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Post by tclenpsu1 on Oct 4, 2015 9:21:22 GMT -5
This PSU 2015 version is eerily similar to 2011 version. They had Micha, Nia and Dom as freshmen with Deja, Ariel and Katie Slay returned. That year, they lost to Nebraska, got swept by Illinois and lost to eventual NC UCLA in the 3rd round. They were back to the FF 2012 but Micha got injured and lost to Oregon. This year, I think they will lose a few more matches but I hope they will be better in December. The BIG is very difficult this year, if they lose 2 more, it will be a good year.
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Post by psuer1989 on Oct 4, 2015 9:49:36 GMT -5
Tclenpsu1, I was thinking that same thing the other night. It takes young players a while to learn to step up as leaders. This year' s team missing is missing the senior leadership from last year as much as they are missing the skill. They might not get it together this year (I hope they do) but given time this group could become scary good.
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Post by akbar on Oct 4, 2015 10:41:11 GMT -5
Tclenpsu1, I was thinking that same thing the other night. It takes young players a while to learn to step up as leaders. This year' s team missing is missing the senior leadership from last year as much as they are missing the skill. They might not get it together this year (I hope they do) but given time this group could become scary good. As the competition gets tougher, true leader(s) emerge. I trust Russ sees this and certainly saw this last night. It was quite evident. To make an additional move last night to the new lineup, especially at home in front of 5,000 people would have been presented new mental obstacles for everyone.
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Post by bkedane on Oct 4, 2015 10:44:26 GMT -5
What is it that people think they are seeing that involves "missing leadership" on the court? Or is this something people think they are seeing off the court?
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Post by Boof1224 on Oct 4, 2015 11:16:53 GMT -5
Tclenpsu1, I was thinking that same thing the other night. It takes young players a while to learn to step up as leaders. This year' s team missing is missing the senior leadership from last year as much as they are missing the skill. They might not get it together this year (I hope they do) but given time this group could become scary good. The difference is, as vbprisoner point out, psu loses two of its best hitters and doesn't have talent equal or greater next year to make up for loses of Courtney and Whitney.
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Post by psuer1989 on Oct 4, 2015 12:51:34 GMT -5
Not that we have seen yet. It is hard to predict who is sitting on the bench. Whitney had barely played before last year and she has been great. There are a lot of great HS players biding their time on the bench waiting for their chance. I am excited to see if Nia Reed ever loses the knee brace and sees court time...
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Post by dorothymantooth on Oct 4, 2015 13:05:30 GMT -5
Not that we have seen yet. It is hard to predict who is sitting on the bench. Whitney had barely played before last year and she has been great. There are a lot of great HS players biding their time on the bench waiting for their chance. I am excited to see if Nia Reed ever loses the knee brace and sees court time... Whitney showed tons of signs that she was going to be great and anyone around the program knew she would be at some point. Not sure that is in place right now for those not on the court. Only time tells.
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Post by psuer1989 on Oct 4, 2015 13:14:34 GMT -5
I guess that was the point- we cannot say who may step up next year. I am not "around the program" a lot as I live out of state and only get to see a handful of home matches each season. The rest of them I watch whenever possible on TV or streaming.
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Post by HappyVolley on Oct 4, 2015 13:50:21 GMT -5
I'm a little curious about Novakovic. Why go all the way to Serbia to recruit a player who you do not think can make a contribution early in her Penn State career? Did Russ simply overestimate her ability?
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Post by Phillytom on Oct 4, 2015 14:43:42 GMT -5
I was away and couldn't see the match till just now. I knew the outcome so I could watch it a little more analytically. It certainly played out the way I expected. Nebraska is really gritty and tough and Kadie Rolfzen makes them grittier and tougher. They are the best Nebraska team in quite a few years I think and they will beat a lot of people. My post here is about PSU getting better, but truth is, Nebraska is going to get better too. Both these teams are just packed with talent -- it's just a question of how hard they can work and how much the talent can improve.
1) Both teams showed brilliance and yet both teams showed early season problems. 2) Rose is experimenting with rotations and starting to work Lee in. Don't expect Lee to be brilliant right away -- she has as much Big Ten experience as an early season freshman. She is going to be raw and it will be some time till we know what she can really do. 3) Whitney in the middle brings some things and takes away some things. 4) PSU back row I think is going to be all right. Holcomb isn't as consistent as Gonzalez was as a senior -- should that be a surprise. I think she has the talent and the temperament, she needs time. 5) PSU setting is going to be all right but it is not what will be 6 weeks from now. Weiskircher does some really good things... will she get better? I think so. She had brilliant sets and terrible sets. Still learning how to attack, still getting timing with the middles (and with that position in flux progress will be slower). 6) Frantti might be the pivotal player for PSU. She is brilliant at times and bad at times. She needs to keep her head in the game 100% on every play. I really think Frantti could be giving more and when she figures out to do that, it will take some of the weight off the others.
Someone made the comparison to 2011 -- yes it's similar in that you have new setter, new libero. But it's different in that the 2011 team was not nearly as strong offensively up front. 2011 did not have anybody like Washington or Courtney.
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Post by psuer1989 on Oct 4, 2015 15:29:52 GMT -5
Good analysis PhillyTom...thanks...
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Post by vballfreak808 on Oct 4, 2015 21:50:46 GMT -5
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Post by vbprisoner on Oct 4, 2015 22:54:22 GMT -5
Why is this thread still going?
It would have been awesome to see PSU set 1 vs Nebraska set 3......both teams are top 4 regardless what polls say Monday and I think both teams would beat USC and ASU easily (That is just my opinion).
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2015 4:07:31 GMT -5
Impressions:
The Penn St libero sucks. The Nebraska freshmen outside hits cross court seam every single time.. Courtney is a baller, without her Penn St. is at best a top 20 team The lady color commentator was refreshing to listen to, her vball IQ is top notch.. Nebraska rarely ran the middles in front of the setter. Penn St sets are mountain balls to the pins... Both teams are very beatable..
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2015 6:16:52 GMT -5
What is it that people think they are seeing that involves "missing leadership" on the court? Or is this something people think they are seeing off the court? I wonder whether what is "missing" might better be described as "communication" rather than "leadership"? Against Nebraska, there were multiple plays where, to my admittedly unschooled eyes, it looked like players lunged for balls that ricochet ed off them and out of play, when there was a player nearby who seemingly might have been able to handle the ball (or the ball was on its way out).
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