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Post by socalplayer on Oct 31, 2017 22:38:29 GMT -5
Plummer-Hughes...throwing it out there..it’s not as far fetched as you think.
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Post by geddyleeridesagain on Nov 1, 2017 0:57:02 GMT -5
Plummer-Hughes...throwing it out there..it’s not as far fetched as you think. I don't think it's far-fetched at all. But not before 2021. |
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Post by billygun7 on Nov 1, 2017 2:18:16 GMT -5
April Ross needs a blocker,she is not a good blocker.april is good at sideout.
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Post by guest2 on Nov 1, 2017 6:19:32 GMT -5
April Ross needs a blocker,she is not a good blocker.april is good at sideout. April can block. She isn't Sarah or Joanna, but she is big with decent skills. Given her limitations on defense, absent a Kerri type player, split blocking may be best for her. That would somewhat limit teams abilities to specifically orient their attack towards her deficiencies |
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Post by JB Southpaw on Nov 1, 2017 9:13:35 GMT -5
Plummer-Hughes...throwing it out there..it’s not as far fetched as you think. I don't think it's far-fetched at all. But not before 2021. I'd like to say this is a big mistake, but I can't  |
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Post by Semp12 on Nov 1, 2017 12:04:52 GMT -5
I don't think it's far-fetched at all. But not before 2021. I'd like to say this is a big mistake, but I can't The cost of that Stanford scholarship is more than what most of the women's players make on the AVP/FIVB, so that seems like a real tough call. So different than the men's side where they guys who left early were still paying 20-30K for school on .5 scholarships. |
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Post by downtheline on Nov 1, 2017 12:57:21 GMT -5
KP is not leaving Stanford early, that is not logical at all.
Karch will fight for KP to stay indoors, but that pounding on the body is not a great longterm solution for a female athlete the size of Plummer. She would also garner much more money to play indoors unless something changes on the beach landscape.
At this point in time, Kelly Claes is better on the beach than Plummer, imho. KC moves better in the sand, has better hands and can terminates with either left or right, unlike anyone I can remember on the beach.
The skies that limit for both of these bigs.
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Post by haze on Nov 1, 2017 14:09:02 GMT -5
How important is a blocker in the women's game? I'm not talking special players like Kerri Walsh or Sarah Pavan, I'm talking dominant blocker vs all around player. Fendrick is considered a World Class blocker and we saw how that partnership worked out. The best teams in the World (not including the special players listed above) all have 1 thing in common, and that's a solid blocker (not special) who's an excellent All-Around player who's very good in transition. They all hover around 5'11" to 6'1", have a disciplined solid blocking technique, and excel in pretty much every part of the game. They all win in the transition part of the game as well as the sideout. I would say almost every single one of them looks at blocking like added bonuses. I would even say in general, unlike the men's game, the block isn't an emphasized part of the game.
You would think April and Sara could make a good partnership like above, but in the 1 tournament they did play it was pretty ugly so not real sure what's going on. Probably what's happening with April is she either isn't as good as we though, or the US side just does not have any World Class players right now. Claes I think has all around skills, but she is not very good in transition at this point of her career in comparison to other World Class players.
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Post by haze on Nov 1, 2017 14:10:04 GMT -5
I can't in any way see Plummer leaving Stanford for Beach Volleyball money. Indoor players rarely leave early for Indoor, and that money is not only guaranteed but a hell of a lot more.
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Post by volleyballjim on Nov 1, 2017 15:56:03 GMT -5
How important is a blocker in the women's game? I'm not talking special players like Kerri Walsh or Sarah Pavan, I'm talking dominant blocker vs all around player. Fendrick is considered a World Class blocker and we saw how that partnership worked out. The best teams in the World (not including the special players listed above) all have 1 thing in common, and that's a solid blocker (not special) who's an excellent All-Around player who's very good in transition. They all hover around 5'11" to 6'1", have a disciplined solid blocking technique, and excel in pretty much every part of the game. They all win in the transition part of the game as well as the sideout. I would say almost every single one of them looks at blocking like added bonuses. I would even say in general, unlike the men's game, the block isn't an emphasized part of the game. You would think April and Sara could make a good partnership like above, but in the 1 tournament they did play it was pretty ugly so not real sure what's going on. Probably what's happening with April is she either isn't as good as we though, or the US side just does not have any World Class players right now. Claes I think has all around skills, but she is not very good in transition at this point of her career in comparison to other World Class players. haze: Great point! Actually, I've been wondering why so little talk on the art of pulling in the women's game. I've watched the hits up close and, for example, Kerri would pull up so may hits (after pulling) I'm like "what super-skill is pulling"? I mean unless they're unravelling a SUPER hard driven, at the women's level, let me pull a LOT more and see the results (who'd bring down 5-10 blocks per game anyway)....Men's: No chance, but women's is a different ballgame....The Lindquist sisters did it regularly and nobody ever picked up on that after they left the game (of playing on a regular basis).... |
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Post by downtheline on Nov 1, 2017 16:22:44 GMT -5
VBJ: Pulling off the block/net seems to be an art form that not many have mastered.
