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Post by dawgnerd on Dec 10, 2018 20:19:19 GMT -5
Those Dawg-Pack seats are some of the best seats in the house, and often they're mostly empty. Be nice if someone can figure that out. The drop-off in Dawg Pack attendance had a radical drop-off somewhere mid-season. I have no clue why, but someone in the athletic department needs to learn why and fix it. It's really sad when the 'Go' is much quieter than the 'Huskies'. And bringing all of the folks down from the upper levels is a bandaid. One other thing that I really want to see at UW, having seen it on most playoff broadcasts, is to play the feed from the refs monitor on challenges, in the gym and on air. It is what everyone wants to be seeing anyways. If refs do not want to be second guessed, they need to get another job - it proves them right a lot of the time anyways.
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Post by jengal on Dec 10, 2018 20:27:14 GMT -5
Just from Cook's comments, I wouldn't be surprised to see him put Drechsel back at L2, hopefully with an improved passing performance. That would leave the OPP spot open to whoever could win it: Cole, Hoffman, Crenshaw, or Summers. I'm not so sure Drechsel at L2 is a good idea. For one thing, Drechsel's passing skills are substantially worse than either Hoffman or Crenshaw (but, ahem, I'm not gonna call her a "big goon"). I don't have a lot of faith that this will improve so dramatically that she could start receiving/passing at the level the Huskies will require next year. And if she required a DS every time she rotated into the back row, and whoever played Opposite also needed a DS . . . well, I'm not sure that's going to be workable. For another, I think she's more comfortable in the Opposite role. I also think that Hoffman (and probably Crenshaw) is a better out of system hitter than Drechsel right now. Hoffman has a greater range of shots and is less prone to errors, and I think she'll only get better in this regard. A left side hitter has to "take out the garbage" more often than an Opposite. Drechsel tends to need a good set to get a good hit. I agree. She was moved to opposite for a reason! She hits much better there. I thought Crenshaw did a good job in the back row, but they went away from her late in the season. Not sure why?
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Post by mikegarrison on Dec 10, 2018 20:33:58 GMT -5
The drop-off in Dawg Pack attendance had a radical drop-off somewhere mid-season. I have no clue why Maybe right around the time that the Huskies lost five matches in a row? UW students are no less motivated by winning than anyone else is. For a while there it looked like Huskies were barely going to limp into the tournament on the strength of their RPI. They ended up playing better after that (in part due to Hoffman being inserted into the lineup), but I'm not sure they recovered the interest of the students.
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Post by alwayslearning on Dec 10, 2018 20:59:33 GMT -5
The drop-off in Dawg Pack attendance had a radical drop-off somewhere mid-season. I have no clue why Maybe right around the time that the Huskies lost five matches in a row? UW students are no less motivated by winning than anyone else is. For a while there it looked like Huskies were barely going to limp into the tournament on the strength of their RPI. They ended up playing better after that (in part due to Hoffman being inserted into the lineup), but I'm not sure they recovered the interest of the students. These are all good points and everyone likes a winner. But I still think that someone has to step up and be a catalyst, whether it comes from the athletic department or not. I'm just not sure there are enough hard core volleyball fans to consistently show up, without a catalyst or organizer, even when the team is relatively successful.
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Post by alwayslearning on Dec 10, 2018 21:06:46 GMT -5
I'm not so sure Drechsel at L2 is a good idea. For one thing, Drechsel's passing skills are substantially worse than either Hoffman or Crenshaw (but, ahem, I'm not gonna call her a "big goon"). I don't have a lot of faith that this will improve so dramatically that she could start receiving/passing at the level the Huskies will require next year. And if she required a DS every time she rotated into the back row, and whoever played Opposite also needed a DS . . . well, I'm not sure that's going to be workable. For another, I think she's more comfortable in the Opposite role. I also think that Hoffman (and probably Crenshaw) is a better out of system hitter than Drechsel right now. Hoffman has a greater range of shots and is less prone to errors, and I think she'll only get better in this regard. A left side hitter has to "take out the garbage" more often than an Opposite. Drechsel tends to need a good set to get a good hit. I agree. She was moved to opposite for a reason! She hits much better there. I thought Crenshaw did a good job in the back row, but they went away from her late in the season. Not sure why? Crenshaw did a pretty good job in the back row, helping to shore it up when it really needed shoring up early in the conference season. She lost that role when Hoffman was inserted as a six-rotation player after not having played a set all season. At some point during that five-game losing streak, Crenshaw had her worst passing game of the season. Perhaps that helped spark Cook and Co. to burn Hoffman's redshirt. I think Crenshaw can be a really good six-rotation outside hitter. The competition between her and Hoffman (and perhaps Dani Cole) can only be a good thing heading into next season. Right now I suspect Hoffman may be the better hitter and Crenshaw might be a little bit quicker in back row defense. By all means, however, let the best all-around player take the job.
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Post by DaDawgFather on Dec 10, 2018 21:48:36 GMT -5
Statistically we've been giving up a little bit year to year both offensively and defensively. Hopefully we'll reverse the trend in 2019.
