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Post by Gorf on Dec 12, 2004 2:56:26 GMT -5
No one mentioned that Meredith Nelson was six-packed on a block attempt of a Stacey Gordon attack and was playing at least the last game with her eye nearly swollen shut.
*ouch*
SoBB, if you'd seen Stacy play this match (and others) you wouldn't say no woman can broad jump well enough to effectively hit the pipe.
Plenty of her back row attacks in this match had her contacting the ball hard right at the net.
She is amazing in how well she adjusts her armswing (ie, contortion sometimes) to whatever set she gets and still hits the ball with authority.
It was nice seeing Lindsey Taatjes get some recognition for what she does as part of the Gopher team. I find it somewhat mind boggling that she has become such an effective attacker after having never been used as an attacker in her entire volleyball career before the experimentation with the 6-2 the Gophers did in their matches this past spring.
It was an incredibly fun weekend of volleyball here.
I'm still trying to figure out how the NCAA counts fans though. It looked like there were somewhat fewer people in the stands tonight, however, the NCAA says there were more.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2004 3:03:42 GMT -5
Some notes (much of which was missed by the babbling Heather Cox):
*Nelson was clocked early (3-4) in game 2 by Gordon on a hit out of the middle. You could tell her eye was swelling shut every time she was on camera, but did Cox/Blackburn notice? Nope. I can think of a lot of things I don't want to have happen to my face, but taking a Gordon bomb in the eye might be near the top.
*Gophers ran out of subs, again, in games 1 and 2. This is their Achilles Heel. It probably cost them game 1. However, Hebert decided to sub in Peniata in game 2 with his last sub and she rotated into the front row. Who tools the block for game point (34-32)? Peniata. Taatjes said Marci didn't even know it was game point. Have to admire a DS (although not your typical DS) who'll swing all out in such a situation.
*Gordon was fabulous. Better than I've ever seen her. But there wasn't much help elsewhere as the match went on. Even Mapp disappeared. Didn't think Main set very well the entire weekend, which surprised me.
*So cool that Taatjes got the MVP after being overlooked for All-Big10 and Regional AA. 18-2-29 .552 tonight! KBow was 11-3-21 .381. I'd say the 6-2 works. Taatjes, by the way, had NEVER been a hitter before this Spring. Great kid.
*OSU couldn't dig the right-side attack. And the X with the setters worked time and time again. Taatjes was very good at tipping to an open spot.
*Great to see Jones brought in to start game 4 (and play the rest of the way). After the first match against OSU, the coaching staff had decided it just didn't pay to try to block her backrow attack. So they didn't in the 2nd match, and it worked fairly well. Not tonight. Heck, not much worked tonight in terms of stopping Gordon. OSU had obviously come up with some new wrinkles. So here comes Jones to start game 4 and she eventually stuffs a Gordon backrow attack. I think this really changed the complexion of the match. Gave Stacey something else to think about anyhow.
*As I said earlier today, I'll never bet on the opponent in a game 5 against this team.
*Watched this in person (obviously) and then the CSTV tape. The TV didn't do it justice. It was an incredible match.
*Gordon can--and does--hit the pipe.
*OSU should be in the Finals. Too bad the Big10 had two teams in the same region.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2004 3:08:19 GMT -5
Bratford, like last night, got better as the match went on. I'm sure the ankle loosens up. She's not elevating anywhere near her usual height, but she came through for them. I especially liked her backrow play tonight.
Martin was the focus of OSU, but she still managed 20 kills.
3,734 was the official attendance, but the Pavilion was full.
Amber Holmquist was there.
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Post by sonofbarcelonabob on Dec 12, 2004 5:00:04 GMT -5
SoBB, if you'd seen Stacy play this match (and others) you wouldn't say no woman can broad jump well enough to effectively hit the pipe. There's humor in that statement. LOL. I can't bring myself to move on it, though. Women CAN'T hit pipes (or anything else backrow) worth a lick. I've watched both the women's and the men's game extensively through the years. No comparison. Maybe if the Golden Walleyes HAD a men's program, you might have a better feel for what true backrow attacking looks like.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2004 12:21:32 GMT -5
StarTribune
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Post by JT on Dec 12, 2004 14:31:36 GMT -5
[quote author= (R)uffda! link=board=general&thread=1102809842&start=182#12 date=1102838899]3,734 was the official attendance, but the Pavilion was full.[/quote] There *were* more people there on Saturday than on Friday -- the upper corners were emptier the first night. Also, remember that bands do not get counted as part of the attendance; Friday, we had four bands taking up space. Oscar and I talked w/ the Sr Assoc AD of Athletics (or whatever Regina's called now) about how things were counted. She agreed that it looked fuller, but reminded us that: 1) Only paid tickets get counted. Player pass lists exist, but the school has to pay for them, so they are included. 2) Bands, cheerleaders, and mascots aren't paid attendees. 3) The bands, when playing, take up a lot more room than they would as fans. I think the bands took up about 80-100 seats, even though there were probably only about 30 members. 4) The bleacher seating (GA) needs to be crammed tight in order to get the full seating count. There's less room than in airline seats. I still think there were 4000-5000 there, butI gotta believe the NCAA and UofM know how to count.
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Post by vballmaniac40 on Dec 12, 2004 14:50:41 GMT -5
In the picture of Nelson in the Tribune, you can see the left eye all swollen and bruised. That was quite a shot she took.
Back to the game... Taatjes was INCREDIBLE! She came out of nowhere to be the team's primary attacker. Also, she hit all the shots--cross court, line, and found the front corner tip five or six times as well. What a performance. However, it's hard to believe Gordon wasn't the MVP even with her team losing. Glad Taatjes got it though, it's about time she got some recognition.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2004 16:26:01 GMT -5
Sideout scoring:
10-11, 9-8, 10-12, 12-11, 8-1
Not a single game went to 15. 3 games decided by 1 point. 9-8 in the 34-32 game is UNREAL.
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gtdon
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Post by gtdon on Dec 12, 2004 17:24:11 GMT -5
Whew!!! What an incredible regional (Minneapolis). I cannot imagine matches any intense than those 3. All 5 gamers with the momentum swinging like a swing in the wind. Late in game 2 last night, I knew OSU was in command, especially with the MU DS in the left front. What a shock to see her get a kill to end game 2. But I will give the Gophers credit, they found a way to win (IMO it was the setters/ RS who turned the tide), even with Stacey playing "not to be denied" and getting 44, yes, 44 kills. Congrats to the Gophers, and BEAT those Trojans!!!!!
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Post by norwis on Dec 12, 2004 22:54:11 GMT -5
[quote author= [glow=red,2,300] simplycurious[/b][/color][/glow] link=board=general&thread=1102809842&start=162#10 date=1102818904] See, that's what I'm talking about...how wants to see a rematch of one of the semifinals from last year? I want to see some different teams and match-ups when I go to the Final Four...not the same old ones! Oh well, Minnesota wins, so what am I to do? [/quote] You could stay home.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2004 9:58:45 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2004 10:00:41 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2004 10:19:42 GMT -5
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