting Illinois as a top 10 or top 15 team.
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Post by WahineFan44 on Jul 26, 2014 19:30:02 GMT -5
I saw some people put Purdue at the bottom of the list and think you are crazy. Purdue will have a fairly experienced squad seeing how they were all young last year, as well as bringing two top recruits in their respected position AND one who was the top recruit in her state. My final standings will have a brief explanation to each. 1.) Wisconsin - With only losing one starter in the libero position, they will have a very good year. 2.) Purdue- Only way they will be less than this is if the Freshman do not play the way they finished their season. 3.) Penn State- Will not be as strong as last year, but Ross knows how to deal with new talent. 4.) Nebraska- After losing Kelsey, it will be tough to fill her shoes but they will find a way. 5.) Michigan State- Young talent with high potential. If they don't get rolling this season they will next year. 6.) Michigan- They will find a way to be competitive with their new talent as well. 7.) Minnesota- Hugh is one of the top coaches in the nation so they will for sure be a strong squad. 8.) Illinois- They will be going through a rebuilding year so I will not expect much except a very competitive team like always, just not national contenders yet. 9.) Ohio State- For some reason they are always in a funk, but will get some big W's against the upper teams. 10.) Northwestern- I would put them hirer if they didn't receive a new coach. New system to get used to but will still be strong. 11.) IU- IU can put up a fight, but I do not think they will be worth much again. 12.) Iowa- Iowa is a huge wildcard. I will either be right or absolutely incorrect. The girls will make that decision for me, so who knows what to expect from them. 13.) Maryland- Rutgers and Maryland will not compete at all. Totally different style of play than their previous conference. 2-3 seasons before they become "competitive". 14.) Rutgers- They bit off a little more than they could chew. It will be a long season for them. Ive said some ridiculous things since ive joined VT, but this by far takes the cake. Illinois is probably the LEAST rebuilding team. They return every starter besides their libero and will be in contention to win the big ten. I can see them making it all the way to the final four as well. Wisconsin will compete for the big ten, but IMO they wont win it.
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Post by jasonr on Jul 26, 2014 23:09:34 GMT -5
I saw some people put Purdue at the bottom of the list and think you are crazy. Purdue will have a fairly experienced squad seeing how they were all young last year, as well as bringing two top recruits in their respected position AND one who was the top recruit in her state. My final standings will have a brief explanation to each. 1.) Wisconsin - With only losing one starter in the libero position, they will have a very good year. 2.) Purdue- Only way they will be less than this is if the Freshman do not play the way they finished their season. 3.) Penn State- Will not be as strong as last year, but Ross knows how to deal with new talent. 4.) Nebraska- After losing Kelsey, it will be tough to fill her shoes but they will find a way. 5.) Michigan State- Young talent with high potential. If they don't get rolling this season they will next year. 6.) Michigan- They will find a way to be competitive with their new talent as well. 7.) Minnesota- Hugh is one of the top coaches in the nation so they will for sure be a strong squad. 8.) Illinois- They will be going through a rebuilding year so I will not expect much except a very competitive team like always, just not national contenders yet. 9.) Ohio State- For some reason they are always in a funk, but will get some big W's against the upper teams. 10.) Northwestern- I would put them hirer if they didn't receive a new coach. New system to get used to but will still be strong. 11.) IU- IU can put up a fight, but I do not think they will be worth much again. 12.) Iowa- Iowa is a huge wildcard. I will either be right or absolutely incorrect. The girls will make that decision for me, so who knows what to expect from them. 13.) Maryland- Rutgers and Maryland will not compete at all. Totally different style of play than their previous conference. 2-3 seasons before they become "competitive". 14.) Rutgers- They bit off a little more than they could chew. It will be a long season for them. Almost this whole list is a mess, but it would be interesting if neither PSU or Nebraska finished in the top 2. This would be the year it's possible, but it's still crazy to imagine it happening.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2014 2:33:03 GMT -5
My turn! Let's see if I can do it better than that guy.
