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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2016 10:51:16 GMT -5
Wooo... another year, another chance for me to be totally wrong a mess this all up. I know that it's only 3 matches in, but this is a weekly thing d@mnit and I will speculate wildly on a small sample size if I want to. Without further ado, I present my rankings so far this season... which are not actually rankings Tier 1: Nebraska (2-0,0-0): Hello, my name is rampageripster and I have Maysophobia. I wake up with GBR ringing in my ears and every time I look into a bottle of beer that horrific inflatable nightmare is staring blankly back at me.... Huskers get the whole tier to themselves since they just went and thoroughly dismantled 2 Top 10 teams. Tier 2: Minnesota: (1-1, 0-0): Eh... nothing really here. Loss @ Stanford is respectable and they took care of business against USD. Tough weekend in the Gulf coming up. Get two good wins there and we can talk about Tier 1. Wisconsin: (3-0, 0-0): I really wanted to put y'all in Tier 1... but Hawaii has all sorts of issues and I'm not ready to put too much stock in that win. Next week is cream-puff, so unless Hawaii and Arizona do something awesome next week, you're stuck here for the time being... until that brutal end to the OCC... oy. Tier 3: Ohio St (3-0, 0-0): Kicked the crap out of marshmallows and then had to scratch and scramble for a 5-setter over TAMU. Good win, but I want to see something more to overcome my pre-season thoughts especially because Sandbothe had to go full out beast-mode or else we would have had ZERO offense against the Aggies. Beat BYU and Wyoming this weekend and I'll be more intrigued. Penn St: (2-1, 0-0): Maybe stop scheduling the Tar Heels? That would be solid advice. I think this team has more potential and I'm not ready to dance on the grave yet. Stanford and Colorado next week... gotta get a W there. Tier 4: Illinois: (2-1, 0-0): WTF Illini?!?! That's a rough loss. A the end of last season I thought they may take a step back. The sweep of X is solid... and I guess I can't get too wrapped up in an opening weekend loss to a decent mid-major, but ugh... Purdue: (2-1, 0-0): Two good wins in Wyoming and WSU and a close loss to a decent Kentucky team. The Boilers may have something to work with here, but they're gonna have to work their way up the tiers. Tier 5 (the creampuff zone) Michigan (3-0, 0-0): Play someone with a pulse Michigan St (3-0, 0-0): See above Northwestern (3-0, 0-0): Same Maryland (3-0, 0-0): I guess the Terps would be thrilled to say this... like those guys Iowa (3-0, 0-0): This is getting boring Indiana (3-0, 0-0): Ok... this is just pathetic guys Tier 6 (the lose to the creampuff zone... also known as Rutgers) Rutgers (3-1, 0-0): SO CLOSE!!!! Re: The creampuff zone. Would you really tell the parents of the players on Northern Iowa, Miami (ohio), Saint Louis, San Diego State, Denver, Marist, Virginia etc. that their daughters' team does not have a pulse ?
