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Post by guest2 on Nov 16, 2016 23:53:01 GMT -5
Guest2....I just looked at Huntington (I was there) and Hitting percentage Kerri led April (.675 to.579)...Kerri only got 63 kills to April's 72 but April had 25 more attacks...Kerri, by the way only had 3 errors to April's 6, but then again Kerri had few attacks....Hey, I know a sample size of 1, but WAS going to check some other tourneys and overall, but a random search shows Kerri ahead of April...NOW, the disclaimer is I know NOTHING about stat analysis, so I may be way off base, but if there is NO WAY Kerri could be the best hitter, well, at Huntington, 2016, only Whitney was better.... Going off an AVP event where Kerri/April barely need to try to contest and FIVB award seems dubious, in particular because the kind of block and defense faced on the AVP is a whole different thing. That said one easy way to account for the statistical discrepancy you site is that April is the defender and so is attacking bad sets much more often than Kerri. Perhaps the best step 1 in any analysis of who is the best hitter in the world is to make a list of the players who get served on their teams. Barring serious ball control issues, you should then disqualify those players from consideration since their peers choose to serve them rather than their partner
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Post by volleyballjim on Nov 17, 2016 1:37:03 GMT -5
Kerri being served is a recent phenomena (plus post child/shoulder). We'll see in '17, but not sure I'm buying in, though, at FIVB Long Beach, all I heard is how April is the best player in the world...Kerri has an instinct in kills and she gets above the net well choosing her arsenal...April seemed to like Kerri as a partner . . .
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Post by chicory on Nov 17, 2016 2:47:14 GMT -5
What if you had all the FIVB players and refs vote on who is the best hitter?
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Post by austintatious on Nov 17, 2016 8:56:33 GMT -5
So WITH the statistics not agreeing with the "no, no, etc." WHAT is this based on...If kill percentage is up there, whats is the caveat on those stats....No, is not a sentence; well, sometimes, but not now! I must confess it is the eye test. Watching her live and on tv for the past 2 years, my opinion is she is no longer the best. I would gladly concur in the past !and for many years she was the dominant hitter/blocker. She is now like the fireballing pitcher who no× has lost some heat but maybe has more awareness and smarts. Stats are an indicator but cannot stand alone.
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Post by geddyleeridesagain on Nov 17, 2016 12:43:18 GMT -5
Kerri is no longer the best player in the world, but with the right partner could still reach Karch. I still think she needs to go after Sarah Hughes. She needs to go back to the left side (her comfortable side) to finish out career. April is NOT the best player in the world. Too slow on defense. She has gotten much better on D but not close to a Larissa or Ludwig. Who knows what happens when she comes back from having a child. All this being said and from what is being tweeted by both of them, it does appear like if no pregnancy both end of off season, they will continue on together. This is surprising to me, but they must have their reasons. Still the Best two women USA have. April is 3-4 inches taller then either of them, her initial step isn't going to be quite as quick. On the flip side, April's offensive game (including serve) is better than Larissa's or Laura's. She can do more OOS or with a shaky set. That said, I personally think Ludwig overwhelmingly deserves the title "Best Player" for the 2016 season. Also, I'm not sure Walkenhorst hasn't surpassed Kerri as the best blocker on tour.
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Post by volleyballjim on Nov 17, 2016 13:10:03 GMT -5
Back to chicory's: What if you had all the FIVB players and refs vote on who is the best hitter?....They DID !
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Post by volleyballjim on Nov 17, 2016 13:11:03 GMT -5
People have to realize there is a huge difference between "Who is the best hitter" in 2016 (Sample size large) and "Who do YOU believe is the best hitter in 2016" (Sample size = 1)
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Post by geddyleeridesagain on Nov 17, 2016 15:25:11 GMT -5
Back to chicory's: What if you had all the FIVB players and refs vote on who is the best hitter?....They DID ! Here's a little "inside volleyball" for you: Historically, players have often put their heads together and "fix" - for lack of a better term - the voting. Like making sure a well-liked player on the edge of retirement gets some recognition, or the reverse with a player who is largely disliked on tour. Or make sure an award is an intentional inside joke - years and years ago, a certain player was almost unanimously hated for being, well, an incredible a-hole. So for about five or six straight years, the players voted her "Most Inspirational" (or something like that, don't remember the exact title) as in most players were inspired to punch her repeatedly. It definitely doesn't happen all the time, and I'm not in any way saying that it happened in 2016. But outside of Player of the Year (which players do take seriously), I tend to take these awards with at least a small grain of salt.
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Post by bigfan on Nov 17, 2016 16:55:57 GMT -5
Or make sure an award is an intentional inside joke - years and years ago, a certain player was almost unanimously hated for being, well, an incredible a-hole. So for about five or six straight years, the players voted her "Most Inspirational" (or something like that, don't remember the exact title) as in most players were inspired to punch her repeatedly. I get it now.................Kerri being called the best Hitter in the world is a inside joke?
