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Post by BeachbytheBay on Jul 14, 2015 10:29:00 GMT -5
lot's of possible starting line-ups, and possibly 3 or so red-shirts
here is one:
S: Hudson MB: Murray, Wallace OPP: Benson OH: Brinke (all-around), Atkinson L: Watanabe DS1: Barber DS2: Lawmaster
that line-up would have a formidable block - alot depends on the passing skills of any of the middles (Murray, Benson, Atkinson) that could potentially move over to OPP
tons of competition for every spot but setter
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Post by BeachbytheBay on Jul 14, 2015 10:33:33 GMT -5
So I am guessing that this is the line up we should be expecting? OH: Brinke and Barber/Kruidhoff OPP: Atkinson MB: Murray and Grahovac S: Hudson L/DS: Lawmaster, Watanabe The more and more I think about this LBSU team, the less doubt I begin to have about how this team will do. I think LBSU could very well be a tournament team. I feel like Atkinson will have a break out season and she will be able to do at least half of what Mackie did. She is a very aggressive attacker and is also imposing on the block. She could and should be one of the Beach's biggest weapons this upcoming season. Do you guys think Grahovac is the best option at the other middle position? From what I have seen, she presses well on the block and closes well with those long arms of hers. If she can also work well offensively I think she could do well with Hudson as a setter. For the libero position I still have no idea. I would like it to be Lawmaster just because she is a senior and has the most college experience, but who knows what will happen? In regards to Hudson, I know many people have said that she isn't a good setter and that she lifts the ball a lot and that she didnt deserve to be Big West POY last year. Well she is a great setter IMO and bottom line is she got the job done. It doesn't matter if she was not the best player. She still contributed to the overall TEAM effort and they probably wouldn't have been able to go 16-0 in league without her. Will she be training with the national team soon? Probably not with the people like Bugg and Hancock, and a certain someone named Lauren Carlini. Anyways, I look forward to seeing her play this upcoming season. She will be a big part in how this team performs next season and I am sure she will do a great job. it's silly to say she's not a good setter. sheessh! she is tough as nails, she can read defenses, and she proved she can get the ball to the right hitters - no reason to believe if she gets decent passing off the serve she won't run the team well -
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Post by chatchu-off moksri on Jul 14, 2015 12:37:07 GMT -5
So I am guessing that this is the line up we should be expecting? OH: Brinke and Barber/Kruidhoff OPP: Atkinson MB: Murray and Grahovac S: Hudson L/DS: Lawmaster, Watanabe The more and more I think about this LBSU team, the less doubt I begin to have about how this team will do. I think LBSU could very well be a tournament team. I feel like Atkinson will have a break out season and she will be able to do at least half of what Mackie did. She is a very aggressive attacker and is also imposing on the block. She could and should be one of the Beach's biggest weapons this upcoming season. Do you guys think Grahovac is the best option at the other middle position? From what I have seen, she presses well on the block and closes well with those long arms of hers. If she can also work well offensively I think she could do well with Hudson as a setter. For the libero position I still have no idea. I would like it to be Lawmaster just because she is a senior and has the most college experience, but who knows what will happen? In regards to Hudson, I know many people have said that she isn't a good setter and that she lifts the ball a lot and that she didnt deserve to be Big West POY last year. Well she is a great setter IMO and bottom line is she got the job done. It doesn't matter if she was not the best player. She still contributed to the overall TEAM effort and they probably wouldn't have been able to go 16-0 in league without her. Will she be training with the national team soon? Probably not with the people like Bugg and Hancock, and a certain someone named Lauren Carlini. Anyways, I look forward to seeing her play this upcoming season. She will be a big part in how this team performs next season and I am sure she will do a great job. I also believe that Long Beach will reload this season and will be in NCAA's this December. As for your projected starting lineup, I agree with most of your pics with the exception of MB 2 and the back row. I think BG will go with 6'4 Ball State transfer-- and All AVCA Midwest Region-- Hayley Benson in the middle. Grahovac is athletic, and promising; however, Benson has the experience to bolster the 49er block. As for the back row, I believe those positions are still in flux. Lawmaster and Watanabe appear to have the inside edge; however, highly regarded frosh recruits Sarah Miller and Mykah Wilson will contend for playing time in the back row. I have actually never seen Benson play. How is she?
