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Post by bucky415 on Oct 25, 2014 19:40:16 GMT -5
For what it is worth, I wasn't impressed with how the teams played either. Some good defense, but not an impressive offensive showing.
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Post by beaaaaast on Oct 25, 2014 19:44:31 GMT -5
Purdue needs a terminal Left side attack. They also need to set Cuttino more when they get a good pass. They go to the outside too often with really good passes. This did not look like the same time who went 5 sets with Penn State, that's for sure.
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Post by vbwheatley on Oct 25, 2014 19:48:30 GMT -5
For what it is worth, I wasn't impressed with how the teams played either. Some good defense, but not an impressive offensive showing. This is not a normal match for either team - I think this might now be the #1 rivalry for each, and it showed with too much intensity and too much emotion. The defense was some of the best of the year though, on both sides. Donnelly just incredible, laying out completely on a number of digs.
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Post by jgrout on Oct 25, 2014 19:54:15 GMT -5
When I said it didn't seem very high quality it's because a lot of those blocks were, IMO just flat out bad hitting. many of the shots, by both teams, were just aggressive swings that were not very smart. I remember Big 12 posters complaining that their whole conference played like that... including, all too often, Texas. The hitting percentages for this match were probably down in the cellar.
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Post by jgrout on Oct 25, 2014 19:59:11 GMT -5
In the mid 1990's, I remember going with some other Illinois boosters from Champaign to West Lafayette, where I saw the longest match of my life. It was well over three hours and I think four of the five games went into extra points. Purdue won, but Coach Hardin stood by the line of fans in our group as we filed out, shaking our hands and thanking us for going into the Boilers' mouth.
Purdue may be the most intense rivalry now, but Minnesota was big after Coach Hebert moved there... and Penn State has always been big too. Northwestern was not good enough for any sort of WVB rivalry.
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Post by badgerbreath on Oct 25, 2014 20:08:23 GMT -5
Illinois hit .116 43-30-164. Purdue .056, 52-42-179. Both 8SE and 2 aces. Illinois with 20 blocks, Purdue with 15. Way over the average for both. I agree, the setting wasn't great and the hitting wasn't smart. I don't know why it takes so long for ILL to set Criswell. She is clearly their best hitter right now.
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Post by c4ndlelight on Oct 25, 2014 20:35:58 GMT -5
I like Nichol a lot more as a setter/hitter than as a 5-1 setter.
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Post by spoilerboilermakers on Oct 25, 2014 20:55:10 GMT -5
I really wish that Purdue would have come out of this and won in another 5 set nail biter, but we just didn't deserve to win. We cannot expect to go down 2 sets to none and beat teams at home. I agree with another poster about how both teams were playing with a lot of emotion tonight and that this is not how Purdue usually plays volleyball. Criswell was playing phenomenally for Illinois. Their defense as whole was frustrating our hitters. I was really happy to see Stahl and Cuttino playing so well and being fearless. I hope that this loss will only make Purdue better and see their weaknesses so that during tourney time we will be playing our best volleyball. Illinois deserved this win and Purdue isn't a top ten team YET...but they have all the tools to be one.
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Post by notpriddy (COIF) on Oct 26, 2014 6:00:15 GMT -5
I dunno why but this match just doesn't seem very high level. Both sides really pressing. But uw and psu beat these two the way they played. Penn State did NOT beat Illinois. The Illini beat Penn State at Penn State in 4 sets!
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Post by notpriddy (COIF) on Oct 26, 2014 6:18:04 GMT -5
I dunno why but this match just doesn't seem very high level. ay2013, you have not had anything but negative comments about Illinois since probably before the refs gifted them a win over Arizona State last year in early season tourney play. I have no idea what your exact beef is...but I don't know how anyone can take any of your comments about Illinois seriously. I was in the stands at Purdue vs. Illinois last night. Wonderful volleyball atmosphere as always. (ay2013, don't you wish the Pac12 would have the women's college volleyball fans that the B1G has. High school vb players should all flock to the B1G where you can experience the excitement of playing in front of appreciative fans and student sections!) The BTN announcers were actually courtside, and really seemed to be enjoying themselves. The volleyball being played may not have exhibited fantastic hitting, but it certainly displayed great blocking, defense, and all-out effort. ay2013, whatever the grudge that you have against the Illini...GET OVER IT...your postings are really tiresome!
