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Post by GatorVball on Sept 12, 2004 2:16:50 GMT -5
I don't think defense is something Florida will have to address. Their passing and serving, sure, but I thought they blocked and dug the ball very well all weekend long. To me, that wasn't their problem this weekend. Finding the right system and passing and serving were their biggest problems. I wouldn't trade their defense at this point for many other teams.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2004 10:04:41 GMT -5
Here's what I see as their two biggest problems on defense:
1) They don't have a libero who can play at the level of some of the other teams.
2) They can dig pretty well, but I don't think they react very well to the odd stuff. Too much of it falls. This isn't just Engel, btw.
I agree about their blocking. It's good and will get even better.
If I were Mary, I'd stick with the modified 5-1. It not only uses BOTH McGinnis and Moscovic, it is a good move for NEXT year when McGinnis takes over. It also allows her more subs for Douglas or Killingsworth--maybe someone who can pass?
The major disadvantage is that it means she has to choose between Douglas and Killingsworth. Well, the major disadvantage is that they play best in a 5-1 with Moscovic, but she has to look long-term.
My 2 cents.
I'd keep the hairdo, too.
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Post by believer on Sept 12, 2004 16:46:11 GMT -5
Gorf and Ruffado might be right.
Seems like everytime Florida ran a 5-1 with Moskovic they won, in fact each time they ran either a 5-1 with McGinnis or a modified 6-2 (the first games of NI and Kansas State) they lost. The same with Minnesota except she did not go back to the 5-1 with Moskovic and then they lost the match this time. Seems like she has already made a decision about the formation and the setter, it's just not working yet. 6-2 needs a lot of work and may be harder than Mary originally thought. Too bad they didn't beat Minnesota- would have moved them up in the polls and positioned them nicely going into the rest of the SEC games.
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Post by FloridaPerson on Sept 12, 2004 20:03:36 GMT -5
Anyone taping this tonight?
I'd really like to see the match. I would gladly compensate. Also have lots I could trade, if you go for that.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2004 10:21:04 GMT -5
Watched this last night.
1) Chatman was in the net. BOTH refs immediately called it, too.
2) Bratford's running underneath almost every set--i.e., the ball is behind her when she hits it. I sure hope she snaps out of this slump--she's down to .160-something and she's way too good for that.
3) The Gophers, after the UNI match, have now been aced only 11 times in 8 matches. Amazing. Especially considering the opposition.
4) Gentil is averaging over 6 digs a game. As impressive are KBow and Taatjes who, together, are also averaging over 6 digs a game.
5) How good is Florida going to be once they settle on a lineup and Hampton gets her frosh legs under her? Watch out.
6) Lindsey Taatjes may be the most underrated setter in D1 ball.
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Post by romeo on Sept 13, 2004 10:56:02 GMT -5
What a joy to watch this on CSTV! I love the positive, even-keeled coaching by these two coaches. I would think that any recruitable kids (and their parents) watching would like that.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2004 10:59:26 GMT -5
And let's not forget the great dig JBow makes on Collymore's backrow attack during that final point. I still think she will play a major role yet this season... (JBow on the right.)
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Post by romeo on Sept 13, 2004 11:02:34 GMT -5
And let's not forget the great dig JBow makes on Collymore's backrow attack during that final point. I was happy to see that too. Especially after she simply let the last point in game 2 drop.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2004 11:10:23 GMT -5
I was happy to see that too. Especially after she simply let the last point in game 2 drop. I noticed Marci and her talking before she served. My guess is they were making it clear who was playing where. The cool thing about that last point is they won it with Martin, Byrnes and Gentil all on the bench. Loved the CSTV shots of the players on the sidelines before that rally, btw.
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Post by outsider on Sept 13, 2004 21:54:10 GMT -5
I watched this match on CSTV yesterday (thank you TIVO). I reallize it is difficult to evaluate a team while watching it on TV. The camera "Slows the game down" and the field of view is limited. There were some observations I could make, though.