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Post by BeachbytheBay on Jul 14, 2015 14:09:40 GMT -5
haven't seen her play
A senior (grad) xfer from Ball State, 6'4". Led the MAC conference in hitting %, and from her stats it looks like the most dominate hitter on a decent mid-major team in a decent mid-major conference. that tells me she's a quality talented player that can compete and possibly start. her serving stats looked just so-so which may not be important depending on her spot on the rotation
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Post by chatchu-off moksri on Jul 31, 2015 21:39:35 GMT -5
After watching some film on Barber I feel like she is going to be a solid replacement for Reid. She hits with a lot of power and has a variety of shots. I expect her to contribute right away.
I also saw some very limited footage on Hayley Benson and she also seems like she will make a good impact. I look forward to see what they both do in the upcoming season.
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Post by thebeach1 on Aug 6, 2015 13:52:00 GMT -5
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Post by chatchu-off moksri on Aug 6, 2015 23:39:31 GMT -5
9 freshman and only 3 seniors on the roster. This team is gonna be young but it looks like they have a lot of talent!
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Post by chatchu-off moksri on Aug 17, 2015 0:45:36 GMT -5
Any updates from LBSU recently after starting practices?
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Post by thebeach1 on Aug 19, 2015 21:37:06 GMT -5
Long Beach St. will face a storied cast of Alumni this Saturdayhttp://www.longbeachstate.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/081915aaa.html
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Post by chatchu-off moksri on Aug 19, 2015 23:11:12 GMT -5
I wonder what line ups will play against the alumni. Will be interesting to see who fills in which spots. Can't wait for season.
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Post by thebeach1 on Aug 20, 2015 0:09:15 GMT -5
Like Hawaii, The Beach is deep at every position--especially in the middle with 6 viable options in the middle. It will be interesting to see who starts in the back row this season.
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Post by C on Aug 20, 2015 0:49:43 GMT -5
Like Hawaii, The Beach is deep at every position--especially in the middle with 6 viable options in the middle. It will be interesting to see who starts in the back row this season. I wouldn't say they're deep at every position, but they do have enough talent to do well in the conference.
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Post by thebeach1 on Aug 23, 2015 1:44:38 GMT -5
I attended the Alumni game tonight. After watching the game, the only thing certain is that the Beach will NOT finish the Big West undefeated. Although it was an exhibition match, the Beach appears to be a work in progress. First, the good: Nele Barber--Junior Marquette transfer--is the real deal and is a true six rotation player. She has an high volleyball IQ and hits the ball very hard. She also appears to be taller than her listed 6'0 frame. Senior grad transfer Hayley Benson also played well, showing her quickness at the net with several blocks and some carefully placed attacks. Although Benson is a towering 6'4, she appears to lack a lot of muscle and power behind her swings. However, she appears to be an effective blocker. Returning BWC POY Jenelle Hudson appeared to be just as quick and aggressive as last season and her timing should improve as the season progresses. Returning BWC FOY Ashley Murray played well and made some "Okpala-esque" dunks throughout the contest. In the backrow, Lindsey Lawmaster assumed the libero duties for half of the 3 set match and is clearly not of the caliber of her predecessor Tyler Jackson. Highly lauded incoming frosh Mykah Wilson showed some promise as libero for the second half of the match. Other frosh seeing considerable playing time were 6'2 Carly Beddingfield, 6'4 Peyton Grahovac, 6'0 Megan Kruidhoff, and 5'9 Sarah Miller. All four showed some promise in their respective positions with Grahovac displaying her effectivness on the slide. Redshirt JR Tiara Wallace--6'4 MB--played the final set and was in on several blocks as well as one service ace. Now, the bad: the team appears not to have a "go to player" and the offense is noticeably slower than last season. Also, the injury bug has returned with 6'5 Sherridan Atkinson unable to play--she wore a protective boot on one foot-- and frosh DS Sammie Thomas also limped noticeably. The biggest question mark of the evening was the absence on the floor of 6'2 OH Anete Brinke. She came on strong during Big West play and developed into a true six rotation player by season's end. Coach BG chose not to play Brinke for the entire match. Overall, like every season under BG at Long Beach St., the ladies open the season with a lot of promise and potential. Unfortunately, they will be tested right away with contests against nationally ranked Duke and Alabama next weekend.
