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Post by akbar on Dec 19, 2014 9:31:33 GMT -5
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Post by Phillytom on Dec 19, 2014 9:32:04 GMT -5
Hmmm, not sure I'd call Courtney a "role" player unless her role is to do pretty much everything but set. Not sure what you mean by PSU players not playing their roles. Lots of people had a good match -- Frantti, Hancock, Dom and all the DS's.... Grant and Washington didn't hit for their usual numbers, but that's not surprising given who they were facing across the net. Plus, PSU didn't have to work the middle so much because they were doing so well at the pins. I wonder if it will be the opposite situation against BYU. Frantti is not going to be able to hit through that BYU block on her side -- PSU is going to have to do some things to create openings for her. The BYU block on the right side though might offer some more opportunities, based no what TX was able to do, but only in certain rotations. Texas just couldn't pass well to get enough balls to their middles or they might have won. Just watched the TX=-BYU match and it was really quite a bit closer than it looked from the box score. After the first set they were very even. Just a little bit better serve receive from Texas and they might have pulled it out. This poster called it. If Megan Courtney shows up for PSU and everyone else plays their roll they are unstoppable. She was hot hot heat tonight. Courtney has had an incredible career at PSU thus far but glad to see her perform to her potential. She can be first team AA caliber. Also Inky had one of her worst matches of the season. This is a recipe for disaster for Stanford. Bugg lost confidence in Inky and tried to force things herself instead of trusting her hitters. In matches like this the tension is so high those little things combined to derail the Stanford machine. I also wonder how effective the McGhee serve would have been had she been healthy everyone forgets she served for Stanford all season for good reason. I believe if it would have gone five Stanford could have pulled this one out simply cause Micha was ready to get off the court as the cramp was clearly bothering her. "If courtney plays well and everyone else plays their role", is an interesting thing to say given that Courtney is really a role player and several PSU players didn't play their roles. Courtney isnt a kid relied on to be their point scorer, and Whitney, Grant and Washington all had way below average nights attacking. It's a funny game, and once again PSU's backrow players come up with the goods in big match and dont get the credit they deserve.
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Post by jarredk on Dec 19, 2014 9:35:22 GMT -5
[ [/quote]"If courtney plays well and everyone else plays their role", is an interesting thing to say given that Courtney is really a role player and several PSU players didn't play their roles. Courtney isnt a kid relied on to be their point scorer, and Whitney, Grant and Washington all had way below average nights attacking. It's a funny game, and once again PSU's backrow players come up with the goods in big match and dont get the credit they deserve. [/quote]
Totally agree. Throughout the second half of the season she was typically somewhere around 3rd/4th on the team in attempts. During the tournament she increased to probably 1st or 2nd on the team. Rose seemed vested in getting her going in the tournament and now it is evident why.
Grant, Washington and Whitney certainly had off nights attacking (the stage really seemed to affect Washington more than any other player), but Grant came up huge in the blocking department and Frantti played like a veteran. Anyone questioning her NFOY award now have been silenced.
As far as BYU - kudos to them on a great season but (without jinxing it) I think it has come to an end. Watching both the PSU/Stanford and Texas/BYU games, I really thought PSU/Stanford was on another level. BYU has an amazing block (and Hamson is incredible), but the serve/receive, general speed of the game and quality of attack was superior in the PSU/Stanford match. If PSU can neutralize Hamson it could be a short match. And, between Micha always being an attacking threat at the net, her multiple and viable hitting options all over the floor and the quicker sets to the pins (Texas' setting gave Hamson much more time to see where the attack was coming from than PSU's should), I don't think that will be a problem.
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Post by dorothymantooth on Dec 19, 2014 9:35:59 GMT -5
Hmmm, not sure I'd call Courtney a "role" player unless her role is to do pretty much everything but set. Not sure what you mean by PSU players not playing their roles. Lots of people had a good match -- Frantti, Hancock. Grant and Washington didn't hit up to their usual standards but that's to be expected against the kind of people they were facing across the court. Plus, PSU didn't have to work the middle because they were doing so well at the pins. I wonder if it will be the opposite situation against BYU. Frantti is not going to be able to hit through that BYU block on her side -- PSU is going to have to do some things to create openings for her. The BYU block on the right side though might offer some more opportunities, based no what TX was able to do, but only in certain rotations. Texas just couldn't pass well to get enough balls to their middles or they might have won. Just watched the TX=-BYU match and it was really quite a bit closer than it looked from the box score. After the first set they were very even. Just a little bit better serve receive from Texas and they might have pulled it out. "If courtney plays well and everyone else plays their role", is an interesting thing to say given that Courtney is really a role player and several PSU players didn't play their roles. Courtney isnt a kid relied on to be their point scorer, and Whitney, Grant and Washington all had way below average nights attacking. It's a funny game, and once again PSU's backrow players come up with the goods in big match and dont get the credit they deserve. The fact that she does pretty much everything is specifically why I would think of her as a role player. Obviously she is a marvelous player. My point is they aren't starting matches with the idea of her pulling the sled offensively, or carrying the team in that way. My use of the word role isnt meant to diminish her importance, she is probably the most important player maybe other than Hancock.