I think Penn State still has a great core of veteran players to build a team around, and should be the favorite to win the conference. Courtney, Hancock, Grant, Gonzalez, and Fuller are all extremely experienced, successful players. Washington will immediately step in to the M1 spot while Grant moves back to M2 I'd think; I don't expect either player will have any issues there. They have ridiculously talented pin attackers to choose from to fill McClendon's and Scott's spots. Frantti will definitely take one, and I believe Lee will take the other. I have a hard time seeing many other teams in the country, let alone the conference, with a better starting six, and there certainly isn't a better coaching staff to lead them. Rose's greatest skill, IMO, is his ability to keep a group motivated, prepared, and focused for an entire season, and I think we'll see much of the same in 2014.
Wisconsin returns every player except their libero from a national finalist team, and returns the best player in the country (IMO) in Carlini. The VCU transfer, Kriskova is a massive upgrade from Morales offensively, and Chapman was playing like an All-American as the season ended (except against Penn State). Thomas supposedly worked all spring on her attacking (it was very average), but Fricano just finished her redshirt year, and, at 6'4" and as an excellent blocker, I think she'll take over that spot this season... if she can get mentally prepared to play Big Ten volleyball. Thompson and Nelson keep their spots. I really hope Thompson can stay healthy all season long. She's an incredible person and a very good middle blocker. She and Carlini finally figured each other out and that connection was deadly by the end of the season. Blake, who is very raw, but physically gifted, will back them up, and hopefully stay healthy herself. Add in talented back row players like Morey, Thomas, Morales (hopefully) and freshman Kelli Bates, and I think this team could be top five nationally. I just hope they continue building and moving forward. They deserved and earned the season that they had last year. This season is a huge test for Sheffield and his staff. His management of the team physically was remarkable, considering they had nine players injured throughout the season, most during preseason, but it's how he manages the pressure and expectations that Wisconsin has earned, and how he gets the players to manage those things that will be most important. It'll be very interesting to see how everyone responds. Getting to the top is nothing compared to staying there.
Nebraska loses the conference POY in Robinson, but their very young, inexperienced group is no longer that young or inexperienced anymore, and they add a very talented freshman class. If Pollmiller has improved her connection with the middle attackers and with A. Rolfzen, I think she continues setting. She doesn't have Robinson's right arm to fall back on anymore, so, if she can't get her middles to score, and Hunter can, you can bet that Cook won't hesitate to make a change. A. Rolfzen really, really needs to be better this season. Part of her trouble as a freshman can be attributed to Pollmiller, or maybe to the fact that she's more comfortable on the left, but she's had a year of conference play, two springs, two summers, and a trip to China to figure it out. She needs to improve her hand contact, her shot selection, her decision-making, get better at getting her feet to the ball, and get better at communicating what she needs to her setter. They can't be successful without her. I think she will determine the kind of season the Huskers have. The middle situation is a complete guess. Haggerty spent the spring in a strength/conditioning program to improve her fitness, Larson just finished a redshirt year, Kiel is a very technically sound player, and Hall was one of the best blockers in the conference. They have four very talented athletes that I think could all contribute. I really hope we see more of the 2012 Meghan Haggerty, but I think we'll need Pollmiller to develop some Lauren Cook-esque location and control for that to happen. Kadie is going to be a stud, and I think Albrecht will take the L2 spot. She's not flashy, she's a consistent, steady player, excellent receiver and digger, she's played a ton of volleyball, and I think her club experience will have prepared her to step into the lineup in Lincoln and play right away. Defensively, A. Rolfzen was a shut-down blocker, Wong-Orantes is one of the best liberos in the country, and Ethridge was a regular serving sub who did a pretty nice job. Completely dependent on the setter's ability to get points out of her middle and right-side attackers, I think Nebraska will be very dangerous.
Michigan State is one of my favorite teams in 2014. I'm so excited to see what this very young group can do. I think Cathy has some surprises up her sleeve, and I think it's a very real possibility that she starts all freshman and sophomores, besides Moster. Reinig was an absolute monster through the first half of the conference season after recovering from mono at the beginning last year, then regressed slightly as the season wore on. However, she looked very good in the spring matches I saw, and I think she definitely has the ability to replace the scoring void that Wicinski left. I think we'll see the lefty Tolliver opposite Reinig. Tolliver spent most of her club season as a receiver/attacker on the left before a shoulder injury slowed her down. Still, she seems to be 100% now, and she'll create some problems for opposing blockers as a southpaw on the outside. She hits one of the heaviest balls I've ever seen. Hopefully that translates into success in the B1G. With the graduation of Mathews, I think we'll see two new middles for State: freshman Garvelink and redshirt freshman Tompkins. Garvelink is freak athlete that will be a devastating attacker as soon as she adjusts to the speed of the college game, and Tompkins is a smart 6'4" attacker with a good arm and good feet. Continuing on the right after her very impressive freshman season will be Fitterer, who I think will have a break-out all-conference season. Minarick should run the 5-1 (I hope that's what Cathy decides, even though I know how much she loves the 6-2). She was the top setter in the class, IMO, and, as much as I love Kristen Kelsay, is a big, big upgrade in the setting position for MSU. Excellent communicator, leader, knows how to win, and flat-out competes. Add in one of the country's best liberos, if not the best, and Galloway and Monson, and I have very, very high hopes for the Spartans.
