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Post by EagleEye on Oct 6, 2004 12:19:42 GMT -5
Western Kentucky's setter Caron Blotch was injured right at the end of the third game with Cinicnnati last night. There was concern about whether or not she had a broken bone in her hand. She did not play after the injury. If she is unable to play, it will cause a major reshuffling of Western Kentucky's lineup. They really do not have true backup setter.
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Post by ESTRELLA on Oct 6, 2004 14:10:41 GMT -5
You are right.....they don't have a backup setter. Well, that is when you need to do better recruiting and have a roster that will backup a situation like this. They have three DS on the roster that are not taller than 5-5 and seven hitters. I think he wished now that one of them was a setter. ESTRELLA  |
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Post by ESTRELLA on Oct 6, 2004 14:23:05 GMT -5
You are right.....they don't have a backup setter. Well, that is when you need to do better recruiting and have a roster that will backup a situation like this. They have three DS on the roster that are not taller than 5-5 and seven hitters. I think he wished now that one of them was a setter. ESTRELLA |
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Post by IdahoBoy on Oct 6, 2004 14:23:27 GMT -5
Sorry to hear about the injury to Blotch. She's actually a decent setter.
If she doesn't heal up before the Sun Belt tourney, it will be no post-season for the Hilltoppers again.
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Post by EagleEye on Oct 6, 2004 15:59:12 GMT -5
I did some checking. Actually, they do have a player that was a setter in high school. She set part of the fourth game last night. One of the freshmen on the team was a setter as a frehman in high school and was being recruited last year by some division one schools to be a setter in college. She also set part of the fourth game last night.
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Post by EagleEye on Oct 6, 2004 16:07:59 GMT -5
If Western Kentucky can finish the season without losing more than two-three more matches going into the Conference tournament, they should, in my opinion, receive an at-large bid (if they don't win the tournament). Right now, they are 16 and 2. They are receiving votes in the AVCA poll. Their RPI will probably be better than last year (52, I think) when they should have received an at-large bid over some of the schools that were invited with a higher RPI. If, as some of you stated last year, the idea is to have the best 64 teams in the tournament, then Western Kentucky should be in the tournament, especially if Blotch is back by then.
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Post by IdahoBoy on Oct 6, 2004 17:10:47 GMT -5
Western Kentucky CANNOT afford ANY losses (with possible exception to New Mexico State) in conference to maintain a high enough RPI and respect to make the NCAA's.
I still stand by the fact that if they want to make the tournament, regardless of how many votes (9) they are getting now, that they HAVE to win their conference tournament. There are far too many teams that will be able to go further in the NCAA tournament than a banged up Western Kentucky on the bubble this year.
If they are as good as you say, then having Blotch back by the Conference tournament time should be enough to propel them to the automatic bid.
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Post by The Bofa on the Sofa on Oct 6, 2004 17:50:11 GMT -5
If, as some of you stated last year, the idea is to have the best 64 teams in the tournament, then Western Kentucky should be in the tournament, especially if Blotch is back by then. Unfortunately, the tournament is not for the best 64 teams. It is for the conference champions and the next best 33 teams (or whatever that number). Historically, when compared to something like BCR, that generally means that the top 40 - 45 are pretty solid, but after that it is touchy. As they were going, I think WKU was going to be ok. Losing an important player will hurt them. They can't afford losses to teams like Cincinnati any more. |
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Post by EagleEye on Oct 7, 2004 8:24:59 GMT -5
I find it interesting that you consider Western Kentucky as a team on the bubble. If the tournament selection was today and Western Kentucky was 16 and 2, you are saying they would be on the "bubble" for making the tournament?  If so, you prejudice against the Sun Belt and/or teams east of the Rockies not in the Big 12 or Big 10 is showing. SHAME ON YOU!!!!! |
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Post by rocket on Oct 7, 2004 13:54:25 GMT -5
Eagle Eye must be kidding. Western Kentucky has played one team ranked in the top 49 - Stanford. Illinois State is ranked 50, but I am not sure why. Cincy is 55, Marquette is 91 and Arkansas State is 115. The other 12 teams on the WKU schedule are over 130 with six of them higher than 225. There is nothing here that makes me think WKU is getting to the tourney unless they win the conference title.
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Post by INVBFan on Oct 7, 2004 16:41:38 GMT -5
Does anyone have an injury update on the WKU setter, or how long she might be out for?
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Post by BonJoeV on Oct 7, 2004 17:48:10 GMT -5
Eagle Eye must be kidding. Western Kentucky has played one team ranked in the top 49 - Stanford. Illinois State is ranked 50, but I am not sure why. Cincy is 55, Marquette is 91 and Arkansas State is 115. The other 12 teams on the WKU schedule are over 130 with six of them higher than 225. There is nothing here that makes me think WKU is getting to the tourney unless they win the conference title. I don't think EagleEye is kidding. This discussion has been had several times before with regards to both Western Kentucky and New Mexico State. Both programs do well within the Sun Belt Conference and against weaker D1 programs. I think your (& IB's) assessment is correct. At great risk of being labled an Everley Brothers fan  ... I think the difference between EageEye's opinion and others is simply that EagleEye does not (will not) recognize the difference in the relative schedule strength of Western Kentucky (and New Mexico State) vs. other programs that are competing against a greater number of top 50 programs. |
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Post by IdahoBoy on Oct 7, 2004 19:27:51 GMT -5
Eagle Eye, I still support you plugging your conference, I just am not going to roll over and tell you that your team deserves an automatic bid when they lose the conference tourney again.
They only have ONE solid win on their schedule this season, and that was at home to Illinois State of the MWC.
They could be 1000-2 and still not deserve the NCAA at-large bid if they are beating up on all the sixth graders, if you know what I mean.
I will admit... every season, Western Kentucky does seem to get better... they need to upgrade their schedule and they need to beat a team that is also on the bubble to merit making the NCAA's IF they lose their conference tourney.
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Post by EagleEye on Oct 8, 2004 8:35:13 GMT -5
According to a newspaper article (I don't remember which newspaper - getting older), Western Kentucky was third on the last year's list of teams that did not get an at-large bid. They did upgrade their schedule this year and would have tried to even upgrade it more but a preconference tournament weekend was eliminated this year by the NCAA due to the the way some dates fell on the calendar. Western Kentucky added the Marquette tournament (conferencec USA), had South Florida and Illinois State in their own tournament, and played in the Northwestern Tournament against Northwestern (NCAA Bid last year), Stanford, and Villanova. This year's RPI for Western Kentucky will probably be better than last year's. They have tried to add Louisville to their schedule in the past years. Louisville refuses to play them. Likewise - Kentucky. It amazes me when a team like Florida loses to Texas and the pollsters still rank Florida ahead of undefeated Texas. But if a New Mexico State or Western Kentucky teams loses a match to a so-called lower team, they shouldn't be even considered for the tournament. Hypocritcial, if you ask me. And if you don't ask me , still hypocritical!
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Post by EagleEye on Oct 8, 2004 9:20:10 GMT -5
Supposedly, Caron Blotch has a "clean" fracture of the hand. She is probably out four to six weeks; however, I heard a rumor that they might do a procedure where she would be back one to two weeks earlier.
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If so, you prejudice against the Sun Belt and/or teams east of the Rockies not in the Big 12 or Big 10 is showing. SHAME ON YOU!!!!!
... I think the difference between EageEye's opinion and others is simply that EagleEye does not (will not) recognize the difference in the relative schedule strength of Western Kentucky (and New Mexico State) vs. other programs that are competing against a greater number of top 50 programs.