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Post by hornsup on Aug 22, 2013 13:35:10 GMT -5
Looks like Khat's been taking some swings from the outside as well (1:00 mark) Yes she sure did and ripped it right at Eck LOL....this Saturday will be funzy!!!! Can't wait! |
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Post by elevationvb on Aug 23, 2013 11:42:49 GMT -5
Interesting comments from Elliott about practice and the lineups. While the scrimmage will help determine some things, Elliott said he hopes to pencil in two starters into the lineup right now — outside hitters Bailey Webster and Haley Eckerman, both of whom were All-Americans last year.
“Every other spot is up for grabs,” Elliott said. “Our freshman group has really impressed me in our practices. We have to do a great job as a staff to make sure we are giving the players who are playing well and producing the numbers we want to see.”
Expect returning veterans, like middle blocker Khat Bell, setter Hannah Allison and libero Sarah Parker, to be difficult to unseat as starters. Elliott plans to use different team configurations during the scrimmage, meaning players likely will switch sides to see how they interact with each other.We will see. www.statesman.com/news/sports/college/top-ranked-horns-to-tinker-with-lineup-during-voll/nZZY2/ |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2013 13:16:59 GMT -5
Very excited for the addition of "Sarah Parker" in the backcourt this season!
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Post by elevationvb on Aug 23, 2013 20:37:39 GMT -5
Good news - - the volleyball scrimmage will be televised live on the LHN tomorrow morning at 11:00 am. Repeats will follow during the weekend. This is good because student move-in is happening on campus this weekend which means the Brazos Garage will probably be packed.
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Post by Longhorn20 on Aug 24, 2013 15:04:35 GMT -5
Thought the freshman had a great, great scrimmage. I'm excited about the future. Did not see Dalton out there, she was in sweatpants on the sidelines. I don't know if that means anything or that they're just saving her for the season. It was really interesting to see McCage play all 6 rotations on the left and right sides and I thought she had an incredible scrimmage!
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Post by elevationvb on Aug 24, 2013 15:29:03 GMT -5
Thought the freshman had a great, great scrimmage. I'm excited about the future. Did not see Dalton out there, she was in sweatpants on the sidelines. I don't know if that means anything or that they're just saving her for the season. It was really interesting to see McCage play all 6 rotations on the left and right sides and I thought she had an incredible scrimmage! Hattis was a pleasant surprise. Stats: www.sidearmstats.com/texas/wvball/ |
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Post by texasex01 on Aug 24, 2013 16:06:43 GMT -5
I was only able to see sets 3-5 at today's scrimmage. I thought it was going to be on the LHN, but they were having 'technical difficulties' so I drove down to campus to watch it instead.
As expected, Baker and Dalton were sitting out on the side-lines.
There were very few long rallies...which means the players can really put the ball down or the defense wasn't that strong. I'm going to say it was a little of both. There were a lot of different rotations where players were switching sides during each game. I felt there really wasn't an opportunity for the players to get used to playing next to one another which made it easier to score.
Bailey and Haley both look good hitting as usual. I thought they both could be a little stronger with their floor defense when in zone 4. Bailey is no longer wearing her clunky right knee brace, but she still looks hesitant diving for a ball to her right. Haley was in the passing formation on serve-receive, but she would only cover a small portion of the court. She did alright when she passed the ball...they weren't perfect passes, but good enough for the setters to work with. I was hoping Haley's back row defense was going to be stronger than what I saw today....but again, it's still preseason.
As for the setters, they both have their strengths and weaknesses. Hannah delivers a slower ball with consistent location and offers a bigger block in the front row. She really defers to the left OHs when out of system. Chloe delivers a quicker and cleaner ball, but I think the players have to adjust more to her tempo. I like that Chloe really uses her MBs in transition moreso than Hannah. But when she was in the front row, she was either getting tooled or just getting hit over.
Khat and Molly looked really good. I love how strong and aggressive Khat is at the net. Molly's slides are quicker and have more power to them and she can really put down an overpass. What surprised me during the match was how comfortable Molly looked hitting from poth pins with a traditional approach and passing the ball on serve-receive! She was one of the players that was playing several different positions. I still think Khat and Molly are the starting MBs, but they gave Hattis a lot of playing time there as well. Hattis is a really good blocker, but she still needs a lot of work offensively. She still does a lot of tipping, dinking, and swiping off the block. I guess it works, but I just like to see the ball blasted down on a quick set. Chiaka played mostly at Opp. today. Her offense seems better than Hattis', but she still looks a step behind on defense. But I think by mid-season, she will be ahead of Hattis on the depth chart.
Most of the passing came from Palmer, Pilar, Amy, Brooks, and Futch. I was glad to see Sarah playing and not in a boot. Brooks looked improved with her passing in serve-receive and I expect her to be the DS for Bailey in the back row. Amy and Pilar looked about equal with their passing on serve-receive, but Pilar seemed to struggle a little more in zone 1. Pilar played mostly at the opposite in the match, but was hitting from both pins. Both she and Amy are undersized from what we are used to seeing in the front row, but both seem to be able to see the block pretty well and were either tooling it or going around it (when they weren't getting blocked straight down). Amy wasn't using her jump serve like she did in the sping and Pilar had a lot of service errors. I'm not too sure where these two will play, but from today's scrimmage, I think Pilar will get the nod at Opposite and Amy will come in for a struggling Eckerman in the back row.