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Post by geddyleeridesagain on Nov 17, 2016 17:11:26 GMT -5
Or make sure an award is an intentional inside joke - years and years ago, a certain player was almost unanimously hated for being, well, an incredible a-hole. So for about five or six straight years, the players voted her "Most Inspirational" (or something like that, don't remember the exact title) as in most players were inspired to punch her repeatedly. I get it now.................Kerri being called the best Hitter in the world is a inside joke? Ummm, no. Not what I was saying. As for Kerri's future, I can certainly see her pushing to make Tokyo (although I have no idea whether that's her plan). At age 38, she's certainly still an elite player. It would depend on how long she can hold off father time and a shoulder that has been surgically repaired more time than I can remember. I think there was a small, but noticeable, slippage in her game in Rio - her footwork was getting just a bit sloppy on her sets, and her block was often a tad late. That - IMO - is losing maybe a 1/2 step to age. But if she can keep that lost 1/2 step from becoming a full step or more, I think she can remain at the top or near the top of the heap.
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Post by guest2 on Nov 17, 2016 21:01:40 GMT -5
I get it now.................Kerri being called the best Hitter in the world is a inside joke? Ummm, no. Not what I was saying. As for Kerri's future, I can certainly see her pushing to make Tokyo (although I have no idea whether that's her plan). At age 38, she's certainly still an elite player. It would depend on how long she can hold off father time and a shoulder that has been surgically repaired more time than I can remember. I think there was a small, but noticeable, slippage in her game in Rio - her footwork was getting just a bit sloppy on her sets, and her block was often a tad late. That - IMO - is losing maybe a 1/2 step to age. But if she can keep that lost 1/2 step from becoming a full step or more, I think she can remain at the top or near the top of the heap. If not a joke, then certainly counterintuitive. The best hitter gets the majority of serves? I watched them a bunch this year and -being jingoistic in my rooting-whenever a serve went to April in a close game I relaxed knowing it was likely to be a US point. With Kerri, who got most of the serves, it was much less so. I would say both Germans, April and Larissa were more better on offense this year, with Laura and April substantially so. If Kerri wants to go to Tokyo, a lot depends on factors outside her control. If the US field looks like it does now, Kerri can lose a step and the foot she uses to make it, then play on a peg leg and still be better than Fendrick. If, and this is more likely, Hughes/Claes are followed onto tour by a dynamic crop of young players she will need to scrap to hang on. However if Kerri wants to compete for a medal rather than just go she needs a very specific partner who is also one of the top 2-3 in world. (i.e. someone as good as April is now but with different skill set) Kerri should get Karch's record if she keeps playing, but a lot depends on whether April gets pregnant or not.
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Post by volleyballjim on Nov 18, 2016 3:17:16 GMT -5
Just ask an opponent who they would like to have make a critical play at a critical time. It SURE ain't gunna be Kerri...I've seen it time and time again a critical play going Kerri's way. You can't teach some of it. The USC girls saw it in SF when they were "on stage" in the finals...Still never forget that under the net recovery in the Olympics, watching Kerri show us how the "rule" was on 1st ball going under the net (You MUST bring it back the way it traveled) and she did it instinctively and, I think, won the point...LOTS of those plays in her repertoire...
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Post by downtheline on Nov 18, 2016 15:41:04 GMT -5
According the Avp 2016 she's not. It's who you'd expect, the one, the only, Whitney P...
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Post by beavis on Nov 18, 2016 22:25:14 GMT -5
Best pure hitters I've ever actually seen play a fair amount, in their prime, are (in no particular order) Jose Loiola, Scott Ayakatubby and Stokie followed closely by Emanuel Rego, Steffes, and Karch's hard cut shot. Honorable mention to Allen "A-Bomb" Allen. That's right - I went to the Bud Light 4's Tour!!! On the women's side, I've gotta go with Misty as the smartest and best all around hitter ever, followed closely by Sandra Pires, April, Nancy Reno and Annette Davis. In fact, I'll so far as to say that if Netty would have ever left Jenny Jordan (I know, I know, they were besties, and Jenny is probably the sweetest person I have ever had the pleasure to meet), she could have won mega tournaments with a true big. Holy crap, did I ever get off of the subject there - WOW!!!
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Post by guest2 on Nov 18, 2016 22:38:03 GMT -5
Best pure hitters I've ever actually seen play a fair amount, in their prime, are (in no particular order) Jose Loiola, Scott Ayakatubby and Stokie followed closely by Emanuel Rego, Steffes, and Karch's hard cut shot. Honorable mention to Allen "A-Bomb" Allen. That's right - I went to the Bud Light 4's Tour!!! On the women's side, I've gotta go with Misty as the smartest and best all around hitter ever, followed closely by Sandra Pires, April, Nancy Reno and Annette Davis. In fact, I'll so far as to say that if Netty would have ever left Jenny Jordan (I know, I know, they were besties, and Jenny is probably the sweetest person I have ever had the pleasure to meet), she could have won mega tournaments with a true big. Holy crap, did I ever get off of the subject there - WOW!!! When May/Walsh were dominating the only US team that would have had a chance was Nettie/EY. It used to kill me that Nettie wouldnt dump Jennie. Also when EY first came out there she hit the ball like no women's player ever had (at least US women's player) Kerri needs to be on that list too. She isnt the best now but 10 years ago, she was hitting shots other players couldnt imagine. On the men's side Pat Powers. Just unreal on offense.
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