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Post by SakiBomb25 on Aug 20, 2004 18:17:15 GMT -5
I don't think Walsh would have stayed on the team for four more years. She has a fragile body and I think the indoor game has really taken a toll on her body. She has said time and time again that the beach is much kinder to her body. If Walsh wasn't on the beach, she could be playing indoors, but I bet injuries would have hampered her indoor career.
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Post by Gorf on Aug 20, 2004 18:19:20 GMT -5
Passing will be a huge factor for the USA. Cuba is probably the top serving team in the tournament right now. If you watched the Cuba vs. China match, Barros had 6 aces against the top passing team in the world. Cuba has multiple jump servers who can rip the ball. Blocking will also be a huge factor for the USA. If you shut down the Cuban hitters, they begin to bicker and self destruct. The only problem is how do you shut down these high leaping Cubans. The USA has one last chance to prove what they're made of, and hopefully they can get things together. The US passing (at least based on the information on the NBC Olympics site of sucessful passes versus attemopts) was 56 / 101 for 55.4%. The Russian passing was 53 / 86 for 61.6%. Is 6.2% difference a huge margin at the international level? The stat that jumps out to me as being the biggest issue is the number of points on error given up by each team. The US gave Russia 28 points on errors for the entire match, however, 5 of those were in the 5th game and 8 were in the 4th game. So the US averaged giving Russia 1/3rd of their points over the last two games on errors. Russia gave the US 17 points on errors for the entire match, however, only 1 came in game 4 and 0 in game 5. The two teams went opposite directions on making errors in the last two games. After the US had turned it around in their favor after the 3rd game in receiving 16 poitns on errors from Russia and gave up 15 points on errors to Russia at that point. |
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Post by sistahsledge on Aug 20, 2004 19:11:23 GMT -5
What do they use to calculate "points on error"? I'm assuming it includes shanked passes, mishandled balls, balls hit out, etc. Are hits that are blocked back for points and missed serves also included?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2004 19:25:05 GMT -5
In all seriousness, the stats they keep are essentially worthless. I don't think you can get much worthwhile analysis from them.
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Post by foreignball on Aug 20, 2004 19:33:13 GMT -5
I’m sure most of people who would like to see Metcalf as a starter have in mind her as an OPP. I want also to point out the fact that she has played quite successfully as an OH for her club in Italy. Means she PASSES and plays defense!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2004 19:40:59 GMT -5
Are Russia's hitters all right sides?
How can Haneef have 8 block attempts and Ah Mow 3 in a 5-game match? Tom and Phipps had 19 each.
Why can't the FIVB use stats that make sense?
Ah Mow has 15 successful sets in 121 attempts? I think not.
How do they define passing success?
What's wrong with keeping track of hitting errors and a hitting %? 15 kills in 45 attempts is totally different when there are 0 hitting errors v. 15 hitting errors.
Same with their serving stats.
Dig attempts? Give me a break!
And why the hell does a team receive a point for a loss?
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Post by FloridaPerson on Aug 20, 2004 19:54:49 GMT -5
At the top of the show. They're only broadcasting the fifth game.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2004 20:01:58 GMT -5
Just when you think you've seen it all--only game 5.
What a joke.
