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Post by kro2488 on Jun 15, 2013 21:25:25 GMT -5
Anderson with the stuff to end it. And he didn't even swing block I noticed that too, I think the swing motion was helping the opp way too much. |
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Post by jdmr081 on Jun 15, 2013 21:30:23 GMT -5
We need a real OPP hence why Clark and Troy are alternating to gain experiences, confidence in big matches. You can't not play with one OPP all the time and has no back up. I like the way Coach John S. is doing, look at what he did at UCI, i know it's diff with international but one step at a time, you'll see this group in Rio 2016 bringing home some medals. I see all they have the potential to dominate the world in a few years.
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Post by c4ndlelight on Jun 15, 2013 21:33:09 GMT -5
I see all they have the potential to dominate the world in a few years. If a well-placed lightning bolt strikes down Mikhaylov and Muserskiy, you mean.... |
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Post by kro2488 on Jun 15, 2013 21:35:04 GMT -5
my stream got messed up for a bit, phew, usa is ahead  |
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Post by jdmr081 on Jun 15, 2013 21:39:29 GMT -5
Muserky is a one man team and Russia is playing slower than Brazil or US, i respect the Brazilian system but the tall Russians. Mikhaylov can't pass yet, if they move him to the OH, the servers will keep aiming at him and the coach will take him out after a couple points  |
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Post by kro2488 on Jun 15, 2013 21:41:58 GMT -5
Another good match for USA youthful squad. |
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Post by jdmr081 on Jun 15, 2013 21:42:46 GMT -5
that's it baby! 8pts to take 2nd place right behind Brazil.
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Post by arick2582 on Jun 15, 2013 22:00:34 GMT -5
Nice win for them! My thoughts if anybody cares:
Ciarelli is a good player, but his ability is extremely dependent on his confidence which is shaky. If he makes an error he has a hard time putting it behind him and then the struggles transfer over to all the aspects of his game. I think that with this roster, the Anderson/Lotman OH combo works well. Paul brings strong ball control and fast offense and he seems to have a really good impact on the team chemistry. I'm completely sold on E. Shoji, he's a well balanced libero, he's not just a great defender or passer - he's also quite scrappy and I love that. He brings lots of positive energy to the team and pumps up the other guys, something I didn't see a lot of from Lambourne. K. Shoji runs a good offense though I think he could go to the middle a little more. The opposite spot is still up in the air, though I'm leaning towards Clark over Troy, I like having a lefty to mix things up. Our middles are scary! Holt, Lee, and Smith all did really well, but Holmes needs to pick it up because Max is ready to replace him. Again our serving was strong, though I think they could cut down on the errors a little bit. Definitely a better passing team than last quad's team.
France is a strong team too, but they're headcases. It drives me crazy to watch. They're also kind of whiny about calls and I think that's part of their consistency issue. They also like to yell and celebrate a bit excessively IMO.
My favorite moment was when Lyneel was celebrating like crazy for a couple points in a row and getting overconfident only to get roofed by Shoji 1 on 1. I love those kinds of things.
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Post by c4ndlelight on Jun 15, 2013 22:11:03 GMT -5
The team is playing well and ahead of where I thought they would be at this point. Mini-Shoji is bringing a ton at the libero position, and him and Lotman are really stabilizing the serve receive. Clark gets cold offensively sometimes, but as long as we don't have a Stanley-type terminator waiting in the wings, I really like what he brings on serve, floor defense, and court sense. Good progress, and we may just sneak into the finals if we can take care of business in Reno and catch Poland on a bad day on the road.
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Post by thenetset on Jun 15, 2013 22:32:45 GMT -5
my stream got messed up for a bit, phew, usa is ahead Yeah I couldn't get one to stay open. So they came back to win, eh? Not bad. |
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Post by Not Me on Jun 16, 2013 2:17:37 GMT -5
Hugh is not an official part of the coaching staff. I think he was just there in a consulting role. Kro2488: I don't think Speraw was there at all, I'm not sure why. kokyu: there is no replay unless someone recorded it. Though there will be an airing next week on NBC Sports I think. Speraw was in a wedding on Friday and missed the match. |
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Post by thenetset on Jun 16, 2013 7:36:08 GMT -5
Who gets married on a Friday?
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Post by dusty64 on Jun 16, 2013 11:39:12 GMT -5
So, whose idea was it to put Troy in? He hasn't really contributed anything except one good serve. Agree he should stay on the bench. Troy came in just because Clark had (and usually has) a really bad % spike. He has a fantastic serve but when we are talking about "beat the ball strong and smartly" things are pretty bad. Troy also does not use diagonals, he beats strong, period, the result is more blocks for the opponents. I think we still dont have a good OPP, on the contrary as far as Setter, OH, MB and Libero as concern USA is well served. If Clark and Troy work their spikes, surely the team will be at another level. If you analyse other teams like Brazil, Russia or Poland you'll see that their OPP usually are the best scorers, not the USA case... |
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Post by v0lleyfolife on Jun 16, 2013 14:08:56 GMT -5
USA is looking solid, but lets be honest. Argentina is a young team that is missing their star player and France is a team in the rebuilding process as well. I'm curious to see how we hold up against Poland, Brazil, Bulgaria, etc. No doubt our team has a ton of upside and I think we will be an elite team within a few years but as everyone is saying we are going to struggle from the opposite spot. Clay Stanley is going to continue to haunt us for a few years. Clark and Troy both have there strengths but they both need to become terminators. Look at the young oppos on other national teams: Sokolov, Atanasijevic, etc. These guys are ahead of our players and it will take time for our guys to get on that level. At OH we are going to be just fine, Lotman and Anderson are an excellent duo and are a great counter-balance. Anderson is the terminator, Lotman is the great reciever/crafty player (riley salmon-esque but bigger, better arm). Tony Ciarelli has a good serve but other than that he's not impressive to me. I'm sure he'll improve with time. Garrett Muagututia to me has more upside than Tony... but everyone has there opinions. Kawika is a good setter, he proved himself in champions league this season and he is right now our best setter on the roster. Middle Blockers are the least of our concerns, we can literally switch Lee, Holmes, Holt, and Smith and get similar results. Erik Shoji is a great libero and is playing really well considering he has only one 1 season of professional experience. Reft and Watten are neck and neck with him as well, so we'll see if those guys can make a push. Alot of potential with our team and only time will tell who of these players will truly emerge. Thankfully John Speraw is best guy we have in the position.
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Post by jna on Jun 16, 2013 14:21:51 GMT -5
Agree he should stay on the bench. Troy came in just because Clark had (and usually has) a really bad % spike. He has a fantastic serve but when we are talking about "beat the ball strong and smartly" things are pretty bad. Troy also does not use diagonals, he beats strong, period, the result is more blocks for the opponents. I think we still dont have a good OPP, on the contrary as far as Setter, OH, MB and Libero as concern USA is well served. If Clark and Troy work their spikes, surely the team will be at another level. If you analyse other teams like Brazil, Russia or Poland you'll see that their OPP usually are the best scorers, not the USA case... I couldn't agree more. As I stated here before, we have too much strength and little intelligence on the right side. That was always my concern. Not that I am complaining that we have Clark and Troy on the team this was all I wanted for a long time and you all know this. But, I can't deny that hitting the ball hard enough is what really must be done all the time and we have three guys who can do this pretty well. What about the smart part?. We need a opposite who can do both playing strong and crafty. I've always thought that Dean Bittner fits in on that perspective. He had a very good season in Finland this past winter/spring. However I think he'll ever have a shot on the team. |
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