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Post by big10volleyballfan on Aug 30, 2016 10:51:36 GMT -5
Wooo... another year, another chance for me to be totally wrong a mess this all up. I know that it's only 3 matches in, but this is a weekly thing d@mnit and I will speculate wildly on a small sample size if I want to. Without further ado, I present my rankings so far this season... which are not actually rankings Tier 1: Nebraska (2-0,0-0): Hello, my name is rampageripster and I have Maysophobia. I wake up with GBR ringing in my ears and every time I look into a bottle of beer that horrific inflatable nightmare is staring blankly back at me.... Huskers get the whole tier to themselves since they just went and thoroughly dismantled 2 Top 10 teams. Tier 2: Minnesota: (1-1, 0-0): Eh... nothing really here. Loss @ Stanford is respectable and they took care of business against USD. Tough weekend in the Gulf coming up. Get two good wins there and we can talk about Tier 1. Wisconsin: (3-0, 0-0): I really wanted to put y'all in Tier 1... but Hawaii has all sorts of issues and I'm not ready to put too much stock in that win. Next week is cream-puff, so unless Hawaii and Arizona do something awesome next week, you're stuck here for the time being... until that brutal end to the OCC... oy. Tier 3: Ohio St (3-0, 0-0): Kicked the crap out of marshmallows and then had to scratch and scramble for a 5-setter over TAMU. Good win, but I want to see something more to overcome my pre-season thoughts especially because Sandbothe had to go full out beast-mode or else we would have had ZERO offense against the Aggies. Beat BYU and Wyoming this weekend and I'll be more intrigued. Penn St: (2-1, 0-0): Maybe stop scheduling the Tar Heels? That would be solid advice. I think this team has more potential and I'm not ready to dance on the grave yet. Stanford and Colorado next week... gotta get a W there. Tier 4: Illinois: (2-1, 0-0): WTF Illini?!?! That's a rough loss. A the end of last season I thought they may take a step back. The sweep of X is solid... and I guess I can't get too wrapped up in an opening weekend loss to a decent mid-major, but ugh... Purdue: (2-1, 0-0): Two good wins in Wyoming and WSU and a close loss to a decent Kentucky team. The Boilers may have something to work with here, but they're gonna have to work their way up the tiers. Tier 5 (the creampuff zone) Michigan (3-0, 0-0): Play someone with a pulse Michigan St (3-0, 0-0): See above Northwestern (3-0, 0-0): Same Maryland (3-0, 0-0): I guess the Terps would be thrilled to say this... like those guys Iowa (3-0, 0-0): This is getting boring Indiana (3-0, 0-0): Ok... this is just pathetic guys Tier 6 (the lose to the creampuff zone... also known as Rutgers) Rutgers (3-1, 0-0): SO CLOSE!!!! Great early season write-up. Nebraska is awesome, but also have to wonder how that pressure feels (much like PSU felt for years) given that unless the national championship banner rises again in Lincoln, their season will be viewed as a bust. Definitely going to be interesting to see how PSU responds mentally, since it has been a very long time since they were looking up at the Top 10 nationally and the setting position remains a huge question mark. Illinois has potential, but they sure have been up-and-down quite a bit over the past couple of years. Purdue is likely going to surprise some teams....Kentucky is good, and Purdue came back from 0-2 (with the youngest squad ever in the Shondell era) only to lose 20-18 in the fifth set. As for cream puffery, some of the Big 10 teams will always play a bunch of marshmallows in the pre-season in order to give themselves a shot at a +0.500 season and still squeeze into the tourney with a risky RPI number at the end. Being a member of easily the best conference in the nation has it's downsides, since earning a winning conference record is very difficult to obtain every year. Frankly, the requirement to have a +0.500 record in order to make the tournament is bogus. If RPI is the holy grail, then that is solely the metric that should be used by the NCAA committee.
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Post by durtpile on Aug 30, 2016 10:52:00 GMT -5
"....if they ran the table and only drop a set to the first team they played, what would you say?" I'd say they were a crazy great team, maybe the best evah. That said, it is far too early to be crowning the Huskers with glory. Lot of volleyball left to play.......but I repeat myself. "Protect the Queens' turf at any cost," said Russ Rose. And with that, all Lion minions dutifully scampered to this chat board to ensure the legacy of Rose and his Queens was intact. Good job, durtpile. Good job, indeed. A Lion minion? That IS just too funny. My relationship with Rose is limited to sending him flyers for the free all-you-can-eat donut buffet.