Purdue loses some experienced pin hitters and ball control players, but their freshman class is ridiculous. Cuttino, Ambrose, and Stahl will all hit the ground running IMO, Jones will hopefully do some damage in the middle as a senior, and Nichol is coming off her impressive All-American season, and, hopefully, is riding that momentum. I think she's an incredible leader and has the ability and talent to be one of the best all-around players in the country. You'll be hard-pressed to find a coach better at training the game than Shondell, but can he mentally prepare this group to make a legitimate run at winning the conference? I'm not sure this will be their year. They certainly will be physical, but I think fourth or fifth is where they'll likely end up.
Illinois, like Wisconsin, returns everyone except their libero, and finished strong in the second half of the Big Ten season. I thought that their biggest problem last season was Viliunas. I don't think she's good enough for Illinois to legitimately challenge for the conference crown. I really wish that Hambly would hand the 5-1 over to McKenna Kelsay, because I think she's an absolute boss, but I'm sure he thinks she's too much of a liability in the front row (mistake). I've never been a McMahon fan, but I hope that she's saved her best for her senior season, and if not, Stark reportedly had an excellent spring. Birks is an excellent player and they seem to have settled on Criswell as the other left. If they can find someone to step in and pass/defend at this level in place of Beltran, they'll be very, very good but I still don't think they have the talent to win the conference over Penn State, Wisconsin, or Nebraska. They'll also be dealing with some turnover on the staff as they reintegrate Haen and Lesserman into the program. While Lesserman spent two seasons at Northwestern coaching, Haen only coached high school and club. I'm sure she'll add to their recruiting efforts, but I'm not sure what kind of first assistant she'll be. It will be a very interesting year for the Illini. Lots of potential.
Michigan loses both it's outside hitters, but returns everyone else and adds a very talented freshman class. I think we'll see Cole move to the middle, her natural position, and I think that will prove to be a good decision. Morales is a very good libero, and Dannemiller is a technically excellent setter, one of the best in the country IMO, and though I think her decision-making can be pretty suspect at times, I think she does an excellent job for them and will continue to do so in her senior season. I really like Adeja Lambert. I don't remember if she played club this past season... but she played up for Fusion last year, before quitting a month before nationals (personal reasons). I hope she's put herself in a position to contribute immediately, because Michigan will need someone to score on the left. I think the biggest thing for this team will be if the coaching staff can get them mentally back on track after they failed miserably to respond to the pressure and expectations of being a Final Four team, despite returning every starter but one. That will end up being the key. I think they'll have the attackers to win big matches in the conference, but it's up to the staff to keep them focused, motivated, and prepared.
Minnesota will have somewhat of a rebuilding year, I predict. I'm very glad to see that they've trimmed down their roster. I don't know if they left on their own, or at the request of the staff, but I think a clean break was best for everyone involved. I think Hugh is still figuring out how to manage and lead a group of young women in college, but he's an exceptional coach and I have no doubts that he'll field a good team. I think Schau has the ability to lead Minnesota in a 5-1 this season, but Hugh added another taller setter in her class in the spring, so, to me, it appears clear that he intends to run a 5-2 like he did last season. I hate that idea, because I think limiting any setter's ability to take control of her team is a mistake, but I'm not in charge. I think we'll probably see the Tapp twins in the middle. I remember P. Tapp from club ball, and I was always impressed. I thought H. Tapp did an amazing job last season as a freshman, but then again, M2 is a hard position to screw up. Regardless, I was impressed with her blocking ability and she definitely improved as an attacker as the season went on. I hope she continues that progression as a sophomore. Nora has reportedly slimmed down and should start at opposite after finally solidifying her role there near the middle/end of last season. Losing Wittman and Dixon is huge, and I don't think they currently have the personnel to make up for their production or their defense. Goehner and the new libero should clean up most of the passing issues from last season, so maybe I'll be wrong, but I don't think Santana or Goehner have the arm necessary to keep Minnesota in the top five. I think 6-9th is where they'll finish, unfortunately. I hope I'm wrong.