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Post by Phillytom on Dec 19, 2014 9:38:46 GMT -5
Yes, it was such a surprise. I wonder how much of Rose's game plan was counting on Courtney being able to do what she did. They certainly went to her early which suggests they knew they had a matchup advantage.
[/quote]The fact that she does pretty much everything is specifically why I would think of her as a role player. Obviously she is a marvelous player. My point is they aren't starting matches with the idea of her pulling the sled offensively, or carrying the team in that way. My use of the word role isnt meant to diminish her importance, she is probably the most important player maybe other than Hancock. [/quote]
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Post by jsn112 on Dec 19, 2014 9:59:02 GMT -5
Southie I have to agree. Texas is my team and I support and take up for them but I would take burgess any day on Texas especially over Neal. Burgess is the player Texas is missing, she is the player Neal wants to be.....Texas couid use her all around game. It's the player that Texas has always been missing. They need an L2 who can play. A volleyball player with 5 tools, who can facilitate all of the great talent Texas always has. For a program with remarkable talent, they have always been a little short of volleyball players, and their setting has always been pretty average for the top 3 level. I think this is an issue of recruiting "choices" because Texas for the most part is getting the kids they want. IMO they have failed to put enough value on that type of kid, preferring a kid that can jump over people, or do the incredible. With all the freak athletes on PSU and Stanford, ball control was the determining factor. Can this be because Jerritt doesn't do certain things in practice? I mean, Frantti is not exactly a world-beater as a passer/defender, but she is playing for RR. I think she will get better over time with practice if RR has his way with her, just like Courtney and Hodge and etc. If not, I think he will adjust his game plan through substitutions like he has with Frantti and Courtney. So I think had those Texas kids choose Penn State instead, I don't think RR would turn them down, imo. RR would just train them to get better.
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Post by dorothymantooth on Dec 19, 2014 9:59:52 GMT -5
Yes, it was such a surprise. I wonder how much of Rose's game plan was counting on Courtney being able to do what she did. They certainly went to her early which suggests they knew they had a matchup advantage. The fact that she does pretty much everything is specifically why I would think of her as a role player. Obviously she is a marvelous player. My point is they aren't starting matches with the idea of her pulling the sled offensively, or carrying the team in that way. My use of the word role isnt meant to diminish her importance, she is probably the most important player maybe other than Hancock. [/quote] [/quote] Obviously they wanted to attack at Bugg, but don't believe they were in the lockeroom before the match talking about Courtney being the " go too" player offensively. She got hot, Micha is no dummy....... The swing Courtney took on the pipe in transition is when you knew "ok, this kid is unconscious" Good stuff!
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Post by akbar on Dec 19, 2014 10:00:16 GMT -5
Yes, it was such a surprise. I wonder how much of Rose's game plan was counting on Courtney being able to do what she did. They certainly went to her early which suggests they knew they had a matchup advantage. The fact that she does pretty much everything is specifically why I would think of her as a role player. Obviously she is a marvelous player. My point is they aren't starting matches with the idea of her pulling the sled offensively, or carrying the team in that way. My use of the word role isnt meant to diminish her importance, she is probably the most important player maybe other than Hancock. [/quote] [/quote] You had two smaller and not great RS blockers out there and PSU took advantage. Ino addition Lutz was sometimes fooled by Hancock, had to stay home on her, or their game plan was to focus on Whitney and the slides, therefore the PSU Outsides had gaping seas sometimes. Point is , which has been well documented, PSU has 6 live arms (lee) that can "pull the sled" ...poetic license (Dorothy) and that is such a huge advantage. By the way, someone commented that this is not a typical PSU team. So what I saw was grinding defense from Dom,Lacey,Kendall and Megan mixed with tough serving and pinpoint passing from Megan,Dom and Kendall. And bombs from our OHS,complimented by clutch blocking from Nia, Haleigh and Megan. Blah blah. A team that hits over .340 on the year and defends and passes like that last night against the #1 team. I think this is as good as any team that we have seen in a PSU uniform as this stage of the season. So yeah they are playing Penn State Volleyball.
