|
|
Post by badgerbreath on Sept 23, 2024 14:01:30 GMT -5
As a Gopher fan, I just don't see how we stop Wisconsin this year. Too many weapons and Franklin is soooooo talented. If the tough serving is on and we can get them out of system we hopefully can keep it close! Go Gophs! Right now our weakness is passing, so if your serving is on you have a chance. Hmmm. I don't think the passing has been that bad. Certainly good enough to have an HP in the upper 0.300s as a team the last 4 matches. Granted gophers may be better serving that the teams we've faced. Honestly, it's the serve, and by extension the defense that concerns me much more. We are not shutting teams down the way we should. |
|
|
|
Post by dietcokefan on Sept 23, 2024 14:03:14 GMT -5
Also interested to see how Booth plays in her first return back to the Pav!
|
|
|
|
Post by jeepers on Sept 23, 2024 14:50:22 GMT -5
Also interested to see how Booth plays in her first return back to the Pav!  |
|
|
|
Post by mnbadger on Sept 23, 2024 14:58:50 GMT -5
I sometimes miss Ashley Wittman. I've been thinking about her a lot recently actually! Such a steady all-around OH. Can an All-American be considered underrated? It's not like she didn't get any recognition, but Santana and Wilhite are more recent [with 2 and 1 year(s) of overlap with Ashley] and had B1G and/or national POY senior years as OHs so they get brought up more. A Gopher fan in the your program's all-time roster thread picked Santana and Wilhite as their OHs (valid), so I gladly "drafted" Wittman and have been reminiscing about her since. My skimming eyes had you thinking about Whitney Houston a lot recently. As should be the case, honestly. |
|
|
|
Post by gopherhim on Sept 23, 2024 15:07:31 GMT -5
Also interested to see how Booth plays in her first return back to the Pav! Except now you've summoned a national player of the week type of performance after she's had a quiet start to the season lol |
|
|
|
Post by dietcokefan on Sept 23, 2024 15:27:39 GMT -5
Except now you've summoned a national player of the week type of performance after she's had a quiet start to the season lol HAHA probably! LOL I'll take the blame for this one if it happens. |
|
|
|
Post by Pepperjack on Sept 23, 2024 16:28:23 GMT -5
I’m hype for this!!
|
|
|
|
Post by mcmike on Sept 23, 2024 17:34:56 GMT -5
For Badger fans: MN played 5 sets in each of their first 4 matches
MN at 7-3
We had 16 SEs vs Stanford, and were aced 9x.
In the second set we were tied with Stanford at 22-22 after having given away 7 SEs.
We were also serving at 13-13 in the fifth set.
MN had 3 matchpoints vs TCU in the 10th set in 2 days. finally succumbed 18-20. both teams looked spent.
Since the win at Texas
they have found a reliable serving specialist in Ng and/or McGhie (based on TCU)
turned to Acevedo as a steadier server than Wookie
MN has toned up their MB offense (now getting >20% of the sets) and worked on back row attacks.
I see three keys to a MN upset:
1. Serve tough
2. Take away Franklin's xcourt thumbdown and hope she is only human
3. Vary their set locations on the left pin to give the OH a lane down the line for tools and sets more inside for xcourt thumbdowns we can then neutralize the Booth, Smrek, Robinson wall. Neither their excellent freshman setter nor Orzol have great blocking height.
If MN is unable to pass effectively, can't get the MBs going, and OHs are hitting into a wall a Badger sweep is not out of the question.
If both teams play close to their natural abilities I will love the match no matter who comes out ahead. Then maybe one day in the not too distant future the networks and NCAA will get Hawkeyes or the Bolt6 video system, so those replay challenges get resolved FAST and casual TV viewers don't surf to a different channel.
|
|
|
|
Post by robtearle on Sept 23, 2024 18:56:07 GMT -5
As a Gopher fan, I just don't see how we stop Wisconsin this year. Too many weapons and Franklin is soooooo talented. If the tough serving is on and we can get them out of system we hopefully can keep it close! Go Gophs! Right now our weakness is passing, so if your serving is on you have a chance. Just now looking at some stats: Wisconsin has a slightly better serve-receive non-error rate than Minnesota. Not by a lot, and that doesn't reflect what the non-errors looked like, but still... |
|
|
|
Post by Wiswell on Sept 23, 2024 19:16:45 GMT -5
I think 3-1 Gophers but would be happy to be wrong. this is a tough one. Both have something to work on.
|
|
|
|
Post by wisfan2000 on Sept 23, 2024 20:33:56 GMT -5
This brings up the question, "Can you really miss what you never had?"
I still miss Whitney Houston.
National Anthem GOAT |
|
|
|
Post by pavsec5row10 on Sept 23, 2024 20:41:04 GMT -5
Also interested to see how Booth plays in her first return back to the Pav! It's actually her 2nd return to the Pav, since the Badgers were here for the B1G/B12 challenge last season. She had 6 K /.500 with 3 Blks vs. Baylor and 2 K/.167 with 7 Blks vs. TCU. |
|
|
|
Post by dietcokefan on Sept 23, 2024 23:58:06 GMT -5
Also interested to see how Booth plays in her first return back to the Pav! It's actually her 2nd return to the Pav, since the Badgers were here for the B1G/B12 challenge last season. She had 6 K /.500 with 3 Blks vs. Baylor and 2 K/.167 with 7 Blks vs. TCU. Yeah I meant playing the Gophers in the Pav. |
|
|
|
Post by hornshouse23 on Sept 24, 2024 1:32:51 GMT -5
Minnesota you know what needs to be done. Three candles to you for three sets won of five. 🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️
|
|
|
|
Post by JT on Sept 24, 2024 2:05:20 GMT -5
Minnesota you know what needs to be done. Three candles to you for three sets won in five. 🕯️ 🕯️ 🕯️ It’s an 8pm start… I don’t want a long, five set match! (Of course, if that’s what it takes to have a Gopher victory, I’ll just make it a late night, with a sore throat from screaming.) |
|