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Post by huskergeek on Aug 30, 2016 11:14:40 GMT -5
"Reminds me of" does not equal "the same as". I don't think anyone is saying that Nebraska is that Penn State team. I sure don't think anything like that and I am completely happy to view the world through Scarlet and Cream colored goggles. Finding similarities between two things does not preclude finding differences as well. Nor does it preclude the possibility that they are structured the same but to vastly different degrees and outcomes. Why is anything in that quote a big deal? BS. ballvolley made a qualitative comparison. > NEBRASKA is just crazy loaded This has been said many times, by many people. > reminds me of Penn State in '08 with All-Americans at every position. Covered previously, but why not again . . . Kadie Rolfzen - Opp - 1st Team All-American Amber Rolfzen - MB - 2nd Team All-American Briana Holman - MB - 1st Team All-American Michaela Foecke - OH - Honorable Mention All-American Justine Wong-Orantes - L - 3rd Team All-American Kelly Hunter - S - Honorable Mention All-American By my count that is pretty much an All-American at every position, and again "reminds me of" does not equal "the same as." My friend's basement projector reminds me of a movie theater when we turn off the lights watching a game, but my friend's basement is not a movie theater. See how that works? > Unfair! Pretty sure this was said in jest. > Will be interesting to see how Cook gets the freshmen some experience since they are such a veteran team. Observation and statement of personal interest. > But I imagine they will stampede over many teams, opening the door for lots of playing time. Most good teams stampede a bunch of teams during the season, it is not outrageous to imagine Nebraska doing this. Sometimes people want to be offended.
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Post by buckybadger8 on Aug 30, 2016 11:20:00 GMT -5
Great post rampage. You've been considerably quiet seeing that this could very well be the Buckeyes year. Thought we'd see more excitement from you , but if you're like me, you're anticipating this weekend with Wyoming/BYU in town. I am excited to see those matches!
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Post by secsportsfan on Aug 30, 2016 11:20:32 GMT -5
BS. ballvolley made a qualitative comparison. > NEBRASKA is just crazy loaded This has been said many times, by many people. > reminds me of Penn State in '08 with All-Americans at every position. Covered previously, but why not again . . . Kadie Rolfzen - Opp - 1st Team All-American Amber Rolfzen - MB - 2nd Team All-American Briana Holman - MB - 1st Team All-American Michaela Foecke - OH - Honorable Mention All-American Justine Wong-Orantes - L - 3rd Team All-American Kelly Hunter - S - Honorable Mention All-American By my count that is pretty much an All-American at every position, and again "reminds me of" does not equal "the same as." My friend's basement projector reminds me of a movie theater when we turn off the lights watching a game, but my friend's basement is not a movie theater. See how that works? > Unfair! Pretty sure this was said in jest. > Will be interesting to see how Cook gets the freshmen some experience since they are such a veteran team. Observation and statement of personal interest. > But I imagine they will stampede over many teams, opening the door for lots of playing time. Most good teams stampede a bunch of teams during the season, it is not outrageous to imagine Nebraska doing this. Sometimes people want to be offended. You're the real MVP right now. I salute you.
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Post by durtpile on Aug 30, 2016 11:48:57 GMT -5
Great post rampage. You've been considerably quiet seeing that this could very well be the Buckeyes year. Thought we'd see more excitement from you , but if you're like me, you're anticipating this weekend with Wyoming/BYU in town. I am excited to see those matches! The Badgers look loaded this year. I watched their match with the Wawahines, and was very impressed. I could see them and the Huskers at the top two spots all year.
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Post by Boof1224 on Aug 30, 2016 11:56:20 GMT -5
Great post rampage. You've been considerably quiet seeing that this could very well be the Buckeyes year. Thought we'd see more excitement from you , but if you're like me, you're anticipating this weekend with Wyoming/BYU in town. I am excited to see those matches! The Badgers look loaded this year. I watched their match with the Wawahines, and was very impressed. I could see them and the Huskers at the top two spots all year. Wasn't Hawaii down two of their better player that match?
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Post by Boof1224 on Aug 30, 2016 12:00:32 GMT -5
The Badgers just got bad luck. They get Carlini at a time u had psu and Nebraska in your own conference at extreme powerhouses. Psu the first two years now Nebraska the second two. Is this the year carlini finally beats psu. She's got one last shot barring they meet in tourny.