I'm also really excited about Northwestern. Taylor Tashima is ridiculously talented and a huge upgrade at the setter position for the Wildcats. I also am really interested to see what freshman outside hitter Simone Abbott can do. She and Kayla Morin could make a very good duo on the left.
Other than that, I have no idea. I think Rutgers will be winless in conference. I'm interested to see what Aird can do at Maryland and what Shymansky can do with the group at Iowa. Dunbar definitely has some athletes, and they definitely compete hard, but I don't know how much we can expect from them. Ohio State is a mystery to me. Leary is a massive loss for them.
All in all, it should be a very entertaining season. There are a lot of freshman playing big roles for most teams. I think 9 B1G teams make the tournament this season.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2014 9:27:47 GMT -5
Michigan State is one of my favorite teams in 2014. I'm so excited to see what this very young group can do. I think Cathy has some surprises up her sleeve, and I think it's a very real possibility that she starts all freshman and sophomores, besides Moster. Reinig was an absolute monster through the first half of the conference season after recovering from mono at the beginning last year, then regressed slightly as the season wore on. However, she looked very good in the spring matches I saw, and I think she definitely has the ability to replace the scoring void that Wicinski left. I think we'll see the lefty Tolliver opposite Reinig. Tolliver spent most of her club season as a receiver/attacker on the left before a shoulder injury slowed her down. Still, she seems to be 100% now, and she'll create some problems for opposing blockers as a southpaw on the outside. She hits one of the heaviest balls I've ever seen. Hopefully that translates into success in the B1G. With the graduation of Mathews, I think we'll see two new middles for State: freshman Garvelink and redshirt freshman Tompkins. Garvelink is freak athlete that will be a devastating attacker as soon as she adjusts to the speed of the college game, and Tompkins is a smart 6'4" attacker with a good arm and good feet. Continuing on the right after her very impressive freshman season will be Fitterer, who I think will have a break-out all-conference season. Minarick should run the 5-1 (I hope that's what Cathy decides, even though I know how much she loves the 6-2). She was the top setter in the class, IMO, and, as much as I love Kristen Kelsay, is a big, big upgrade in the setting position for MSU. Excellent communicator, leader, knows how to win, and flat-out competes. Add in one of the country's best liberos, if not the best, and Galloway and Monson, and I have very, very high hopes for the Spartans.
pelcj11, I would love to see MSU move up in the standings from the usual middle of the pack, but it seems to be a stretch with so many freshman in the starting line up. Your projected line-up has 3 true freshman and 1 RS freshman; highly regarded players but still freshman.
How is Minarick going to be a big, big up upgrade over the Kelsey/Peterson 6-2 ? The 6-2 took care of the shorter blocker liability, MSU was solidly in the upper part of the conference in assists/game. They were also 4th in kills per game.