My starting line-up based on today is:
Setter- Hannah
Lib- Palmer
MB - Khat, Molly
OH - Bailey, Haley
Opp - Pilar
DS - Kat B. (for Bailey)
DS - Amy (for Haley if she is playing poorly in the backrow)
IMO, I think the match with Hawaii will be really tough for the team because they will be playing against a team with really good floor defense who will extend rallies...something they are not used to yet.
Btw, I was sitting close to 2016 setter recruit Claire Hanh at the scrimmage and she looks 5'7, maybe 5'8 at most. I hope she has Chloe Collin's hops!
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Post by southie on Aug 24, 2013 17:17:24 GMT -5
I like the comments I'm reading about Molly's game; did she play any at Opposite? I still think she and Khat are too comfortable/valuable to move from the middle, but who knows? www.texassports.com/news/2013/8/24/WVB_0824131119.aspxSurprised to read that Amy wasn't jump-serving; IMO, that's her best skill (when she's consitent). If she's not contributing in that way, it will be difficult for her to get much court time (just like last season). |
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Post by texasex01 on Aug 24, 2013 17:39:51 GMT -5
I like the comments I'm reading about Molly's game; did she play any at Opposite? I still think she and Khat are too comfortable/valuable to move from the middle, but who knows? Yes, Molly did play some at Opposite and played quite well. If Hattis or Chiaka can produce the same as Molly at MB, I could possibly see her being moved to Opp if they wanted a bigger blocker up front. But she may need to be subbed out in the back row for defensive purposes (although she does show potential for playing in the back row if she focuses on it). |
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Post by southie on Aug 24, 2013 18:44:29 GMT -5
A couple of comments from Friday's Statesman article caught my eye:
“We potentially have two top-five teams within our team,” Elliott said. “Side B has been winning a lot of the matches we have been playing in practice. Nothing is decided, and the competition is very fierce, but that allows us to create good depth.”
and
"Since we have been able to practice so much, we are all in sync with our drills, and that time together allowed the freshmen to work right into things. We feel really good about where we are as a team and our level of play entering the season.”
I don't recall him issuing comments with so much confidence since the 2009 pre-season.
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Post by elevationvb on Aug 24, 2013 22:28:29 GMT -5
A couple of comments from Friday's Statesman article caught my eye: “We potentially have two top-five teams within our team,” Elliott said. “Side B has been winning a lot of the matches we have been playing in practice. Nothing is decided, and the competition is very fierce, but that allows us to create good depth.” and "Since we have been able to practice so much, we are all in sync with our drills, and that time together allowed the freshmen to work right into things. We feel really good about where we are as a team and our level of play entering the season.”I don't recall him issuing comments with so much confidence since the 2009 pre-season. Elliott didn't seem pleased during the interview after game 2. It was only a scrimmage, but the team did not look like a great team. I'm sure they are already tired of playing each other during practice. Also was annoyed by the lead announcer fawning over the team over and over and over again. His statement that the Big 12 championship is a foregone conclusion is stupid. Yes we are favored but just shut up. |
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Post by sunsuphornsup on Aug 25, 2013 18:01:02 GMT -5
My thoughts from the scrimmage:
I don't know whether or not the girls were just tired of playing each other or the fact that it was an early game, but the scrimmage lacked some energy. A lot of it had to do with, as one poster noted, relatively short rallies. The long rallies that were produced did elicit a few oohs and aahs from the crowd.
One thing that I noticed was that there seemed to be an improved effort in the back row and floor defense. Megan Futch and Sarah Palmer had some very nice digs and the team wasn't as flat footed as they had been in the past.
I don't see Chiaka O. as effective in the RS as she is in the Middle. Her approach looks a little off attacking a C ball. She's a very dynamic MB though, and I definitely see her above Sara Hattis in the MB depth chart.
I was very pleasantly surprised to see Molly McCage play all the way around and passing in serve receive. She puts up a great block, delivers the slide well, passes the ball effortlessly and looks comfortable as a pin hitter. I'm very excited to see how Jerritt will develop her.
Pilar, the freshman from Puerto Rico, also impressed with her all around game. Despite being a little undersized, she hits a hard ball and sees the block well. The only thing I didn't really see her do is deliver on the block.
Texasex01 had a very accurate comparison of Chloe Collins and Hannah Allison:
"As for the setters, they both have their strengths and weaknesses. Hannah delivers a slower ball with consistent location and offers a bigger block in the front row. She really defers to the left OHs when out of system. Chloe delivers a quicker and cleaner ball, but I think the players have to adjust more to her tempo. I like that Chloe really uses her MBs in transition moreso than Hannah. But when she was in the front row, she was either getting tooled or just getting hit over. "
I'm not sure what lineup Texas will use. The only things that are concrete are that Bailey and Haley will find their way on the court.
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Post by texasex01 on Aug 25, 2013 18:25:15 GMT -5
I don't know whether or not the girls were just tired of playing each other or the fact that it was an early game, but the scrimmage lacked some energy. A lot of it had to do with, as one poster noted, relatively short rallies. The long rallies that were produced did elicit a few oohs and aahs from the crowd. I know one way to fix that... have the team scrimmage against alumni! Can you imagine how exciting the players and the fans would be if players like Hooker, Faucette, Adams, Paolini, Engle, Kisner, Doris, Sha'dare, Roberson, Kocher, Moriarity, etc. were all on one side of the net?!?! I would pay to see that! |
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Post by TexVB on Aug 25, 2013 19:05:56 GMT -5
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Post by TexVB on Aug 25, 2013 19:11:29 GMT -5
TexasEx--great idea! It'd be great to see & recognize the alums who came before them and even greater to have them scrimmage the current team! If we could get them all back in Texas at the same time...I'd pay BIG BUCKS to see that game!
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