I thought Minnesota played excellent defense. It was not just that they dug balls, but, they controlled them and were able to run transition offense. Florida, by contrast, was not a very good defensive team. Their court positioning could have been better, and, when they had the opportunity to dig a ball, they did not. I saw the phrase "scrappy defense" to describe them. That seems faint praise. It implies they were able to keep balls in play, but, not necessarily control them. To beat the better teams, transition offense is a must. Minnesota was far better at that than Florida. Florida may get better during the season. Right now, the "D" is not there.
There was one other area that Florida needs to improve. Unforced Errors! They were giving Minnesota 10 points to 14 points a game. Minnesota was only giving 5 points to 8 points a game. That made for a "shorter game" for Minnesota. Against better competition that is only making the game, and match, more difficult.
The challenge Florida faces is the lack of competition in their conference. They are probably the best group of athletes in the country. They are not going to have to play anywhere near the level they did against Minnesota in order to win in their conference. It is the competitive excellence required in a match against tough competition where the best players and teams can improve. The better the opposition, the more the mental demands, and the more strategies a player has to develop in order to be successful. The Big-10 and PAC-10 have an advantage in that area in that most weekends teams have to prepare for two tough matches. Practice may offer Florida offer some opportunity, but, it is not the same as a game!
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Post by Gorf on Sept 14, 2004 0:12:29 GMT -5
Florida did win their fair share of the long rallies against Minnesota though - especially in the first 3 games.
I think for Florida with some key young players (Marcie Hampton and Angie McGinnis) playing in a conference that isn't as tough as the Pac 10, Big 10, or Big 12 every week can allow them time to work on working the kinks out of their system - decide whether they'll use a 5-1 with Moscivic, 5-1 with McGinnis, a 6-2. Give Hampton some chances to work through some potential early cases of freshman jitters and give them a chance to work on their defense.
Minnesota won't have that luxury, however, their defense will gain them enough extra swings at the ball on offense to allow the offense to not have to feel that they have to make a perfect attack with every swing because they trust that their defense will get the ball back for them repeatedly.
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Post by outsider on Sept 14, 2004 14:18:11 GMT -5
Mr. Gorf,
I acknowledge that Florida did win their fair share of the long rallies. It just seemed like they had to do it the "hard way". After digging the ball they typically had one option. Against a good defensive team, as Minnesota, it gives the defense too much of an opportunity to set up.
It may be that the schedule will give Florida a chance to work out their system and "season" the freshmen. Hampton, though seemed a little scary. Maybe it was the choices of the director, but, I kept seeing the "deer in the headlights" look. Not a good sign.
I hope Fox Sports covers as many Big-10 matches this year as they did last. I think the Big-10 is going to be competitive. Granted Minnesota looks like the favorite, but, there is talent in the conference and some smart coaches. They will make life difficult for each other and fun for the rest of us. For what it is worth, I saw in my Direct TV Guide that there is a volleyball being shown Friday, 7 p.m. PDT. No clue as to who is playing.
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Post by Gorf on Sept 14, 2004 16:11:27 GMT -5
Mr. Gorf, I acknowledge that Florida did win their fair share of the long rallies. It just seemed like they had to do it the "hard way". After digging the ball they typically had one option. Against a good defensive team, as Minnesota, it gives the defense too much of an opportunity to set up. Agreed, I just meant that Florida was at least able to maintain rallies and win plenty of them. I do believe that the Gopher's defense was much better overall than the Gator's defense. That Florida was able to win so many rallies though to me means that they have good potential on defense as they improve over the course of the season. I hope you meant scared and not scary for Marcie. (R)uffda! and I both somewhere in this thread mentioned that as well. That said, she didn't appear to be playing scared against either KSU or UNI, plus against UNI she showed very good defensive play and movement in the back row. I'll be surprised if she isn't a large part of the Gator team on both offense and defense by the end of the season. I hope we get a lot of conference matches broadcast this year from Fox, ESPN, CSTV, and anyone else that is willing. The Gophers may be the prohibitive favorites in the conference this year, but I'm expecting the conference champion to have at least 3 losses again this year. The Gophers won it with a 17-3 record for the 2002 season, other than that no conference champion had more than 2 losses from 1985 through last year.
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