|
Post by guest2 on Nov 29, 2017 12:14:52 GMT -5
Really glad April decided to go for broke, rather than another, "let hope for 3rd" partnership like last year. Can't wait to see April and her new giant play Larissa and hers Agreed, This is what these players should be doing. Finding the player with the best fit, no matter points. I guess this is part of the reason the greats are the greats, they don't settle.. Klineman had multiple wins against the 2nd tier AVP teams, with 2nd tier or lower partners. I like our top 4 teams heading into 2018. I'd put this depth up against Brazil, and Germany. (No Order) Summer/Brooke April/Alix Kelly/Sarah Day/Britt when you add in Keri and Nicole, it's going to get real fun. I wouldnt go quite that far yet, but a reasonable best case scenario for the US by the end of the season is to have two teams in the mix to win events on a given weekend with a little luck (April/Alix and Sara/Kelly) and another team that can turn good draws and weaker fields into a few podium finishes.
|
|
|
Post by tamz on Nov 29, 2017 12:23:44 GMT -5
True.
Not to be mean, although Em and Brit dominated in AVP events, but couldn’t get past Round of 16 or Quarterfinals in the FIVB events.
Summer and Brooke are working on it, but the draw never seems to go their way.
|
|
|
Post by tamz on Nov 29, 2017 12:51:26 GMT -5
Yep, Fendrick listed with Karissa Cook now. That means eight USA women’s teams listed now.
|
|
|
Post by geddyleeridesagain on Nov 29, 2017 12:58:16 GMT -5
Larissa's "giant" is about 6'1."
As for April, picking up Alix is a bit of a calculated risk, but I think it's one worth taking, particularly if April wants to continue to primarily play behind a block. Internationally, I think they'll take some lumps in 2018 (for comparison, Pavan played eight FIVB events her first season, and finished 25th or worse in half of them). But I assume April is looking at this long term, which is to have Alix - who is a very good all-around player and mobile at 6'5" - playing at a high level by the time Olympic qualification begins in 2019. I also think April and Alix's personalities mesh well, which isn't the end all or be all, but certainly makes things easier.
|
|
|
Post by geddyleeridesagain on Nov 29, 2017 13:04:51 GMT -5
Yep, Fendrick listed with Karissa Cook now. That means eight USA women’s teams listed now. I actually think that will an interesting team to watch this season. Cook is good - she was playing out of position last season, having to block in front of Katie Spieler (a very skilled player, but she's four feet tall). Now she gets to play behind a big, experienced blocker. I can see them getting some good results on the AVP. Internationally, I'm not sure.
|
|
|
Post by tamz on Nov 29, 2017 13:11:13 GMT -5
Larissa's "giant" is about 6'1." As for April, picking up Alix is a bit of a calculated risk, but I think it's one worth taking, particularly if April wants to continue to primarily play behind a block. Internationally, I think they'll take some lumps in 2018 (for comparison, Pavan played eight FIVB events her first season, and finished 25th or worse in half of them). But I assume April is looking at this long term, which is to have Alix - who is a very good all-around player and mobile at 6'5" - playing at a high level by the time Olympic qualification begins in 2019. I also think April and Alix's personalities mesh well, which isn't the end all or be all, but certainly makes things easier. In the podcast: April knows this is a risk, but sees benefits of it in the long term and hopes Alix will be the one she goes to Tokyo with. April knows she and Alix will have to play in country quota but she’s up for it.
|
|
|
Post by crawdaddy on Nov 29, 2017 13:12:24 GMT -5
Yep, Fendrick listed with Karissa Cook now. That means eight USA women’s teams listed now. I actually think that will an interesting team to watch this season. Cook is good - she was playing out of position last season, having to block in front of Katie Spieler (a very skilled player, but she's four feet tall). Now she gets to play behind a big, experienced blocker. I can see them getting some good results on the AVP. Internationally, I'm not sure. A bit surprised Fendrick isn't teaming with Carico since they planned to play last season before April called.
|
|
|
Post by JB Southpaw on Nov 29, 2017 13:16:03 GMT -5
Agreed, This is what these players should be doing. Finding the player with the best fit, no matter points. I guess this is part of the reason the greats are the greats, they don't settle.. Klineman had multiple wins against the 2nd tier AVP teams, with 2nd tier or lower partners. I like our top 4 teams heading into 2018. I'd put this depth up against Brazil, and Germany. (No Order) Summer/Brooke April/Alix Kelly/Sarah Day/Britt when you add in Keri and Nicole, it's going to get real fun. I wouldnt go quite that far yet, but a reasonable best case scenario for the US by the end of the season is to have two teams in the mix to win events on a given weekend with a little luck (April/Alix and Sara/Kelly) and another team that can turn good draws and weaker fields into a few podium finishes. Which is better than we were this last year. All but the Killer As pulled 9th or better in 5 stars last year.
