What a PATHETIC Match! # 2 my A$$!

[BigBanger]

Too Bad the Final 4 didn't look like this:
#1 Pepperdine
#2 LBSU
#3 UCLA
#4 Hawaii or BYU

Something needs to change!

[beachman]

BigBanger said:

Too Bad the Final 4 didn't look like this:
#1 Pepperdine
#2 LBSU
#3 UCLA
#4 Hawaii or BYU

Something needs to change!

THAT'S A BIG 10-4! ;D

[Rocky]

I would say insert CSUN in place of UCLA since they beat them in the conference playoffs.

CSUN played UCLA much tougher than Penn State did tonight. It was really a boring match to watch. Penn State could not get any decent passes off the Bruin serves. Shank, shank, shank. Very sad.

[Charlie]

Rocky said:

It was really a boring match to watch. Penn State could not get any decent passes off the Bruin serves. Shank, shank, shank. Very sad.

UCLA was winning in the early part of the season with tough serving. Then, for awhile, they kinda lost that serving, and it really impacted their results.

If it wasn't really Penn State's inability to pass, but rather was really UCLA just blasting away from the service line, and, if they can do it again Saturday against Pepperdine, it could get interesting.

[sjhaysuess]

Pepp libero kind of worries me. He's a good player, but I think if they had a libero as good as their OH and Setter, they'd be undefeated.

[puwave]

sjhaysuess said:

Pepp libero kind of worries me. He's a good player, but I think if they had a libero as good as their OH and Setter, they'd be undefeated.

James Ka came to Pepperdine with the hope and expectations of being the setter one day... Beau Daniels was setting originally, but I remember him expressing to me that he planned on being the setter.... then John Mayer came around and Ka suddenly shifted focus. I agree that he's not the most talented libero... nice guy, good player, not GREAT player.

[AAVolley]

But he sure knows how to bounce a sideways 2 ball. ahaaaa

[sistahsledge]

The continental divide just keeps getting wider.

I was hoping to see a tough match but PSU just didn't show up. Once again, they compile an impressive regular season record, get a #2 ranking, have 3 all-Americans on the roster, then proceed to choke in the semi's. They got smoked by a Bruin team that is by all accounts far below the school standard--only one clear AA on the roster, a back-up setter, and a starting lineup that has been in constant flux all season.

This was a great opportunity to reach the championship match again but PSU seemed overwhelmed by the moment. And it's not like they haven't been here before. They're in the Final Four every year.

[TheProfessor]

sistahsledge said:

The continental divide just keeps getting wider.

I was hoping to see a tough match but PSU just didn't show up. Once again, they compile an impressive regular season record, get a #2 ranking, have 3 all-Americans on the roster, then proceed to choke in the semi's. They got smoked by a Bruin team that is by all accounts far below the school standard--only one clear AA on the roster, a back-up setter, and a starting lineup that has been in constant flux all season.

And according to some people, it was a Bruin team that didn't even deserve to be in the Final Four. ;D


But seriously...

In addition to what you've said, this was a Bruin team that was forever battling a slew of injuries and illnesses during the season. The TV commentators mentioned a few of them, including how Acosta has a chronic ab strain that requires him to wear a flak jacket, and of course Allan Vince's ankle. They even confirmed they saw it earlier that evening, and it was very black & blue (in case certain people want to accuse Scates of sandbagging Vince's injury). It's just that Vince has enough mental toughness that he'll play through the pain for the Final Four.

Prahler also missed the last couple weeks with an ankle problem. He didn't even dress for the quarterfinal match against Cal State Northridge.

The TV commentators said there were nine Bruins who had missed matches due to injury over the course of the season.


Did other teams have a similar amount of injuries this year?

[bookandsnake]

I was really disappointed in the match, too. I didn't think Penn State would win, but I thought it'd be closer.

Will the Midwest / East Coast ever compete with the West? Not as long as the good players from the Midwest go out to California. Not as long as boy's volleyball doesn't get approved as a high school sport in most states.

The gap has closed in women's volleyball, but I don't see it happening in men's volleyball.

[sonofbarcelonabob]

puwave said:

James Ka came to Pepperdine with the hope and expectations of being the setter one day... Beau Daniels was setting originally, but I remember him expressing to me that he planned on being the setter.... then John Mayer came around and Ka suddenly shifted focus. I agree that he's not the most talented libero... nice guy, good player, not GREAT player.

Beau Daniels...LOL...that guy was an embarassment to the art of setting.

[wornjersey]

At least the guys from Penn State and Ohio State get to go to Disneyland with the spare time they will have before their flights. Penn State was an embarrassment to men's volleyball last night. No fight. No skills. Three All-Americans? What a joke.

Ohio State was worse, if that is possible. They looked like a mediocre Southern California high school team. Midway through the first game, it looked like they wouldn't even break the 10 point barrier.

Not surprisingly, Pepperdine then lost all interest in the match, most likely out of kindness and pity. They toyed with Ohio State (which at least showed some fight) and though the scores of the last two games were relatively close, no one who was there thought for a second that it was possible for Ohio State to come back and win. It could not have beaten Pepperdine's subs.

Indeed, Ohio State had not beaten anybody of note all year. It did not play any of the MPF teams and it even lost to Penn State (see above) twice. There is something wrong with the format that permits inferior teams to compete for a national championship, to be able to state with a straight face that they "made" the semifinals.

[puwave]

SonofBarcelonaBob said:

Beau Daniels...LOL...that guy was an embarassment to the art of setting.

... then that doesn't say much about those setters in 2002 that didn't get 1st team All-American

[bookandsnake]

1. I thought it was HILARIOUS that the announcers referred to this as a big upset.

2. It would be interesting to see what would happened if you winning your conference merely got you into a real tournament, not the final four.
a. the final four would be a lot better.
b. But, would this hurt the growth of men's volleyball in the midwest, east, etc.? I don't know the answer, I'm just asking the question. I know there's been a lot of growth in club ball, but would it start to taper off?

I think they should at least expand the tournament to 8 teams. Unfortunately, the sport probably can't afford this expansion.

[sonofbarcelonabob]

puwave said:

... then that doesn't say much about those setters in 2002 that didn't get 1st team All-American

Truly, we haven't seen ANY quality setters (with the possible exception of Hildebrand) since around 2000.