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Post by rainbowbadger on Aug 21, 2024 5:14:01 GMT -5
We didn't play two starters, Smrek in particular. I don't think I need to reiterate to you how significant Smrek is. I'm not sure who will play next week, and I won't make a judgment until I watch the entire squad in action.
why wasn’t Smrek playing tonight? Ankle. She should be ready. It’s Oz we’re unsure of. I’m really not liking this “no depth on the left” thing. |
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Post by badgerbyproxy on Aug 21, 2024 6:41:33 GMT -5
Bradley was 2-16 in the Missouri Valley Conference last year. I dunno how any Wisconsin fan can come away from this feeling good about the start of the preseason. Tons of service errors, when Charlie F. is front row the block didn't push points, Franklin hit .241 and Robinson hit .222. This team will have to either have a collective massive improvement in a week or hope that Texas/Louisville/Stanford are not on their game. Is it the strongest showing for a team with NC ambitions? No, but as many others have said: 1. Wisconsin was down 2 starters: Smrek (the giant blocker) and Orzol (the primary passing outside). Franklin is also coming back from an injury and has limited reps, so she wasn’t going to look looks herself. Smrek should be available next week, and Franklin will be going into the gauntlet with more reps in her legs. Orzol’s status is a big question, though. Wasn’t at the match, but people said she didn’t look well. 2. Wisconsin had multiple freshman - who didn’t join until summer - starting. Things are always going to be shaky working with that many freshman, especially when working in a freshman setter, so it’s not that much of a bother. A match like this is just a good way to iron out the kinks and give the coaches and players a better sense of how the team looks outside of practice. 3. 15 service errors is a lot, but they also had 9 aces. Part of the exhibition is also a test to see who should be the servers come match time. Of these service errors, 3 came from Booth (who likely won’t be serving in matches), 3 came from TSC (a freshman who needed to work out the jitters), and 3 came from the bench (Van Wie, Anderson, and Serafinowska) late in the third set when they were already up by a lot. Given this context, I’m not super concerned with the serving performance. 4. Wisconsin was experimenting with the 2 Libero system and had a different pairing every set. This, no doubt, had an impact on passing and communication, especially with TSC in the passing rotation. The set where Wisconsin fell behind and had to work their way back was when GG was Libero, which shocks no one tbh. 5. In that 2nd set, it is a good thing that Wisconsin was put under pressure and had to come from behind. There will definitely be times in those first two matches where Wisconsin will need to stage a comeback, and the freshmen especially needed the experience of figuring out how to come from behind and stay calm when 5 points down to a lesser opponent. How these next two weeks go is going to be a question mark, especially considering Orzol’s status, but tonight was all about learning how this team plays in the moment, and they did well under the circumstances. Come November/December, Wisconsin will, as always, be a team to be feared. |
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Post by jeepers on Aug 21, 2024 6:58:57 GMT -5
There's a reason they're called exhibitions.
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Post by robtearle on Aug 21, 2024 7:13:13 GMT -5
Bradley was 2-16 in the Missouri Valley Conference last year. I dunno how any Wisconsin fan can come away from this feeling good about the start of the preseason. Tons of service errors, when Charlie F. is front row the block didn't push points, Franklin hit .241 and Robinson hit .222. This team will have to either have a collective massive improvement in a week or hope that Texas/Louisville/Stanford are not on their game. Wisconsin was messy in a pre-season exhibition match. Louisville will be playing their first match next Tuesday, just like Wisconsin will be. If they're in mid-season form, UW will be in trouble. But who's in mid-season form in August? UW might win, and they might not. As Chris Berman used to say, that's why the play the game. |
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Post by robtearle on Aug 21, 2024 7:19:24 GMT -5
why wasn’t Smrek playing tonight? Ankle. She should be ready. It’s Oz we’re unsure of. I’m really not liking this “no depth on the left” thing. Smrek went through warm-ups, was dressed to play, with the telltale kneepads in place. But was held out. Julia was not dressed to play, and had a slight but noticeable limp. FWIW. |
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