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Post by rainbowbadger on Sept 7, 2015 9:29:50 GMT -5
Hey, Rampage, after the second win over the Noles, I was about to come in here and post that tOSU is one to watch out for.
We Badger fans know they're for real after what they did to us in the Sweet 16 last year. That match was very nearly theirs.
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Post by rampageripster on Sept 7, 2015 9:54:46 GMT -5
Hey, Rampage, after the second win over the Noles, I was about to come in here and post that tOSU is one to watch out for. We Badger fans know they're for real after what they did to us in the Sweet 16 last year. That match was very nearly theirs. Agreed. I was bullish to start the season mostly cause we didn't lose a whole lot from that team that nearly took down your Badgers. But after Wyoming I was a tad worried. We just looked out of sorts. Seems like Geoff has righted the ship and this team could make some serious noise this year.
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Post by badgerbreath on Sept 7, 2015 11:19:20 GMT -5
I definitely think tOSU is a team that could surprise people, though that loss to Wyoming early on was mystifying, early in the season strange things can happen. Been waiting to see how they'd respond, and since then they look more like I expected. If they get a little belief and some consistency they could be quite good this year. Hitting 0.400 against FSU is pretty impressive. I would like them to actually show up against PSU this year. They did not play PSU like they believed they could compete last year.
Michigan I have to see to have an opinion. So far their results are really solid. They are mostly healthy, which is a big plus from last year, but they've lost Dannemiller, which to me is a big loss. I don't know how that balances out until I see them play. Knop is a feisty player. Wouldn't put it past her to win that job despite the height issues. It may be they want one all rounder, and she just has the right balance between attack and ball handling right now. Maybe they like having her personality on the floor, or maybe they are being careful with the girls coming back.
Those two have to be my dark horses right now. No one seems to give them much chance, but Michigan was really really tough at the end of last year, and OSU got to the regionals and very nearly beat the badgers. That was a close run thing.
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Post by firedup on Sept 7, 2015 12:18:22 GMT -5
I definitely think tOSU is a team that could surprise people, though that loss to Wyoming early on was mystifying, early in the season strange things can happen. Been waiting to see how they'd respond, and since then they look more like I expected. If they get a little belief and some consistency they could be quite good this year. Hitting 0.400 against FSU is pretty impressive. I would like them to actually show up against PSU this year. They did not play PSU like they believed they could compete last year. Michigan I have to see to have an opinion. So far their results are really solid. They are mostly healthy, which is a big plus from last year, but they've lost Dannemiller, which to me is a big loss. I don't know how that balances out until I see them play. Knop is a feisty player. Wouldn't put it past her to win that job despite the height issues. It may be they want one all rounder, and she just has the right balance between attack and ball handling right now. Maybe they like having her personality on the floor, or maybe they are being careful with the girls coming back. Those two have to be my dark horses right now. No one seems to give them much chance, but Michigan was really really tough at the end of last year, and OSU got to the regionals and very nearly beat the badgers. That was a close run thing. Badger- Your assessment makes a lot of sense. No question that the loss of Dannemiller is a big one. Here's to hoping that they continue to play well and for each other.
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Post by bucky415 on Sept 7, 2015 14:16:11 GMT -5
It is always a bit wait and see with Michigan. They usually play well in the non-conference, last year being an exception with Dannemiller hurt, but then they tend to be up and down in league play (and then usually good in the NCAA tournament if they get in). They do have a lot returning, though, so the potential for improvement is clearly there if the setting is good. Ohio State is kind of in the same boat, I think, just a bit higher ranked with what they did last year and what they have coming back. Maybe Wyoming was just a case of first matches being weird.
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Post by Mocha on Sept 7, 2015 14:23:23 GMT -5
Michigan has just cracked the top 25.
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Post by firedup on Sept 7, 2015 16:42:30 GMT -5
Michigan has just cracked the top 25. Now let's see if they can build on their early season momentum and move up the charts. Go Blue!
