2015 USC

[bballnut90]

I couldn't find a thread so I thought I'd start one. They had their worst season under Mick Haley and had a pretty brutal off season. That said, I think they'll be a much better team in 2015 than they were this past season. I watched several USC games last season, and the bigger issues to me were:
1. Setting-The setting was simply awful last year. Crone and Pizzasegola had nightmare seasons, and Emily Young was not the answer as a setter or a RS hitter.
2. Passing and defense-Part of the reason why the setting was so poor was the awful passing. That said, Whittingham took some time to come into her own, and once she did, she was one of the better defenders in the league. Bricio was streaky and Gillis looked awful in the first part of the season.
3. On court chemistry/leadership-USC never looked like they were having a good time and the communication was awful. I was never sold on the fact that the team enjoyed playing together and was having fun.
4. Middles-A lot of this has to do with the setters, but the middles were NEVER utilized. Ogoms, Schraer and Dunn had nice moments over the season but all of them combined took about half the number of swings that Bricio took. While Bricio is solid, she is no Karsta Lowe to outlet to. Additionally, the blocking was dreadful, as USC finished 10th out of 12 in the Pac-12 in blocks per set.

All of that said, I think USC has the players and ability to be a MUCH better team this year.
1. Baylee Johnson has been with the team since January and should run a 5-1 from the get go. This should stabilize setting, or at the very least be a major upgrade.
2. Still not sold on passing/defense, but Whittingham is back and should have more ownership of the back row.
3. A big question mark, but with all of the departures, it can help bring a team together and lead them to play more focused volleyball. With a more stable line up, the on court chemistry should be improved.
4. Middles-Ogoms and Dunn are both a year older, Ruddins might emerge as a presence in the middle if she isn't on the outside, and Reed who is a freshman might contend for playing time. I don't see a major upgrade here, but the middle attack should be better with more experience and a new setter.

Even without Gillis and Nwanebu, USC still has a pretty loaded lineup:
S-Baylee Johnson (top 30 recruit)
OPP-Brittany Abercrombie, former top 5 recruit
OH-Samantha Bricio, former NFOY
OH-Alyse Wallace Ford, top 20 recruit
MB-Alicia Ogoms
MB-Elise Ruddins, former #2 recruit
L-Taylor Whittingham

[Disc808]

Jun 14, 2015 10:59:12 GMT -5 bballnut90 said:

I couldn't find a thread so I thought I'd start one. They had their worst season under Mick Haley and had a pretty brutal off season. That said, I think they'll be a much better team in 2015 than they were this past season. I watched several USC games last season, and the bigger issues to me were:
1. Setting-The setting was simply awful last year. Crone and Pizzasegola had nightmare seasons, and Emily Young was not the answer as a setter or a RS hitter.
2. Passing and defense-Part of the reason why the setting was so poor was the awful passing. That said, Whittingham took some time to come into her own, and once she did, she was one of the better defenders in the league. Bricio was streaky and Gillis looked awful in the first part of the season.
3. On court chemistry/leadership-USC never looked like they were having a good time and the communication was awful. I was never sold on the fact that the team enjoyed playing together and was having fun.
4. Middles-A lot of this has to do with the setters, but the middles were NEVER utilized. Ogoms, Schraer and Dunn had nice moments over the season but all of them combined took about half the number of swings that Bricio took. While Bricio is solid, she is no Karsta Lowe to outlet to. Additionally, the blocking was dreadful, as USC finished 10th out of 12 in the Pac-12 in blocks per set.

All of that said, I think USC has the players and ability to be a MUCH better team this year.
1. Baylee Johnson has been with the team since January and should run a 5-1 from the get go. This should stabilize setting, or at the very least be a major upgrade.
2. Still not sold on passing/defense, but Whittingham is back and should have more ownership of the back row.
3. A big question mark, but with all of the departures, it can help bring a team together and lead them to play more focused volleyball. With a more stable line up, the on court chemistry should be improved.
4. Middles-Ogoms and Dunn are both a year older, Ruddins might emerge as a presence in the middle if she isn't on the outside, and Reed who is a freshman might contend for playing time. I don't see a major upgrade here, but the middle attack should be better with more experience and a new setter.

Even without Gillis and Nwanebu, USC still has a pretty loaded lineup:
S-Baylee Johnson (top 30 recruit)
OPP-Brittany Abercrombie, former top 5 recruit
OH-Samantha Bricio, former NFOY
OH-Alyse Wallace Ford, top 20 recruit
MB-Alicia Ogoms
MB-Elise Ruddins, former #2 recruit
L-Taylor Whittingham

They took some pretty heavy losses, losing ebony and gillis.

[bigfanofbigfan]

I hope Southern Cal head coach will no longer scream/ tell at the players when to hit, when to jump, where to pass while ball is in play this coming season. It made the players look like they were second guessing themselves last year.

[bigfanofbigfan]

Jun 14, 2015 11:11:53 GMT -5 Disc808 said:

Jun 14, 2015 10:59:12 GMT -5 bballnut90 said:

I couldn't find a thread so I thought I'd start one. They had their worst season under Mick Haley and had a pretty brutal off season. That said, I think they'll be a much better team in 2015 than they were this past season. I watched several USC games last season, and the bigger issues to me were:
1. Setting-The setting was simply awful last year. Crone and Pizzasegola had nightmare seasons, and Emily Young was not the answer as a setter or a RS hitter.
2. Passing and defense-Part of the reason why the setting was so poor was the awful passing. That said, Whittingham took some time to come into her own, and once she did, she was one of the better defenders in the league. Bricio was streaky and Gillis looked awful in the first part of the season.
3. On court chemistry/leadership-USC never looked like they were having a good time and the communication was awful. I was never sold on the fact that the team enjoyed playing together and was having fun.
4. Middles-A lot of this has to do with the setters, but the middles were NEVER utilized. Ogoms, Schraer and Dunn had nice moments over the season but all of them combined took about half the number of swings that Bricio took. While Bricio is solid, she is no Karsta Lowe to outlet to. Additionally, the blocking was dreadful, as USC finished 10th out of 12 in the Pac-12 in blocks per set.