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Post by BeachbytheBay on Aug 23, 2015 8:56:12 GMT -5
I attended the Alumni game tonight. After watching the game, the only thing certain is that the Beach will NOT finish the Big West undefeated. Although it was an exhibition match, the Beach appears to be a work in progress. First, the good: Nele Barber--Junior Marquette transfer--is the real deal and is a true six rotation player. She has an high volleyball IQ and hits the ball very hard. She also appears to be taller than her listed 6'0 frame. Senior grad transfer Hayley Benson also played well, showing her quickness at the net with several blocks and some carefully placed attacks. Although Benson is a towering 6'4, she appears to lack a lot of muscle and power behind her swings. However, she appears to be an effective blocker. Returning BWC POY Jenelle Hudson appeared to be just as quick and aggressive as last season and her timing should improve as the season progresses. Returning BWC FOY Ashley Murray played well and made some "Okpala-esque" dunks throughout the contest. In the backrow, Lindsey Lawmaster assumed the libero duties for half of the 3 set match and is clearly not of the caliber of her predecessor Tyler Jackson. Highly lauded incoming frosh Mykah Wilson showed some promise as libero for the second half of the match. Other frosh seeing considerable playing time were 6'2 Carly Beddingfield, 6'4 Peyton Grahovac, 6'0 Megan Kruidhoff, and 5'9 Sarah Miller. All four showed some promise in their respective positions with Grahovac displaying her effectivness on the slide. Redshirt JR Tiara Wallace--6'4 MB--played the final set and was in on several blocks as well as one service ace. Now, the bad: the team appears not to have a "go to player" and the offense is noticeably slower than last season. Also, the injury bug has returned with 6'5 Sherridan Atkinson unable to play--she wore a protective boot on one foot-- and frosh DS Sammie Thomas also limped noticeably. The biggest question mark of the evening was the absence on the floor of 6'2 OH Anete Brinke. She came on strong during Big West play and developed into a true six rotation player by season's end. Coach BG chose not to play Brinke for the entire match. Overall, like every season under BG at Long Beach St., the ladies open the season with a lot of promise and potential. Unfortunately, they will be tested right away with contests against nationally ranked Duke and Alabama next weekend. The lack of quickness in the offense is expected at this stage - considering the loss of the 3 experienced back-row players (4 counting Brinke) from last year. it's going to come down to passing and receiving and how well the libero/DS contingent come up to speed - replacing TJ & Cabrajac is big hurdle.
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Post by BeachbytheBay on Aug 23, 2015 9:38:47 GMT -5
Long Beach vs. Alabama:
Alabama returns their top 6 hitters (kps) and their senior setter (2nd all-time in assists at 'Bama) who is also happens to come from Orange County.
Alabama's hitting differential is 0.264/0.203 vs. LB's last year of 0.261/0.158 - although with wholesale change in LB's hitters, it's hard to expect LB to hit as efficiently early in the season.
'Bama was at 1.45 aces per set vs. 1.01 for LB, plus LB won't have their top two ace leaders from last year, so I'd expect 'Bama to be the more aggressive serving team, plus LB lost two jump-servers from last year in Cabrajac & TJ.
LB may even have a better block than last year from the get-go with Benson added and the 6'4" Grahovac.
match-up of a predominately pin hitting Alabama team vs. LB's more middle/setter oriented attack. So as typical may come down to who can receive well and pass well to these experienced setters - baptism by fire for LB's new faces in the back-row. If LB can get the ball to Hudson, she's shown she can move the ball all over the place, but no way LB will be as quick as last year this early. It should be a very competitive match, unless LB isn't ready in the back-row. LB's recent non-conference history the last five years has been slow starts - sometimes hampered by injury - LB has been the most solid during the 2nd half of Big West during the last 3 years, not in non-conference. Alabama's non-conference schedule/results last year were pretty pedestrian - but they knocked off a ranked Texas A&M team in the SEC and due to an unbalanced SEC schedule Alabama didn't even get a shot at Kentucky or Florida on their home court last year - bottom line this will be a very good Alabama team vs a work in progress Long Beach team, and barring injury it would be surprising to see Alabama finishing worse than 3rd in the SEC.
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