KW the best at it for sure. I think Kelly Claes models some of her skills trying to be like KW with regard to this skill set.
There is a fine line with this option, and I disagree, many times when KC has dropped on the pro level, hitters like April, Fendi and others have made her pay. But if you watch the final of AVP in Chicago, Kelly's drops were working well, she picked up some hard driven balls in that match.
With a quick defender, if your dominating the net and at least getting a touch, you give your partner a much better chance at picking up a dig or keeping the ball in play.
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Post by greenpier on Nov 1, 2017 16:28:26 GMT -5
April is still the best available option for anyone as long as Kerri is out I thought April Ross wanted to get knocked up |
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Post by volleyballjim on Nov 1, 2017 16:32:04 GMT -5
VBJ: Pulling off the block/net seems to be an art form that not many have mastered. KW the best at it for sure. I think Kelly Claes models some of her skills trying to be like KW with regard to this skill set. There is a fine line with this option, and I disagree, many times when KC has dropped on the pro level, hitters like April, Fendi and others have made her pay. But if you watch the final of AVP in Chicago, Kelly's drops were working well, she picked up some hard driven balls in that match. With a quick defender, if your dominating the net and at least getting a touch, you give your partner a much better chance at picking up a dig or keeping the ball in play. dtl: I hear ya...BUT, I wonder what efficacy one has to do to make this effective (It CERTAINLY does not have to be 100% as a block is only directing a hit and "sometimes" blocking it), so maybe we don't all understand how many times it can go wrong AND STILL BE RIGHT! |
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Post by guest2 on Nov 1, 2017 17:30:18 GMT -5
How important is a blocker in the women's game? I'm not talking special players like Kerri Walsh or Sarah Pavan, I'm talking dominant blocker vs all around player. Fendrick is considered a World Class blocker and we saw how that partnership worked out. The best teams in the World (not including the special players listed above) all have 1 thing in common, and that's a solid blocker (not special) who's an excellent All-Around player who's very good in transition. They all hover around 5'11" to 6'1", have a disciplined solid blocking technique, and excel in pretty much every part of the game. They all win in the transition part of the game as well as the sideout. I would say almost every single one of them looks at blocking like added bonuses. I would even say in general, unlike the men's game, the block isn't an emphasized part of the game. You would think April and Sara could make a good partnership like above, but in the 1 tournament they did play it was pretty ugly so not real sure what's going on. Probably what's happening with April is she either isn't as good as we though, or the US side just does not have any World Class players right now. Claes I think has all around skills, but she is not very good in transition at this point of her career in comparison to other World Class players. Not sure when 6'1 became small on the women's side. I remember when 5'10 Nancy Reno was the best net player in the world by a mile. I think at this point you usually need either an elite blocker or an elite defender to really do well on the world stage. (Multiple wins in a year or this year multiple finals) Of the top teams the last 2-3 years, The Germans have both, the USA (Ross/Walsh) Canada, the Swiss and Larissa Brazil all have/had one. Of those teams only Larissa/Brazil doesn't have an elite blocker and Larissa is a top 2/3 defender in history. Having a Kira/Kerri/Joanna/Sarah isn't necessary to win, but it sure does help and elite blockers are maybe more valuable than elite defenders. I've seen Larissa/Misty/Laura have very limited impact on matches more often than a young Kerri, or Pavan. Lauren is a good blocker but she is low average at just about everything else, including siding out. |
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Post by c4ndlelight on Nov 1, 2017 18:04:16 GMT -5
Is Pavan really a world-class blocker on the beach? She's a terrible blocker indoors.
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