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Post by durtpile on Aug 30, 2016 12:03:08 GMT -5
The Badgers look loaded this year. I watched their match with the Wawahines, and was very impressed. I could see them and the Huskers at the top two spots all year. Wasn't Hawaii down two of their better player that match? Actually, I think it was three, but that doesn't take away from what Wisconsin did. Playing in Honolulu...beating UH, UA & KSU and dropped only 1 set. That, in anyone's book, is a very good weekend.
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Post by Boof1224 on Aug 30, 2016 12:06:01 GMT -5
Wasn't Hawaii down two of their better player that match? Yes, but that doesn't take away from what Wisconsin did. Playing in Honolulu...beating UH, UA & KSU and dropped only 1 set. That, in anyone's book, is a very good weekend. I'm not taking anything from badgers. They are a very good team and did have great weekend. Just pointing out some things that can change a match. Not to say badgers wouldn't have won anyway but just saying
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Post by bballnut90 on Aug 30, 2016 12:19:04 GMT -5
The Husker roster reminds me a lot of 2001 and 2007. All 3 squads have a slew of All Americans returning, have a huge talent coming back after taking a year off (Metcalfe/Houghtelling/Pavan) and are coming off a national championship season. Both teams came out like gang busters early in the season and eventually dropped a tough road match (Long Beach State and Texas). In 2001 and 2007, the Huskers ultimately faltered in the NCAAs, but were still the title favorite (or at least consensus top 2) entering the tournament.
What will happen this year? Who knows. Similarly to those squads, they came out firing on all cylinders early in the year, the returnee/new player (Holman) looks like she'll be a great fit in the middle, and they look great. The question will be can they play consistent VB throughout the season and avoid peaking too early like they did in 01 and 07.
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Post by bballnut90 on Aug 30, 2016 12:20:21 GMT -5
Great post rampage. You've been considerably quiet seeing that this could very well be the Buckeyes year. Thought we'd see more excitement from you , but if you're like me, you're anticipating this weekend with Wyoming/BYU in town. I am excited to see those matches! The Badgers look loaded this year. I watched their match with the Wawahines, and was very impressed. I could see them and the Huskers at the top two spots all year. I think Badgers stay top 5 all year long, might lose a match or two. Nebraska stays at the top of the heap most of the year, maybe a blemish or two along the way. If they meet in the post season, I'm putting all of my money on Carlini in her senior year to lead the Badgers to the promise land.
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Post by badgerbreath on Aug 30, 2016 12:21:01 GMT -5
Wasn't Hawaii down two of their better player that match? Actually, I think it was three, but that doesn't take away from what Wisconsin did. Playing in Honolulu...beating UH, UA & KSU and dropped only 1 set. That, in anyone's book, is a very good weekend. It was two and a half: Greeley played back row. I think the changes and fluidity of Hawaii and Arizona personnel and formations threw the badgers a little bit. In-game adjustments to major changes were a little slow. That is other side of the coin when you are dealing with a tightly coached team, I guess. Still, when the chips were down they generally pulled it out. A good experience. Also, when they faced a more settled team, who arguably was the second best in the tournament, they did much better. Badgers could get better. RS attack could improve. Technical things like covering blockers and tips were a little off, as they usually seem to be this time of year. Communication and defensive intensity wasn't always there. Block was OK, a lot of good positive touches at the net, but as usual for this time of year its a work in progress that will likely get better. Bates is green at libero. Badgers will be a tough defensive team the way Haggerty, Bates and Gillis are playing backrow. I think they are worth the 2nd position based on the initial position and what they achieved. They don't look look like mid-season top two team. But, frankly, no one does except Neb right now.
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Post by ciscokeed on Aug 30, 2016 12:36:58 GMT -5
Ah Rampage. You are the true MVP of this board!( most valuable poster). Funny inciteful and accurate- I've missed your commentary!!
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