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Post by ay2013 on Dec 10, 2018 22:22:04 GMT -5
Passing and backcourt D. If we could sub out an OH and our RS in all rotations with two quality defender/passers I'd be a happy camper. Houghton isn't bad for a walk on, but she'll be a freshmen Haven't seen much of Calle in game time since she's stepped on campus. Onosko isn't the answer back there. Oregon will have so many backrow players they won't even know what to do with them. Come a few hundred miles north, please and thanks.
I think good things to come in 2019, generally. I'm not overly impressed with Powell's ability to better the ball yet, and god knows she had plenty of opportunity to get better at that skill as she pretty much ran a marathon every match chasing passes.
I think we'll be happy with Summers. She elevates effortlessly.
This is a team that can make a legit final four push.
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Post by redbeard2008 on Dec 11, 2018 1:27:39 GMT -5
The problem I have with the pre-scheduled pre-recorded music and features and dance-cam and all that artificial hoopla is it does the exact opposite of what it's intending to do. The fans are into the match and really loud and a timeout is called, the PA system literally drowns out the crowd and brings everything to a halt. Then the blaring audio ends and there is silence in the arena. If you're relatively close, you can actually hear the coaches talking with the players. Those Dawg-Pack seats are some of the best seats in the house, and often they're mostly empty. Be nice if someone can figure that out. As an RS, she's getting less consistent back-sets and fewer attacks. The reasoning for Drechsel at L2 is that it is easier to set her on the left, especially when out-of-system. She has at least a 50% chance of facing the setter as a blocker. She's our "heaviest arm", according to Cook, so should be put where she can do the most damage. She'll likely be stepping into the L1 role in 2020, with then Endsly taking it over in 2021. Yes, her passing needs to improve, but Cook apparently thinks it can. Playing Beach this spring should help. On the other hand, Hoffman or Crenshaw could play six rotations as an RS (which is how JMac used Summer Ross). Or Cole or Summers could play three rotations at RS.
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Post by alwayslearning on Dec 11, 2018 11:50:30 GMT -5
Passing and backcourt D. If we could sub out an OH and our RS in all rotations with two quality defender/passers I'd be a happy camper. Houghton isn't bad for a walk on, but she'll be a freshmen Haven't seen much of Calle in game time since she's stepped on campus. Onosko isn't the answer back there. Oregon will have so many backrow players they won't even know what to do with them. Come a few hundred miles north, please and thanks. I think good things to come in 2019, generally. I'm not overly impressed with Powell's ability to better the ball yet, and god knows she had plenty of opportunity to get better at that skill as she pretty much ran a marathon every match chasing passes. I think we'll be happy with Summers. She elevates effortlessly. This is a team that can make a legit final four push. I know UW lost a libero recruit to career-ending injury not that long ago, but the fact remains that libero/DS is the position with the least depth on the team. Cook and Co. should really be looking outside the program for one or two more libero/DS players. One would assume these would need to be walk-ons, at least for now. But this is the one position where quality walk-ons aren't that hard to find, relatively speaking. I agree that Onosko is not the answer. Sure, she's a better defender than Drechsel or Julye, but we need more quality in serve receive and digging/passing. Unless Calle really improves playing beach this spring, we have to assume that she is below Onosko in the pecking order. The optimist in me wants to believe that Houghton can contribute right away, but she'll be green. That leaves our backup setters on the current roster. I don't know enough about Summers to know whether she's a viable candidate on the outside. If so, that could provide some interesting competition at Opposite. Or L2.
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Post by alwayslearning on Dec 11, 2018 11:58:59 GMT -5
The problem I have with the pre-scheduled pre-recorded music and features and dance-cam and all that artificial hoopla is it does the exact opposite of what it's intending to do. The fans are into the match and really loud and a timeout is called, the PA system literally drowns out the crowd and brings everything to a halt. Then the blaring audio ends and there is silence in the arena. If you're relatively close, you can actually hear the coaches talking with the players. Those Dawg-Pack seats are some of the best seats in the house, and often they're mostly empty. Be nice if someone can figure that out. As an RS, she's getting less consistent back-sets and fewer attacks. The reasoning for Drechsel at L2 is that it is easier to set her on the left, especially when out-of-system. She has at least a 50% chance of facing the setter as a blocker. She's our "heaviest arm", according to Cook, so should be put where she can do the most damage. She'll likely be stepping into the L1 role in 2020, with then Endsly taking it over in 2021. Yes, her passing needs to improve, but Cook apparently thinks it can. Playing Beach this spring should help. On the other hand, Hoffman or Crenshaw could play six rotations as an RS (which is how JMac used Summer Ross). Or Cole or Summers could play three rotations at RS. I would love to see Drechsel become a six-rotation L2 with high quality serve receive skills. But it would take some dramatic improvement on her part. I'm thinking Hoffman or Crenshaw are much more likely to contribute as six-rotation players. Drechsel does have the heaviest arm on the team. But if UW's serve receive improves, and she continues to play OPP, then she should see more sets, particularly if she can improve her efficiency. Just because she has a heavy arm doesn't mean she's the best candidate at L2 -- as I said, that position requires a player who can deal more easily with out of system plays. Based on what we've seen so far, with second contacts that are less than optimal, Hoffman puts more pressure on the opposing team's defense with her greater range of intelligent shotmaking.