|
|
|
Post by JB Southpaw on Nov 29, 2017 13:17:53 GMT -5
Larissa's "giant" is about 6'1." As for April, picking up Alix is a bit of a calculated risk, but I think it's one worth taking, particularly if April wants to continue to primarily play behind a block. Internationally, I think they'll take some lumps in 2018 (for comparison, Pavan played eight FIVB events her first season, and finished 25th or worse in half of them). But I assume April is looking at this long term, which is to have Alix - who is a very good all-around player and mobile at 6'5" - playing at a high level by the time Olympic qualification begins in 2019. I also think April and Alix's personalities mesh well, which isn't the end all or be all, but certainly makes things easier. Thanks for the info. I'd like to hear more about Alix's game. Thanks on the Cook info too.
|
|
|
Post by guest2 on Nov 29, 2017 13:19:19 GMT -5
True. Not to be mean, although Em and Brit dominated in AVP events, but couldn’t get past Round of 16 or Quarterfinals in the FIVB events. Summer and Brooke are working on it, but the draw never seems to go their way. I thought Summer and Brooke got a lot of good breaks in the draw last year. Starting with their run to the semis in Florida where they didnt play a top 20 team until the semis
|
|
|
Post by crawdaddy on Nov 29, 2017 14:01:04 GMT -5
Larissa's "giant" is about 6'1." As for April, picking up Alix is a bit of a calculated risk, but I think it's one worth taking, particularly if April wants to continue to primarily play behind a block. Internationally, I think they'll take some lumps in 2018 (for comparison, Pavan played eight FIVB events her first season, and finished 25th or worse in half of them). But I assume April is looking at this long term, which is to have Alix - who is a very good all-around player and mobile at 6'5" - playing at a high level by the time Olympic qualification begins in 2019. I also think April and Alix's personalities mesh well, which isn't the end all or be all, but certainly makes things easier. Thanks for the info. I'd like to hear more about Alix's game. Thanks on the Cook info too. I watched Alix a fair amount last season. When she gets a decent set, she's pretty unstoppable offensively - hits high and deep and has a nice array of shots that are almost impossible to track down because of the angle of attack. Sets quite well given her experience. Her blocking needs work (she's not close to a Walsh level blocker yet) - she can be a little slow to penetrate and/or try to take up too much space and gets used more than she should. She generally passes well, but can struggle passing when it gets a little windy. Has problems with the broken/out-of-system plays as you might expect. All her faults are things I would expect to improve quite a bit given her limited experience. But totally concur with Geddy that there will be some poor finishes along the way to improvement. That said, I think April made the right move and did it at the right time.
|
|
|
Post by JB Southpaw on Nov 29, 2017 14:02:19 GMT -5
True. Not to be mean, although Em and Brit dominated in AVP events, but couldn’t get past Round of 16 or Quarterfinals in the FIVB events. Summer and Brooke are working on it, but the draw never seems to go their way. I thought Summer and Brooke got a lot of good breaks in the draw last year. Starting with their run to the semis in Florida where they didnt play a top 20 team until the semis Every tournament, there is an easier side of the bracket, got to take advantage of it when you can. Just went through their 2017 FIVB results, they beat some top 10 teams. Lost to some +15 seeded teams too.
|
|
|
Post by donnyw on Nov 29, 2017 14:16:04 GMT -5
I like this group of women’s teams too.....
I personally don’t feel like the teams of Brooke & summer or Brit & Em are FIVB material. I agree that Brooke & Summer got more than a few easy draws in 2017. Brit & Em are a quarterfinal team at best. The verdict is still out on April & Alix Also, Can Kerri return healthy enough to be competitive with these younger USA teammates? Time will tell...
I see potential in this group....Looking 3 years ahead to Toyko...I can definitely see an Olympic podium...
|
|
|
Post by JB Southpaw on Nov 29, 2017 14:30:36 GMT -5
I hope the A-Team will serve tough like they do on the AVP, both April and Alix are near the top in Aces.
|
|
|
Post by crawdaddy on Nov 29, 2017 14:53:53 GMT -5
I hope the A-Team will serve tough like they do on the AVP, both April and Alix are near the top in Aces. Should have mentioned this in my summary of AK's skills - her float serve is something special.
|
|