Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2017 14:46:45 GMT -5
In 2017, the ACC saw teams have an improved preseason and a tighter conference race. However, the NCAA tournament was not good to the ACC. Some teams will grow stronger with 2018, others will have to rebuild after graduation.
Pittsburgh: Losing Mariah Bell who was more or less replaced by Kayla Lund the later part of the season. Return major core of players and will be led by Williams, Akeo, and Markovic. Should be very good and balanced offensively, but the block and back row need polishing.
Louisville: Louisville loses some big seniors in Wiley, Clark, and DeJong. That is a lot of leadership and offensive power. They have a large recruiting class but they are not your class full of ranked players. However, they are getting Aiko Jones a Jamaicaan All-Star and key middles. With Rivera, McHenry, and Bennett, the Cards should continue to grow.
Miami: Losing Stranzali will be huge. she led the team in kills and was the leader of the team. Good news for Miami is their recruiting class and returning RS and OH2.
NC State: Will have to make up for the loss of Bailey, Brown, and Kearney. Should see a decent year but maybe not as good as this one. Harris at libero, Prickrell setting, and Sopitan will help keep things tough for competitors.
Notre Dame: This group is always interesting. They started off hot this year and really crumbled towards the end. They lose key seniors in Johnson, Fry, and Kuhn. they will need Yeadon, Woodard, and DeJarld to steer them towards success.
Florida State: FSU saw a down year. Knuth, Ambrose, and Williams should do well on the offensive end. However, the loss of Kabura, Woie, and Calkins is going to hurt. Berkert and Tiejens will need to build chemistry with new players.
Syracuse: Young team. With Trotter, Saade, and Gorelina along side Ebangwese, the Orange could rise higher in the ACC standings.
Duke: Losing Bates and Elatrache are key losses. However, with Nelson setting and Meyer, Brown, and Owikinaran holding the middle and Schwantz returning, the Blue Devils should creep back into the top half if they find a solid libero.
North Carolina: The Heels lose Nordhorn and Fricano but return a ton of talent. Leath will have Scoles alongside her on the pins and playing six rotations, Evans will hold the setting duties with Carlton, Borup will join Carlton on the RS, and the middle will be very good with Esterly and Fields. If Fradenburg or Hough are able to win the libero spot, the Heels are going to return to form. Add in the top 10-15 recruiting class featuring Cox, Harrison, and Bell, and the Heels may reclaim the top of the ACC.
Georgia Tech: Like Miami, losing their star in Stabvnechi will require a new leader. Wilson, Clifton, and Komby will carry a lot of offense with a new setter. however, this is a young team with a lot of upside.
Wake Forest: WF is becoming a more fundamentally sound team than a scrappy one. Long will graduate but Rossenfoss, Kuhn, and Wolf will look to build the program.
Virginia Tech: Jill Wilson saw some glimpses of hope for her team this year. Smith and Tolbert need some help on the offensive end for this team to be successful and continue improving.
Boston College, Virginia, Clemson: All are very similar. New incoming recruits have the ability to make an impact, but will be a slow climb.
Pittsburgh: Losing Mariah Bell who was more or less replaced by Kayla Lund the later part of the season. Return major core of players and will be led by Williams, Akeo, and Markovic. Should be very good and balanced offensively, but the block and back row need polishing.
Louisville: Louisville loses some big seniors in Wiley, Clark, and DeJong. That is a lot of leadership and offensive power. They have a large recruiting class but they are not your class full of ranked players. However, they are getting Aiko Jones a Jamaicaan All-Star and key middles. With Rivera, McHenry, and Bennett, the Cards should continue to grow.
Miami: Losing Stranzali will be huge. she led the team in kills and was the leader of the team. Good news for Miami is their recruiting class and returning RS and OH2.
NC State: Will have to make up for the loss of Bailey, Brown, and Kearney. Should see a decent year but maybe not as good as this one. Harris at libero, Prickrell setting, and Sopitan will help keep things tough for competitors.
Notre Dame: This group is always interesting. They started off hot this year and really crumbled towards the end. They lose key seniors in Johnson, Fry, and Kuhn. they will need Yeadon, Woodard, and DeJarld to steer them towards success.
Florida State: FSU saw a down year. Knuth, Ambrose, and Williams should do well on the offensive end. However, the loss of Kabura, Woie, and Calkins is going to hurt. Berkert and Tiejens will need to build chemistry with new players.
Syracuse: Young team. With Trotter, Saade, and Gorelina along side Ebangwese, the Orange could rise higher in the ACC standings.
Duke: Losing Bates and Elatrache are key losses. However, with Nelson setting and Meyer, Brown, and Owikinaran holding the middle and Schwantz returning, the Blue Devils should creep back into the top half if they find a solid libero.
North Carolina: The Heels lose Nordhorn and Fricano but return a ton of talent. Leath will have Scoles alongside her on the pins and playing six rotations, Evans will hold the setting duties with Carlton, Borup will join Carlton on the RS, and the middle will be very good with Esterly and Fields. If Fradenburg or Hough are able to win the libero spot, the Heels are going to return to form. Add in the top 10-15 recruiting class featuring Cox, Harrison, and Bell, and the Heels may reclaim the top of the ACC.
Georgia Tech: Like Miami, losing their star in Stabvnechi will require a new leader. Wilson, Clifton, and Komby will carry a lot of offense with a new setter. however, this is a young team with a lot of upside.
Wake Forest: WF is becoming a more fundamentally sound team than a scrappy one. Long will graduate but Rossenfoss, Kuhn, and Wolf will look to build the program.
Virginia Tech: Jill Wilson saw some glimpses of hope for her team this year. Smith and Tolbert need some help on the offensive end for this team to be successful and continue improving.
Boston College, Virginia, Clemson: All are very similar. New incoming recruits have the ability to make an impact, but will be a slow climb.