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Post by alwayslearning on Dec 11, 2018 12:40:06 GMT -5
Another random thought: perhaps we should expand the list of potential libero/DS players to include Shannon Crenshaw. Crenshaw seems like a great all-around athlete who possesses basic passing and digging skills and is probably a quicker defender than just about anyone on the team other than McPherson. I could see Crenshaw subbing in for Drechsel when she rotates to the back row. That would also add an attacking option in the back row. Maybe it's a stretch, but I could also see Crenshaw as a libero-in-training in 2019, ready to take over the position in 2020. Thoughts anyone?
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Post by redbeard2008 on Dec 11, 2018 14:37:38 GMT -5
As an RS, she's getting less consistent back-sets and fewer attacks. The reasoning for Drechsel at L2 is that it is easier to set her on the left, especially when out-of-system. She has at least a 50% chance of facing the setter as a blocker. She's our "heaviest arm", according to Cook, so should be put where she can do the most damage. She'll likely be stepping into the L1 role in 2020, with then Endsly taking it over in 2021. Yes, her passing needs to improve, but Cook apparently thinks it can. Playing Beach this spring should help. On the other hand, Hoffman or Crenshaw could play six rotations as an RS (which is how JMac used Summer Ross). Or Cole or Summers could play three rotations at RS. I would love to see Drechsel become a six-rotation L2 with high quality serve receive skills. But it would take some dramatic improvement on her part. I'm thinking Hoffman or Crenshaw are much more likely to contribute as six-rotation players. Drechsel does have the heaviest arm on the team. But if UW's serve receive improves, and she continues to play OPP, then she should see more sets, particularly if she can improve her efficiency. Just because she has a heavy arm doesn't mean she's the best candidate at L2 -- as I said, that position requires a player who can deal more easily with out of system plays. Based on what we've seen so far, with second contacts that are less than optimal, Hoffman puts more pressure on the opposing team's defense with her greater range of intelligent shotmaking. The question is what will produce the best overall result. I'm not saying Cook will move Drechsel back to L2, but I won't be surprised if he does. Cook put her there in the first place, and moved her to the right for more reasons than just her passing. While Hoffman has a strong arm and her overall play was encouraging, she did hit only .163. On Crenshaw, she'll be a starting outside at UW, sooner or later. (I suspect Hoffman might have got her shot in the frontrow because Crenshaw had a nagging shoulder injury.) I agree with AY that UW needs a legit DS - hopefully Houghton can provide that.
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Post by ay2013 on Dec 11, 2018 14:38:19 GMT -5
I'd rather UW commit a scholarship to another bro before 2021 before putting their eggs in Crenshaw's basket. There is a schollie out there for a libero between now and 2020.
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Post by ay2013 on Dec 11, 2018 14:42:58 GMT -5
I would love to see Drechsel become a six-rotation L2 with high quality serve receive skills. But it would take some dramatic improvement on her part. I'm thinking Hoffman or Crenshaw are much more likely to contribute as six-rotation players. Drechsel does have the heaviest arm on the team. But if UW's serve receive improves, and she continues to play OPP, then she should see more sets, particularly if she can improve her efficiency. Just because she has a heavy arm doesn't mean she's the best candidate at L2 -- as I said, that position requires a player who can deal more easily with out of system plays. Based on what we've seen so far, with second contacts that are less than optimal, Hoffman puts more pressure on the opposing team's defense with her greater range of intelligent shotmaking. The question is what will produce the best overall result. I'm not saying Cook will move Drechsel back to L2, but I won't be surprised if he does. Cook put her there in the first place, and moved her to the right for more reasons than just her passing. While Hoffman has a strong arm and her overall play was encouraging, she did hit only .163. On Crenshaw, she'll be a starting outside at UW, sooner or later. (I suspect Hoffman might have got her shot in the frontrow because Crenshaw had a nagging shoulder injury.) I agree with AY that UW needs a legit DS - hopefully Houghton can provide that. hmmmmm maybe re Crenshaw starting. 2019 she's already on the outside looking in with Bajema still around. In 2020 Endsley is coming, and unless she gets injured, Endsley is ACTUALLY the terminator UW needs on the pin. Dreschel is still around through 2020, and I think it would behoove the staff to continue to look at Sam on the LS
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Post by alwayslearning on Dec 11, 2018 15:35:42 GMT -5
I'd rather UW commit a scholarship to another bro before 2021 before putting their eggs in Crenshaw's basket. There is a schollie out there for a libero between now and 2020. I don't disagree regarding the long-term need for an elite libero. Just speculating regarding Crenshaw's role. Perhaps she can fulfill a need at DS in 2019.
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