All of that said, I think USC has the players and ability to be a MUCH better team this year.
1. Baylee Johnson has been with the team since January and should run a 5-1 from the get go. This should stabilize setting, or at the very least be a major upgrade.
2. Still not sold on passing/defense, but Whittingham is back and should have more ownership of the back row.
3. A big question mark, but with all of the departures, it can help bring a team together and lead them to play more focused volleyball. With a more stable line up, the on court chemistry should be improved.
4. Middles-Ogoms and Dunn are both a year older, Ruddins might emerge as a presence in the middle if she isn't on the outside, and Reed who is a freshman might contend for playing time. I don't see a major upgrade here, but the middle attack should be better with more experience and a new setter.

Even without Gillis and Nwanebu, USC still has a pretty loaded lineup:
S-Baylee Johnson (top 30 recruit)
OPP-Brittany Abercrombie, former top 5 recruit
OH-Samantha Bricio, former NFOY
OH-Alyse Wallace Ford, top 20 recruit
MB-Alicia Ogoms
MB-Elise Ruddins, former #2 recruit
L-Taylor Whittingham

They took some pretty heavy losses, losing ebony and gillis.

Ebony was not very good last year and Gillis was not very effective. Negligible losses if u were to compare last year vs this year.

[Disc808]

Jun 14, 2015 11:14:03 GMT -5 bigfanofbigfan said:

Jun 14, 2015 11:11:53 GMT -5 Disc808 said:

They took some pretty heavy losses, losing ebony and gillis.

Ebony was not very good last year and Gillis was not very effective. Negligible losses if u were to compare last year vs this year.

Yes, ebony wasn't the best last year but she was an All-american and she is going to be much better this coming season. i think Bricio is going to have another great season for USC, but they won't be top 5.

[pepperbrooks]

Jun 14, 2015 11:12:15 GMT -5 bigfanofbigfan said:

I hope Southern Cal head coach will no longer scream/ tell at the players when to hit, when to jump, where to pass while ball is in play this coming season. It made the players look like they were second guessing themselves last year.

Not sure Mick is going to change how he coaches.

[chatchu-off moksri]

Are there any DS players that could make an impact this upcoming season? While Wallace Ford is an athletic front row player, her back row skills and her passing are not as strong as they should be for a 6 rotation outside. Also, if Ruddins ends up playing outside and she can't play the back row, then she has to have someone play for her in the back row.

[trojansc]

Just a few things:

Hayley Crone was spectacular in 2013. Mick Haley even said himself how impressed he was with her. It was really a shame to see her struggle her senior season with an injury. Watching USC vs. BYU ans Uw, she was delivering the ball near perfection on every touch.

Mick's not gonna change the way he coaches. He's been doing that stuff for years.

Bricio's a stud, Whittingham is better than most think. Ruddins, Abercrombie, Wallace-Ford need to be impact players. Another DS is needed.

. I mean, when you look at how close North Carolina played Texas on a neutral-court, and how A struggling USC gave North Carolina a tough match on their home court, doesn't make them look so bad.

[Disc808]

Jun 14, 2015 12:15:43 GMT -5 trojansc said:

Just a few things:

Hayley Crone was spectacular in 2013. Mick Haley even said himself how impressed he was with her. It was really a shame to see her struggle her senior season with an injury. Watching USC vs. BYU ans Uw, she was delivering the ball near perfection on every touch.

Mick's not gonna change the way he coaches. He's been doing that stuff for years.

Bricio's a stud, Whittingham is better than most think. Ruddins, Abercrombie, Wallace-Ford need to be impact players. Another DS is needed.

. I mean, when you look at how close North Carolina played Texas on a neutral-court, and how A struggling USC gave North Carolina a tough match on their home court, doesn't make them look so bad.

Not sure Ruddins will be a big threat in the middle.

[SakiBomb25]

Why would Ruddins go in the middle? She's been training for the outside in college the past two years and she won't get any touches in the middle. Haley likes to set the outsides more than the middles,even when there is an effective middle.

[trojansc]

Jun 14, 2015 12:27:57 GMT -5 Disc808 said:

Not sure Ruddins will be a big threat in the middle.

Ruddins will play Outside Hitter. If Abercrombie doesn't perform to par, we'll see Ruddins on the right-side.

[geddyleeridesagain]

Jun 14, 2015 10:59:12 GMT -5 bballnut90 said:

3. On court chemistry/leadership-USC never looked like they were having a good time and the communication was awful. I was never sold on the fact that the team enjoyed playing together and was having fun.

The Galen Center locker room was not a happy one in 2014.

[bigfanofbigfan]

Jun 14, 2015 12:54:06 GMT -5 geddyleeridesagain said:

Jun 14, 2015 10:59:12 GMT -5 bballnut90 said:

3. On court chemistry/leadership-USC never looked like they were having a good time and the communication was awful. I was never sold on the fact that the team enjoyed playing together and was having fun.

The Galen Center locker room was not a happy one in 2014.

Evidenced by the exodus of players during post- season. Hopefully 2015 will be better and stronger.

[trollhunter]

In 2014 USC had a brutal schedule also, the toughest in the country. Their non-conference schedule is a little easier this year which should help. When is PAC schedule released?

Can any of the freshman help with ball control?

[30killspergame]

every position is fine except libero and with the moon ball offense passing is even more important.