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Post by rainbowbadger on Jun 5, 2015 14:21:31 GMT -5
Nwanebu to Texas and Fitz to Stanford. Okay, Sheff. Go get us a 2016 MH/RS.
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Post by BadgerAce42 on Jun 5, 2015 14:22:44 GMT -5
Nwanebu to Texas and Fitz to Stanford. Okay, Sheff. Go get us a 2016 MH/RS. Or a heckuva transfer after the season!
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Post by Wiswell on Jun 5, 2015 14:53:47 GMT -5
Maybe Morgan will transfer. A year of college under her belt might do the trick! (not that Kentucky's a slouch team...)
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Post by badgerbill on Jun 5, 2015 15:07:09 GMT -5
Sheff will have to look outside of the U.S. or get a transfer for 2016. Otherwise he needs to really hit the ground hard for a 2017 MB. He will still have 3 MRS for 2016,4 would b nice.
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Post by northwoods on Jun 5, 2015 15:21:07 GMT -5
He does have a 6'8" middle coming in 2017 already! A transfer next year might be a good idea to add depth.
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Post by rainbowbadger on Jun 5, 2015 15:49:53 GMT -5
Yeah, but the depth chart starts getting thin in the middle and right in 2017. The below assumes Juley redshirts, Saunders is an opposite, and Smith is a DS (Kelly's stated plan for her).
2015 OH: 3 - Bates, Gillis, Duello RS: 2 - Kriskova, Saunders MB: 3 - Nelson, Blake, Williams S: 3 - Carlini, Robbins, Juley DS: 3 - Morey, MacDonald, Smith
2016 OH: 3 - Bates, Gillis, Duello RS: 2 - Kriskova, Saunders MB: 3 - Nelson, Blake, Williams S: 3 - Carlini, Robbins, Juley DS: 4 - MacDonald, Smith, Dodge, Dodd
2017 OH: 5 - Bates, Gillis, Duello, Loberg, Whalen RS: 1 - Saunders MB: 2 - Williams, Rettke S: 3 - Robbins, Juley, Hilley DS: 5 - MacDonald, Smith, Dodge, Dodd, Bell
2018 OH: 3 - Duello, Loberg, Whalen RS: 1 - Saunders MB: 2 - Williams, Rettke S: 2 - Juley, Hilley DS: 5 - MacDonald, Smith, Dodge, Dodd, Bell
2019 OH: 2 - Loberg, Whalen RS: 0 - MB: 1 - Rettke S: 2 - Juley, Hilley DS: 3 - Dodge, Dodd, Bell
Now, the 2018s are currently HS freshmen, and the 2019s are in 8th grade, so obviously focusing on those years is getting a bit ahead of ourselves. But 2017 is the year that concerns me. Both Whalen and Loberg are OHs - though that could change, of course - and Smith could see time in the front row. But look at the MB situation. Yes, Rettke's 6-8, but it's risky to bank that much on a freshman, and as of right now with the loss of Saunders, absent a transfer, we have no backup MBs for 2017.
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Post by Wiswell on Jun 5, 2015 16:36:25 GMT -5
Ok, time to recycle old discussions now that we think we got the roster set...(we have 10 weeks of recycling to do).
Lineup predictions?
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Post by rainbowbadger on Jun 5, 2015 16:42:50 GMT -5
OH: Bates/Gillis MB: Williams/Nelson RS: Kriskova S: Carlini L: Morey DS: MacDonald for Kriskova
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Post by BadgerAce42 on Jun 5, 2015 16:50:23 GMT -5
Wondering if Sheff also experiments with Duello at both pins.
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Post by rainbowbadger on Jun 5, 2015 18:36:03 GMT -5
Wondering if Sheff also experiments with Duello at both pins. It's possible. Depends on her blocking also, I think. At first blush Saunders makes more sense to put on the right, IMO, because she has more experience hitting there and also trained as a middle coming up. I'm sure Sheff will try all kinds of things. Remember at the beginning of 2013 when he had Chappy playing RS while Court set and Anne & Deme played on the left for those preconference matches when LC was injured? Before that, he had Chappy as a middle for about 10 minutes, when Crystal and Jules were still healthy.
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Post by bucky415 on Jun 6, 2015 0:44:50 GMT -5
It would be great if the team could actually stay healthy for once, so maybe this is the year for that. I still see this as a rebuilding year with so much turnover in the roster, but it is the most intriguing one the program has had. Having two All Americans returning is a great start, obviously, and Bates and Nelson were both solid starters last year as well. With all the new players, you never know what will happen, and I am expecting an adjustment period, but it doesn't seem like the team should lack for talent. There should be some strong competition for spots on the pins, and it helps that Bates, Gillis, and Kriskova have all been six rotation players in college, if I am not mistaken. MacDonald gives them another option if they don't want to play a pin hitter all around or someone is struggling. I could see the Badgers winning with any combination in the middle, although the lack of depth is a bit worrisome. I agree that Sheffield needs to be looking hard for a middle in one of the next two classes. I hope they can redshirt Juley, and having Robbins around could help with that. Maybe she could also fill the serving specialist role that Kvas did at times last season to get her some court time, other than hopefully a bit of setting at the end of Badger wins.
