|
|
Post by Kingsley on Dec 18, 2019 23:38:28 GMT -5
Yup, fix the passing and everything else will follow. You can't pass barely a 2 for the season and expect anything great to happen. Nicklin isn't perfect, but how can she develop if half the time she's chasing down balls behind the 10' line, pushed to the sideline, or saving near-overpasses? Like I was told, worst passing grade since 2011 and I think we all remember that season, not fun. It's easy to remember all the times this year that Nicklin was forced to run after passes that were shanked into zone 4 or somewhere else in the Shadow Realm. She was constantly stabbing at bad passes and often hitting the floor in the process. She played some matches early in conference season with a lot of bumps and bruises. So, I guess my way of stating the reason for the setting issues this year is that there was a lack of rhythm. There were glimpses of tangible efforts to improve Nicklin's setting range. She was more frequently setting against the grain and forcing middles. She made some plays that were not in her arsenal in 2018. The problem is that her tempo and location would start to waver as passing wavered. It's hard to expect anything else, though. It's hard for a setter who is still young to deliver consistent sets with the kind of passing we had. If we can develop some more reliable passing, Nicklin can settle down and not have to work so insanely hard. I mean, Kelly Hunter was a great setter, but there were times in her career where you could have placed her in the middle of the net with cinder blocks under her feet, and she would have performed pretty well. 2020 is about steadying the ship with a more experienced roster. |
|
|
|
Post by rjaege on Dec 19, 2019 1:20:34 GMT -5
Karma will strike me for this, as I am not allowed to even think negative thoughts, but I seriously doubt that this team can get further than the round of eight with Hames as its setter. Nicklin does some things very well (bump set, etc.) some things ok (pin setting, etc.), and some things poorly (middles, anywhere, etc.). But my real concern is her decision making when under pressure. I'm not brave enough right now to go back and look at set three v Wisconsin last weekend, but I remember a great series of predictable sets to Lexi interrupted by a brief series of predictable series of sets to Jaz. When pressured, Nicklin gets sloppy and INCREDIBLY predicable. By the end, everybody in the state knew where her sets were going to go. That doesn’t work against good teams. Yes, I understand that UNL got to the finals with Nicklin as its setter in her freshman year, but she had the benefit of a fantastic defence, and Foecke, who could (usually) transform her predictable sets into a kill. The team no longer has these luxuries. I remain optimistic, but my largest concern for the team right now is Nicklin’s decision making when under pressure. So u think she is getting worse and/or others will not improve? Agree u might, just maybe, might be getting a bit too negative. Wait until the tournament is over to evaluate just how NE compared to their #5 seed. If they had been the #7 seed good chance they would be in the final 4 this year, IMHO. |
|
|
|
Post by wyredneck on Dec 19, 2019 9:57:58 GMT -5
Yup, fix the passing and everything else will follow. You can't pass barely a 2 for the season and expect anything great to happen. Nicklin isn't perfect, but how can she develop if half the time she's chasing down balls behind the 10' line, pushed to the sideline, or saving near-overpasses? Like I was told, worst passing grade since 2011 and I think we all remember that season, not fun. jasonr - I'm a big fan, and I always enjoy your posts. Of course, I completely agree with you about passing. I posted several times at the beginning of this season that, "when the passing improves, everything else will fall into place," regarding both setting and hitting. I sincerely hope that the team's passing improves enough to prove me wrong about Nicklin. |
|
|
|
Post by big10+4 fan on Dec 19, 2019 16:45:07 GMT -5
Who do you want to see on the schedule next year? We know we start the Stanford/Kentucky/Louisville tournament this year and that we'll play Creighton. Earlier this year it was mentioned we were looking to go to a tournament in Dallas.
Personally I hope we play all three teams in that tournament (even though in the actual tournament you'll only play 2 of them). We need a good rpi schedule and tournament in Dallas could hurt that plus we usually have some easier games in home tournaments when we play twice on same day.....which also isn't great rpi wise.