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Post by dorothymantooth on Dec 19, 2014 10:03:31 GMT -5
It's the player that Texas has always been missing. They need an L2 who can play. A volleyball player with 5 tools, who can facilitate all of the great talent Texas always has. For a program with remarkable talent, they have always been a little short of volleyball players, and their setting has always been pretty average for the top 3 level. I think this is an issue of recruiting "choices" because Texas for the most part is getting the kids they want. IMO they have failed to put enough value on that type of kid, preferring a kid that can jump over people, or do the incredible. With all the freak athletes on PSU and Stanford, ball control was the determining factor. Can this be because Jerritt doesn't do certain things in practice? I mean, Frantti is not exactly a world-beater as a passer/defender, but she is playing for RR. I think she will get better over time with practice if RR has his way with her, just like Courtney and Hodge and etc. If not, I think he will adjust his game plan through substitutions like he has with Frantti and Courtney. So I think had those Texas kids choose Penn State instead, I don't think RR would turn them down, imo. RR would just train them to get better. I think training has something to do with it, and I don't think I would be in the minority when I say I think PSU is better in the gym than Texas, but it isnt as if Frantti showed up without some good ball skills. With all the great players PSU has, if Texas could trade, and Micha was off the table, Courtney would be the player a good Texas GM would go after, because while she isnt a lottery pick, she fills the need.
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Post by c4ndlelight on Dec 19, 2014 10:12:57 GMT -5
PSU will have much more success in the middle. These are not the Stanford Mids. They're not the Stanford middles. Not nearly as dynamic offensively, but they're much better blockers. It's not like they'll be easier to score against (then again, Burgess did a good job on that and she's one of the worst pin blocker in the Final Four). PSU's serve will win them the match (no one really noticed that BYU got out passed by Texas in the last 3 sets and still won), but there's a lot of weird analysis going on.
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Post by howiseturmother on Dec 19, 2014 10:13:49 GMT -5
She will not be a big factor vs. BYU. I waited three seasons for her to come alive and indeed she last night and I promise you she will not dominate against BYU. She is still overrated offensively considering she is now a junior and if she produces next season, I still give her amaybe top 20 recruit and not #4 overall. Love her elevation though!
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Post by bigdawg4747 on Dec 19, 2014 11:01:03 GMT -5
Stanford is definitely the 2nd best team in the country. It makes me so mad they can't play Penn State in the final match. Interesting that Stanford only scored 1 more point against PSU than did the badgers, even though the badgers had a setter who could barely move. Also interesting that the badgers actually had a higher hitting percentage than PSU in two sets, but Stanford never had a higher hitting percentage in any set. Why is that interesting? I wasn't interested.
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Post by bigdawg4747 on Dec 19, 2014 11:02:15 GMT -5
Wow Texa$$ fans bitching around here acting like they just swept BYU. Poor Stanford fans. Can't deal with reality (again). You're just not the program you were in 90's and early 2000's. It's okay to be in denial. Classy. Are you in the third grade?
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Post by bigdawg4747 on Dec 19, 2014 11:05:16 GMT -5
Right. 6 National Championships versus? 1? Yeah right, were in denial. And the reality is, Texa$$ with all the talent they get year in and out can't get the job done. All they do is be arrogant. Go figure Khat Bell must be weeping now after being humbled by an unseeded team. You're kidding, right? Stanford fans crying about all the talent Texas gets? Stanford used to sign the cream of the crop because they had first choice of the elite players from coast to coast; now that parity is more prevalent, Stanford isn't the top destination. For the record, we have 2 NCAA titles. Stanford only gets the cream of the crop that its admissions department allows in--which would pretty much rule out Texas' entire team.
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Post by bigdawg4747 on Dec 19, 2014 11:12:54 GMT -5
How Burgess became a 1st Team AA is a mystery to me. I'd take all three P12 3rd team AA Outsides over Burgess. She's a tremendous athlete and a good back row player. And she hits hard and accurately against an average block. But she's not tall enough or strong enough to do well against the bigger, better teams/players. She seems to get promoted well, though--Designated Interviewee.
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