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Post by TheSantaBarbarian on Aug 20, 2004 20:13:18 GMT -5
Just when you think you've seen it all--only game 5. What a joke. I agree. My guess is that if we had won we would have seen more of the match. OTOH, you'd hate to miss all that prelim tramoline work.  |
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Post by MarsH on Aug 20, 2004 20:15:23 GMT -5
Of course most of the blame has to go to: Logan's new hairdo. Has anyone else noticed that the shorter her hair gets, the worse USA plays? The truth is out there...  the team didn't do so bad in the 2002 world championships when logan first cut her hair short. |
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Post by Vball818 on Aug 20, 2004 20:15:48 GMT -5
Who's to blame? Let's start with BEACH VOLLEYBALL!!! If this silly diversion had been outlawed from the Olympics four years ago, the greatest setter and the greatest opposite hitter in the USA would be on the indoor team and we'd be crushing the competition. Misty has the ability to set anything from anywhere and the athleticism to run down the sketchy passes and "better" the ball. When Ah Mow sets from the 3m line, her location is too conservative, and the OH's have to hit from way off the net, especially the right side. Also, the only thing she gives the MB's is the back slide which the left OH of the opponents are shutting down, especially Bown. I still don't see Ah Mow really taking control of this team and willing them to win. It's a quality that very few players have and Misty was the best at that. Isn't there a standard VB philosophy: if someone is playing poorly, take her out...if everyone is playing poorly, take the setter out. I say let Berg show her stuff. Haneef's one-dimensional play is really being exposed under the glare of Olympic play. Maybe it's the pressure of the event but her hitting is not reflective of her physical gifts. Everyone thought that she was going to hit with impunity because of her reach but the good defensive teams aren't having too many problems digging or soft blocking her. Also, her blocking, digging, and passing are very below average. Unlike in the men's game where the OPP is just expected to be the big bomber, the best women's OPP's are those who do everything well (think Weishoff, or Zhou? from China). Walsh can move, dig, pass, set, block, and hit better than almost everybody. And she has a competitive fire that I haven't seen yet in Haneef. Oh well, wishful thinking. C'est la vie. Of course most of the blame has to go to: Logan's new hairdo. Has anyone else noticed that the shorter her hair gets, the worse USA plays? The truth is out there... I couldn't wait any longer to find out who won this match...checked my e-mail and to my disappointment we lost in five games to the Russians. Even a pep talk from the real Dream Team(women's softball not the men's basketball team) didn't seem to help boost their confidence. I really didn't expect this since I thought this team was so much better than the '00 team. Gosh defeating Cuba - not gonna be easy. As for beach volleyball hurting indoor volleyball - I just don't see how that has hurt the indoor vball team. If any sport that should be outlawed in the Olympics is rhythmic gymnastics. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2004 20:15:51 GMT -5
10 minutes. That's all we get. 10 lousy minutes.
Now tell me again how Beach ball is good for the game?
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There were at least 5 passes where Ah Mow could have set the middle and she went outside. I can understand that if you have a terminator out there, but they don't. What the heck?
And Metcalf comes in, for the first time in the match, at 11-14 in the 5th? What the heck?
Haneef and Phipps both appear to be clueless on defense. What the heck?
It's a shame. Two weeks, every four years, this sport has a chance to do something about its popularity in this country. If it's not NBC, it's the teams themselves (the men are going belly-up again).
It wouldn't be so bad if they'd show OTHER countries. It doesn't have to be the USA for people to see what a great sport it is. But hell will freeze over before NBC shows that.
I am so pissed off. Notice?
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Post by MarsH on Aug 20, 2004 20:23:20 GMT -5
I am so pissed off. Notice? a little |
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Post by Turlington on Aug 20, 2004 20:25:43 GMT -5
Robyn should have forced the middle. In the Cuba vs. China match, Cuba was setting the middle even on off passes. They got blocked a few times but still kept going to the middle and eventually establishing the middles.
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Post by kashi on Aug 20, 2004 20:26:03 GMT -5
If we really do end up not getting out of pool, I just feel so bad for all the girls who have sacrificed so much training for the last 2-4 years for this one two-week tournament. There is so much emphasis on the Olympics in th US and so little coverage of any other international tournaments that it can be devastating to the athletes to have the experience fail to meet even the most basic of expectations. I know some of the 96 Olympians were scarred by their Olympic experience. Rather than it being a defining moment that made all of their hard work worth it, it was something that made them want to turn away from the sport and move on with their lives.
I am trying to figure out our biggest weaknesses as a team and I think it comes down to passing and serving. Other teams seem to get us in more trouble with their serve than we do to them, and it makes our offense predictable. Then when we finally do get a good pass, our setter hasnt established any rhythm with the quick hitters and in a game five situation does not want to go with a high-risk set so we play it safe and set high balls again and again and we just dont have the type of hitters like a Gamova that can handle that kind of load.
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