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Post by Mocha on Sept 7, 2015 17:19:52 GMT -5
Michigan is no longer a sleeper now that it's ranked in the top 25. They have a good chance to start conference play undefeated if they survive the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Duke and UNC are a combined 4-6, although UNC is a deceiving 1-4 with a match against Stanford coming up.
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Post by firedup on Sept 8, 2015 10:00:44 GMT -5
Michigan is no longer a sleeper now that it's ranked in the top 25. They have a good chance to start conference play undefeated if they survive the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Duke and UNC are a combined 4-6, although UNC is a deceiving 1-4 with a match against Stanford coming up. While you may not want to call Michigan a sleeper any longer, it's a little premature to suggest that they are ready to run with the big dogs. As several others have mentioned, they have started 6-0 frequently. How they handle this new status, school being back in session and stiffer tests upcoming (Pitt, UNC and Duke before the B1G opens) will probably be a better gauge of where they stand. Is the 7th rated team in the B1G (based on this latest national poll) capable of playing high level ball once league play begins? I'm sure that Minnesota, Michigan State, Northwestern and perhaps Iowa will be ready to challenge for those important for post season mid-tier spots in the conference. Whichever dark horses people are betting on, know that it looks as though it will be an incredibly wild race this year. I firmly believe that Michigan will improve on last year's results and finish higher up the B1G ladder, but in order to accomplish this, they will have to navigate the toughest league schedule and win a few of the 5-set loss matches that were their demise in 2014. Go Blue and continued success to the teams of the B1G.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2015 17:08:03 GMT -5
Cathy George has Michigan State sleeping.
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Post by firedup on Sept 8, 2015 18:31:06 GMT -5
Cathy George has Michigan State sleeping. Other than the huge injury to the transfer outside, what is going on with Sparty? Why do you blame Kathy? Would love to hear how the team is performing and how they are doing in filling in the libero and backrow without your anchor?
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Post by Mocha on Sept 10, 2015 20:43:24 GMT -5
Michigan is no longer a sleeper now that it's ranked in the top 25. They have a good chance to start conference play undefeated if they survive the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Duke and UNC are a combined 4-6, although UNC is a deceiving 1-4 with a match against Stanford coming up. UNC doesn't look like a walk in the park anymore.
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Post by firedup on Sept 10, 2015 23:47:55 GMT -5
Michigan is no longer a sleeper now that it's ranked in the top 25. They have a good chance to start conference play undefeated if they survive the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Duke and UNC are a combined 4-6, although UNC is a deceiving 1-4 with a match against Stanford coming up. UNC doesn't look like a walk in the park anymore. Nobody who saw UNC sweep Michigan at Cliff Keen last year would have thought, even for a moment, that it would be a "walk in the park" at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill for the Wolverines. We'll see which team shows up for both sides next week.
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Post by rampageripster on Sept 11, 2015 8:16:14 GMT -5
Michigan is no longer a sleeper now that it's ranked in the top 25. They have a good chance to start conference play undefeated if they survive the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Duke and UNC are a combined 4-6, although UNC is a deceiving 1-4 with a match against Stanford coming up. UNC doesn't look like a walk in the park anymore. Well.. I mean it was their first real win of the season. They had a brutal OOC schedule, but look at their results: 1-3 @ USC 1-3 N BYU 3-0 N Chicago State (who?) 0-3 N Wisconsin 0-3 N Minnesota So, yes, they swept Stanford. But it's an odd result and certainly an outlier so far as they have barely been competitive against quality opponents.
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Post by c4ndlelight on Sept 11, 2015 8:24:11 GMT -5
UNC doesn't look like a walk in the park anymore. Well.. I mean it was their first real win of the season. They had a brutal OOC schedule, but look at their results: 1-3 @ USC 1-3 N BYU 3-0 N Chicago State (who?) 0-3 N Wisconsin 0-3 N Minnesota So, yes, they swept Stanford. But it's an odd result and certainly an outlier so far as they have barely been competitive against quality opponents. They also moved their All-American Middle back to that position (from L1), put a real outside in that position, and they started a new libero. I think the Heels can claim some early-season experimentation and that the current (and future?) lineup may potentially be more competitive.
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