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Post by BadgerAce42 on Jun 6, 2015 8:24:55 GMT -5
It would be great if the team could actually stay healthy for once, so maybe this is the year for that. I still see this as a rebuilding year with so much turnover in the roster, but it is the most intriguing one the program has had. Having two All Americans returning is a great start, obviously, and Bates and Nelson were both solid starters last year as well. With all the new players, you never know what will happen, and I am expecting an adjustment period, but it doesn't seem like the team should lack for talent. There should be some strong competition for spots on the pins, and it helps that Bates, Gillis, and Kriskova have all been six rotation players in college, if I am not mistaken. MacDonald gives them another option if they don't want to play a pin hitter all around or someone is struggling. I could see the Badgers winning with any combination in the middle, although the lack of depth is a bit worrisome. I agree that Sheffield needs to be looking hard for a middle in one of the next two classes. I hope they can redshirt Juley, and having Robbins around could help with that. Maybe she could also fill the serving specialist role that Kvas did at times last season to get her some court time, other than hopefully a bit of setting at the end of Badger wins. Technically 3 All-Americans with Nelson, which sounds absolutely cool to have 3 AA starters returning. I agree that this is one of the most intriguing seasons; I can't wait to see how the blend of new faces and vets matures (hopefully sooner rather than later). I think chemistry will obviously be a factor early on. My biggest question mark is RS. Losing a unique and athletic talent like CT is big; she has the x-factor... you could tell she just wanted to be that go-to. Bates showed flashes of that last season. Not entirely sold on Kriskova, but I'm hoping a year out will surprise everyone. Although Saunders has spent much more time on the RS, it would be cool to have Duello just go OFF in that position. She's a great blocker, but I'm not sure about her speed and passing. Anyone hear about her club play recently?
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Post by BadgerAce42 on Jun 6, 2015 8:32:40 GMT -5
Additionally, I don't think we talk about Morey enough. Morey-->Carlini is like the best-case scenario in the nation for these freshman hitters and Gillis to join. The offense just runs so fluidly with Morey/Carilini. Was just watching highlights and even though they showcase the best plays, we're just so lucky!
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Post by rainbowbadger on Jun 6, 2015 8:58:48 GMT -5
Additionally, I don't think we talk about Morey enough. Morey-->Carlini is like the best-case scenario in the nation for these freshman hitters and Gillis to join. The offense just runs so fluidly with Morey/Carilini. Was just watching highlights and even though they showcase the best plays, we're just so lucky! Agreed. Morey is a fabulous passer. MacDonald also looks like she will be really good. Tawa says that Dodge is Morey's heir apparent, but I'm not so sure. I want there to be a knock-down drag-out for the libero jersey. I also hope that working with Dilly and Morey can help Gillis get her back row mojo back. As long as we can pass, we're good.
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Post by badgerbreath on Jun 6, 2015 9:23:32 GMT -5
Looking at Rainbow's projected starting lineup above, I was left wondering who does MacDonald actually come in for? I would have actually said Gillis on current form, and given Kriskova has played all around before. But I've never actually watched Kriskova, and Gillis certainly has it in her locker to be an above average passer/defender based on the footage I have seen, especially with Dilly helping. Bates has proven to be a great receiver and by the end she was one of the more dependable passers in a team of good passers. Heck, even Nelson wasn't half bad by the end of the season - though I think she's the least dependable. At this point, it's only really clear who MacDonald subs for if Duello breaks into the starting lineup.
That uncertainty is to me is actually a really good sign...we may have an even better ball handling team than least year. None of our hitters is yet proven at this level to be a dominant go-to gal for a whole year. Thus, we depend on defending the floor doggedly, getting the ball comfortably into LC's hands and trying to free up hitters with deception. My worries concerning the new people have more to do with the sophistication or precision of the schemes that we can run to get hitters free with so many new faces. With new people I also worry about how the blocking gels -- it always seems to be the last thing. And finally I worry about the level of competition we're getting in practice.
I feel substantially better that two of the new people are more experienced at this level. There is solidity to that lineup, that allows surprises to happen without forcing freshman into high pressure situations too early. I'm really looking forward to those surprises. This will be a fun year, in a very different way than last year.
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