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Post by GopherBob on Dec 17, 2004 0:42:50 GMT -5
so GopherBob are you going to get any sleep tonight? Who knows? It's finals week here and I don't have a final til Monday. I usually don't go to bed until 2 a.m. anyway, and if there wasn't a volleyball match I'd be at the bar.
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Post by ZookIsCooked on Dec 17, 2004 0:44:31 GMT -5
My butt hurts from sitting in this chair the past 4 hours.
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Post by tnp101 on Dec 17, 2004 0:45:14 GMT -5
I like the chance of Stanford vs Minnesota matchup. I remember seeing this match up in one of the regional match at Stanford a couple years ago (?). The only fear I have is Paula Gentil. I hope she cannot handle Ogonna.
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Post by ZookIsCooked on Dec 17, 2004 0:46:50 GMT -5
I like the chance of Stanford vs Minnesota matchup. I remember seeing this match up in one of the regional match at Stanford a couple years ago (?). The only fear I have is Paula Gentil. I hope she cannot handle Ogonna. Nobody can handle Ogonna completely. Stanford will probably win but it should be a great final. I really hope Minnesota pulls it off.
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Post by GopherBob on Dec 17, 2004 0:47:10 GMT -5
The last time Minnesota and Stanford played was the new group of Gopher's coming out party, in the NACWAA Finals in 2002.
That was the year after Berg, Hagen and Company graduated and the Busse, Gentil, Martin, Taatjes Gophers were picked to finish 6th in the Big Ten and won the Conference Title.
The rest is history.
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Post by brybry on Dec 17, 2004 0:56:39 GMT -5
Congrats to Minnesota. They looked very strong in their regional final and I was afraid they might be able to handle USC the way they did tonight. USC has been Jekyl and Hyde all season long, so this might have been an appropriate result. It should be a good Final. Both Minnesota and Stanford are playing very well. May the best team win.
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Post by roofed! on Dec 17, 2004 1:28:44 GMT -5
Just got back from the match. Minnesota outplayed USC in all aspects of the game: better backcourt defense, better passing, better blockings, better setting, better serving etc. USC never got into rhythm, and all 3 passers struggled with Minnesota's jump floaters -- Gentil, Reinhart, Peniata and Taatjes.
In fact in game 1, many of USC points came from Minnesota errors rather than earning them from kills or blocking or aces. USC was serving very poorly, opposite of last week when they had 6 aces and 1 error against Nebraska. Florian dumped her serve into the net about 3-4 times, and you can build momentum when you were serving poorly.
Anyway, that the last time seeing Burdine, Adams and Robinson in USC colors. Those seniors have done well with 2 conference titles and 2 national championships. In a way, it is the end of Ross/Burdine era and the team must now rebuild behind the next generation of players in Gysin, Florian, Copenhagen, Bishop and Tennant. Hopefully the setters will make a much needed jump in their setting in the spring, and keep the team in contention for conference and national titles.
Congrats to Minnesota for the win, and good luck in the final against Stanford. I support fellow Pac-10 team, but from what I saw tonight, Minnesota is a more complete team. We'll see how they match up on the floor.
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Post by Gorf on Dec 17, 2004 4:02:47 GMT -5
USC had a run in at variois points of the 2nd and 3rd games where they started serving much tougher and had the Gopher serve recieve a bit off balance.
For whatevery reason they seemed to let up a notch again later in the 3rd game and most of the 4th.
The thing I like as much as anything tonight for the Gophers was that in game 4, for perhaps the first time all season for the Gophers against a strong opponent they "smelled the blood and went fot the jugular" (for lack of a better descrtiption.)
In games 1 through 3 the Gophers started with nice leads and allowed the Ladies of Troy back into each of those games. Naturally part of those comebacks were to the credit of good playing by the USC team, however, in game 4 the Gophers picked up their defense another notch and I don't think they allowed USC more than a 2 point run on points.
Something that (unfortunately) doesn't show up in the boxscore is how well both teams were doing on hitter coverage. It somewhat shows up in USC only having 5 blocks for the match.
One of my favorite plays of the night was in the 4th game. After Bibiana or Emily blocked the ball seemingly straight down off of a Gopher attack Jessy Jones was somehow able to react quickly enouh to keep the ball in play by popping it straight up so the Gophers could set it and get a kill.
Lindsey Taatjes (who couldn't make the Big 10 honorable or honorable mention AA lists missed having a quadrupble double by 1 kill and 3 blocks.
For the Gophers to do as well as they did against USC with Kelly Bowman having an off night (1-5-14) -.286, and having problems at times connecting with the Gopher OH's gives me a fairly good / better feeling for the matchup against Stanford on Saturday.
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Post by bigfan on Dec 17, 2004 11:22:41 GMT -5
Congratulations to the Golden Gophers on their fine win. Thank you USC players for giving everything you have and for being so classy after the final whistle; you represent what is great about the sport of women's volleyball.
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Post by Gorf on Dec 17, 2004 13:50:52 GMT -5
Congratulations to the Golden Gophers on their fine win. Thank you USC players for giving everything you have and for being so classy after the final whistle; you represent what is great about the sport of women's volleyball. Ditto. I've liked that there hasn't been a lot of animosity or controversy between the teams (or fans in the stands for that matter) at the final four this year. The teams play their hearts out, make adjustments throughout the matches as they can, and hopefully learn more about the sport and themsevles whether or not they win the match. The players (and teams in general) represent themselves, volleyball in general, and their communities extremely well.
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Post by Charlie on Dec 17, 2004 21:17:17 GMT -5
I was really impressed with the Minnesota left side hitters, they can crank it down the line if you give it to them, or in the seam, or inside the block. They avoid the block really well.
USC was horrible. I can now see how they lost to Washington State. Their passing was atrocious and their setters are not good enough to make up for it. Adams looked really slow. I heard comments from observers that they didn't see her as US Team material.
USC could mount a strong attack, but their ball control just did not allow them to do so.
The question for Minnesota is now simply this: can they slow down Nnamani (no one can 'stop' her).
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Post by norwis on Dec 17, 2004 21:28:13 GMT -5
Minnesota might win the match even if they don't stop Ogonna. They beat Ohio State last weekend and they sure didn't stop Gordon. She had 44 kills.
It should be a great match. I'm thrilled that it's live on ESPN2.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2004 22:35:35 GMT -5
After watching the semis Nebrska fans must be scratching their heads. Really, the NU I saw beat up on WSU would have rolled over all 4 teams... I just can't see how USC beat NU.. USC was bad last night. This year has been wide open from start to finish. If only Hawaii held on in that 5th game up 13-11...ughhhhhh
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Post by vballmaniac40 on Dec 17, 2004 23:03:34 GMT -5
If only Hawaii held on in that 5th game up 13-11...ughhhhhh Yeah, if only. That would have made it an even easier trip to the Final Four for Stanford. Face it, Hawaii would not compete with the teams in Long Beach.
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vbfan
Sophomore
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Post by vbfan on Dec 17, 2004 23:15:03 GMT -5
Yeah, if only. That would have made it an even easier trip to the Final Four for Stanford. Face it, Hawaii would not compete with the teams in Long Beach. Here we go again
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