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Post by itsallrelative on Sept 15, 2014 10:20:37 GMT -5
I thought there was some positive developments....
Holt looked pretty good, and was an offensive force at times (now, if he could reduce the service errors....)
I thought Micah was getting more and more 1 on 1s as the tourney went on.
E. Shoji looks better to me in that spot than lambourne ever did.
Lee and Smith formed a pretty decent M2 combo....and Smith provided fire off the bench. I though Smith was better than he has ever been..... and Lee came up with some strategic blocks.
Sander is legitimate L1. now, if his passing can catch up....
the USA still goes as Anderson goes. when he had an "off match", USA struggled.
I hope Clark develops, and is able to push Anderson back to the OH spot...I love Anderson and Sander on the bic. Waiting for Priddy and/or Rooney to come back is a bit scary to me.
Lotman is what Lotman is....solid passer, but not very offensive. USA finished 6th in last World Champs in 2010....but that was a more experienced team (led by Stanley/Lee/Priddy), and on the downswing from 2008...I'm hoping this team is on the upswing. it is certainly much younger.
Just my $.02.
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Post by downtheline on Sept 15, 2014 11:31:19 GMT -5
Sander a rising star early but when it counts in the big matches he drops to less than stellar and passing troubles him again. Andrea has some grey matter work ahead of her.
If the team goes as The Big man rolls that is not a balanced team. Not in any team sport.
It is amazing how great the world stage is for this game and the sport just goes unnoticed in the US.
Can the US get better with the group they have in training? I think so it's still a relatively young team with solid athletes.
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Post by eastcoastvolleyball on Sept 15, 2014 13:36:28 GMT -5
Hopefully Clark can continue to improve, I would love to see him on the right side and Anderson back on the left. I feel like Anderson/Sander and a weaker opposite would be a better combo than Sander/mediocre O2 and Anderson on the right.
That being said, hopefully this will be a good year for development. I would love to see David Smith and Futi Tavana get better, and I would love to see what Tony Ciarelli looks like after a full professional season. An injury-free Brad Lawson will be nice to watch, and maybe Paul Lotman can get even better.
We're a comparably young team, and I am really excited about what we're capable of
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Post by itsallrelative on Sept 15, 2014 13:47:04 GMT -5
Hopefully Clark can continue to improve, I would love to see him on the right side and Anderson back on the left. I feel like Anderson/Sander and a weaker opposite would be a better combo than Sander/mediocre O2 and Anderson on the right. I think a lot of this depends on Sander's passing....
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Post by ocmyhome on Sept 15, 2014 22:05:51 GMT -5
Sander a rising star early but when it counts in the big matches he drops to less than stellar and passing troubles him again. Andrea has some grey matter work ahead of her. If the team goes as The Big man rolls that is not a balanced team. Not in any team sport. It is amazing how great the world stage is for this game and the sport just goes unnoticed in the US. Can the US get better with the group they have in training? I think so it's still a relatively young team with solid athletes. Tend to agree on his drop off in overall execution, although I'm not sure if that's the same for any player when the momentum's not on your side. What's crazy is we're squabbling about his passing not being perfect, but other than that, for a rookie, I'm amazed. Can't wait till he gets a year of professional seasoning under his belt. May be the #1 ranked player by Rio...
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Post by downtheline on Sept 16, 2014 12:06:10 GMT -5
Taylor is a great athlete, it takes time to pass at the highest level. The opponents will come after you if you cannot pass.and it becomes a chink in the teams armor.
If he's the best player on the team by Rio were in trouble.
It is not about who's individually the best, but who can bring the best out of all the players day in and day out, regardless of the circumstances of any point, kill serve or save.
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Post by itsallrelative on Sept 16, 2014 12:56:06 GMT -5
Also, to the me the team looks a lot more functional under Speraw than it did under Knipe.... just an observation.
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