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Post by jgrout on Oct 26, 2014 6:39:05 GMT -5
ay's Pac-12 school does play in front of an appreciative crowd of the sort I remember at Huff Hall. Stanford pulls that kind of crowd in for Washington, Penn State and other hot matchups but not otherwise. It used to.
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Post by oldmanvb on Oct 26, 2014 7:54:34 GMT -5
Low hitting percentage and high hitting error totals does not necessarily mean the team was hitting poorly. A big, physical block like the Illinois block or the Purdue block forces the hitter to try to hit deeper or cut sharper in order to avoid the block, resulting in more missed lines. Lots of block touches reduce hitting percentages. Smaller open spaces on the floor enable back row defenders to place themselves for those spectacular digs we saw, also reducing hitting percentages. Better blockers don’t get tooled as easily. The fact that Illinois hit .378 with 11 errors versus Indiana compared to .116 with 30 errors against Purdue speaks as much to the Purdue block compared to the Indiana block rather than a poor, sloppy performance by Illinois hitters. The Indiana blockers were camped on Birks, which (finally) opened up the middle for great hitting by Dorn and Stadick. Purdue had 14 team blocks as opposed to 3 team blocks by Indiana. These comparisons do not mean that Illinois played better against Indiana than against Purdue. Both teams played great, entertaining volleyball.
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Post by badgerbreath on Oct 26, 2014 9:41:47 GMT -5
Both sides really pressing. But uw and psu beat these two the way they played. Penn State did NOT beat Illinois. The Illini beat Penn State at Penn State in 4 sets! I said, "the way they played." I was talking about the performance in this match which to my eyes looked like two teams pressing too much and not playing smart volleyball a lot of the time. It was probably not very representative.
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Post by ay2013 on Oct 26, 2014 9:51:29 GMT -5
I dunno why but this match just doesn't seem very high level. ay2013, you have not had anything but negative comments about Illinois since probably before the refs gifted them a win over Arizona State last year in early season tourney play. I have no idea what your exact beef is...but I don't know how anyone can take any of your comments about Illinois seriously. I was in the stands at Purdue vs. Illinois last night. Wonderful volleyball atmosphere as always. (ay2013, don't you wish the Pac12 would have the women's college volleyball fans that the B1G has. High school vb players should all flock to the B1G where you can experience the excitement of playing in front of appreciative fans and student sections!) The BTN announcers were actually courtside, and really seemed to be enjoying themselves. The volleyball being played may not have exhibited fantastic hitting, but it certainly displayed great blocking, defense, and all-out effort. ay2013, whatever the grudge that you have against the Illini...GET OVER IT...your postings are really tiresome! 1- I don't have any "beef" with Illinois, in fact I don't have "beef" with any program, perhaps an assertive rivalry with Nebraska and Hawaii, but no "beef". 2-I was watching the match, the hitting didn't seem very smart, overall, just my opinion, which leads me to... 3-I really don't care whether or not if you or others take my comments regarding Illinois seriously. If you happen to think differently of the match, good for you, doesn't mean I have to agree or that I can't post what I want simply because you won't agree 4-While I now reside in the bay area which is a much better place to live, IMO, than some of those Big 10 schools, my ala mater and school I support most on here, Washington, does just fine in attendance. We have appreciative fans and student sections too. Have you been to a Washington match? just curious. 5- Do yourself a favor and don't waste your time arguing about what I should and should not post. Of course you are more than welcome to try, but in the end I will still, respectfully, comment on the play I see, how I want and when I want. Oh, and for the record, I wasn't the only one that thought that this wasn't a very high quality match.
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Post by 2muchbs on Oct 26, 2014 10:00:42 GMT -5
Thought last night was a great defensive battle. 20 blocks against Purdue and holding Drews and both outsides to a low number was key. I must admit I was a little nervous with the slow offensive start, but its win .
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