ASSISTS S No. Avg/S 1. Nebraska 119 1597 13.42 2. Penn State 127 1669 13.14 3. Wisconsin 146 1913 13.10 4. Michigan State 126 1630 12.94 5. Minnesota 128 1652 12.91 6. Michigan 126 1591 12.63 7. Ohio State 119 1490 12.52 8. Purdue 131 1636 12.49 9. Northwestern 124 1497 12.07 10. Indiana 113 1330 11.77 11. Illinois 124 1459 11.77 12. Iowa 121 1304 10.78
Last season was going to be breakout season with basically same line-up as 2012, with Wicinski, Kelsey and Matthews as Seniors. MSU actually regressed from 11-9 to 10-10 B1G record. A very fast start, yes. They were 6-0 in the Big 10, suffered road defeats to MN and WI, George started tinkering with the line up, and the end result was a 4-10 finish to the conference season.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2014 10:28:07 GMT -5
Michigan State is one of my favorite teams in 2014. I'm so excited to see what this very young group can do. I think Cathy has some surprises up her sleeve, and I think it's a very real possibility that she starts all freshman and sophomores, besides Moster. Reinig was an absolute monster through the first half of the conference season after recovering from mono at the beginning last year, then regressed slightly as the season wore on. However, she looked very good in the spring matches I saw, and I think she definitely has the ability to replace the scoring void that Wicinski left. I think we'll see the lefty Tolliver opposite Reinig. Tolliver spent most of her club season as a receiver/attacker on the left before a shoulder injury slowed her down. Still, she seems to be 100% now, and she'll create some problems for opposing blockers as a southpaw on the outside. She hits one of the heaviest balls I've ever seen. Hopefully that translates into success in the B1G. With the graduation of Mathews, I think we'll see two new middles for State: freshman Garvelink and redshirt freshman Tompkins. Garvelink is freak athlete that will be a devastating attacker as soon as she adjusts to the speed of the college game, and Tompkins is a smart 6'4" attacker with a good arm and good feet. Continuing on the right after her very impressive freshman season will be Fitterer, who I think will have a break-out all-conference season. Minarick should run the 5-1 (I hope that's what Cathy decides, even though I know how much she loves the 6-2). She was the top setter in the class, IMO, and, as much as I love Kristen Kelsay, is a big, big upgrade in the setting position for MSU. Excellent communicator, leader, knows how to win, and flat-out competes. Add in one of the country's best liberos, if not the best, and Galloway and Monson, and I have very, very high hopes for the Spartans.
pelcj11, I would love to see MSU move up in the standings from the usual middle of the pack, but it seems to be a stretch with so many freshman in the starting line up. Your projected line-up has 3 true freshman and 1 RS freshman; highly regarded players but still freshman. How is Minarick going to be a big, big up upgrade over the Kelsey/Peterson 6-2 ? The 6-2 took care of the shorter blocker liability, MSU was solidly in the upper part of the conference in assists/game. They were also 4th in kills per game. ASSISTS S No. Avg/S 1. Nebraska 119 1597 13.42 2. Penn State 127 1669 13.14 3. Wisconsin 146 1913 13.10 4. Michigan State 126 1630 12.94 5. Minnesota 128 1652 12.91 6. Michigan 126 1591 12.63 7. Ohio State 119 1490 12.52 8. Purdue 131 1636 12.49 9. Northwestern 124 1497 12.07 10. Indiana 113 1330 11.77 11. Illinois 124 1459 11.77 12. Iowa 121 1304 10.78 Last season was going to be breakout season with basically same line-up as 2012, with Wicinski, Kelsey and Matthews as Seniors. MSU actually regressed from 11-9 to 10-10 B1G record. A very fast start, yes. They were 6-0 in the Big 10, suffered road defeats to MN and WI, George started tinkering with the line up, and the end result was a 4-10 finish to the conference season. I'm well aware of the details of Michigan State's 2013 season. How is Minarick an upgrade? Simple: she's better than Peterson and Kelsay combined. Tough competitor, SPVB trained, knows how to win, communicates well, is a beast physically, ready to lead, ridiculously talented net player. Freshman are unpredictable, sure, but there's no doubt that MSU has the talent to compete and win, especially when you look at their conference schedule. 7 of their 20 matches are against Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, and Rutgers, and another 5 against Ohio State, Michigan, and Northwestern, none of whom I expect to have outstanding seasons. I think Tompkins and Garvelink, as a pair, will end up being better than Mathews and Kuipers/White, perhaps not right away, but I think they'll be very good by December.
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Post by GrowingTheGame14 on Aug 1, 2014 0:54:16 GMT -5
I am new to this board so I would love a few pointers, obviously one is to not post dumb stuff like hounds. Anyone who is familiar with the B1G knows that the only spots you can accurately predict will be the last two spots. Top rest of the field however will be yet again another mess. To the one person who made a respond about Illinois being a Top 10-15 team, agreed, but they will not win the B1G. Top 5 finish is very probable, but not winning the conference. Purdue really only lost one key position and that was their libero. Shondell is a defensive master though so he will know how to fill that gap very quickly. This will be their strongest offensive squad since Turner was on the team. I am excited to see what should be one of the most competitive B1G conference ever. Anyone have predictions on how many B1G teams make it into the tournament?
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