|
|
|
|
Post by FreeBall on Dec 19, 2019 16:49:12 GMT -5
We need a good rpi schedule and tournament in Dallas could hurt that plus we usually have some easier games in home tournaments when we play twice on same day.....which also isn't great rpi wise. "Easier" matches don't automatically mean "bad for RPI". It all depends on which team you are playing - if they are a team that ends up dominating their conference, chances are they will be good for your RPI, regardless of their perceived strength. |
|
|
|
Post by big10+4 fan on Dec 19, 2019 17:17:28 GMT -5
We need a good rpi schedule and tournament in Dallas could hurt that plus we usually have some easier games in home tournaments when we play twice on same day.....which also isn't great rpi wise. "Easier" matches don't automatically mean "bad for RPI". It all depends on which team you are playing - if they are a team that ends up dominating their conference, chances are they will be good for your RPI, regardless of their perceived strength. I'm aware. However, we also haven't helped ourselves and have had some bad luck (LMU and high point not doing as well as we hoped, scheduling UMBC 2 years ago) for example. |
|
|
|
Post by mozhno on Dec 20, 2019 8:43:46 GMT -5
Yup, fix the passing and everything else will follow. You can't pass barely a 2 for the season and expect anything great to happen. Nicklin isn't perfect, but how can she develop if half the time she's chasing down balls behind the 10' line, pushed to the sideline, or saving near-overpasses? Like I was told, worst passing grade since 2011 and I think we all remember that season, not fun. It's easy to remember all the times this year that Nicklin was forced to run after passes that were shanked into zone 4 or somewhere else in the Shadow Realm. She was constantly stabbing at bad passes and often hitting the floor in the process. She played some matches early in conference season with a lot of bumps and bruises. So, I guess my way of stating the reason for the setting issues this year is that there was a lack of rhythm. There were glimpses of tangible efforts to improve Nicklin's setting range. She was more frequently setting against the grain and forcing middles. She made some plays that were not in her arsenal in 2018. The problem is that her tempo and location would start to waver as passing wavered. It's hard to expect anything else, though. It's hard for a setter who is still young to deliver consistent sets with the kind of passing we had. If we can develop some more reliable passing, Nicklin can settle down and not have to work so insanely hard. I mean, Kelly Hunter was a great setter, but there were times in her career where you could have placed her in the middle of the net with cinder blocks under her feet, and she would have performed pretty well. 2020 is about steadying the ship with a more experienced roster. |
|
|
|
Post by mozhno on Dec 20, 2019 8:50:22 GMT -5
Remember last year how poorly Jazz was playing, and Lexi's struggles in the tournament. Things can change and grow. Serve receive and passing, the staples of good Nebraska volleyball, were an obvious problem and I suspect will be a serious part of the preparation for next year. Before the season I thought this year would be practice season for next year, and I still look at it that way. Given the circumstances, the team probably maxed out; with one caveat, I think had we played either PSU or MN, we would have had a better chance of the final four appearance before getting blitzed.
|
|
|
|
Post by radioactiveman on Dec 20, 2019 9:11:42 GMT -5
Remember last year how poorly Jazz was playing, and Lexi's struggles in the tournament. Things can change and grow. Serve receive and passing, the staples of good Nebraska volleyball, were an obvious problem and I suspect will be a serious part of the preparation for next year. Before the season I thought this year would be practice season for next year, and I still look at it that way. Given the circumstances, the team probably maxed out; with one caveat, I think had we played either PSU or MN, we would have had a better chance of the final four appearance before getting blitzed. It's one thing when the passing issues are coming from your 6-rotation outsides. It's another when it's your DS substitutes that are having the issues. Having the DS position struggle as much as it has, not just with passing but with floor coverage is a serious concern. I'm not sure our existing DS's outside of Knuckles are going to grow that much more. |
|
|
|
Post by rjaege on Dec 20, 2019 9:23:10 GMT -5
Big picture: after the semi-final results NE's #5 seed appears about right, and one can make a case for #4 or even #3. Nothing too terrible for a rebuilding year and a team playing 2 freshman in key roles (Kubik six rotation OH and Knuckles libero). Also they lost a very dynamic OH mid-season (Davis) and IMHO that was a big loss.
The tragic death of Dane Leclair had a significant impact as well. Although that was hard to measure on the court. A tribute to the focus and work ethic of this team.
Yes passing and communication needs to improve and it will.
The freshman and all the players will get better.
The roster pantry is well stocked with returning players and 6 new players for 2020 (3 redshirts Abramovich, Gabel & Stutheit and 3 incoming freshman Evans, Johnson & Meyer). Also possibility of another recruit or transfer? Looking forward to seeing how they all fit in.
I very much enjoyed the 2019 season. My thanks to the NE volleyball team for another fun year for this fan. Looking forward to 2020.
GBR!
|
|
|
|
Post by eov4nu on Dec 20, 2019 9:35:38 GMT -5
I wonder how usable Abramovich, Gabel and Stutheit really are or what kind of playing time they may ever see. Agree on the #5 seed being about right, if we had been #7 we would of been playing last night. IMHO.
|
|
|
|
Post by rjaege on Dec 20, 2019 11:02:00 GMT -5
I wonder how usable Abramovich, Gabel and Stutheit really are or what kind of playing time they may ever see. Agree on the #5 seed being about right, if we had been #7 we would of been playing last night. IMHO. Time will tell on the redshirts and the incoming freshman. Watching player development is part of the fun for me. Agree on the seeding comments. Certain amount of luck involved in the NCAA tournament. NE got a tough seed compared to MN, in part because TX got beat before the regional final. Regardless rather play TX or Baylor than WI or Stanford. But that was never in the cards. |
|
|
|
Post by photos1 on Dec 20, 2019 13:04:44 GMT -5
Personally I don't understand it. NE only made it to the elite 8 this year. A really subpar year for NE volleyball. Possibly the wheels are falling off the program, but enough sarcasm. Reality: WI was the better team this year and one of the best 4 teams in the country based on NCAA tournament results to date. Their prospects for 2020 look excellent as well. Regardless a high percentage of NE players go on to extend their careers playing professionally or on national teams. That has a lot to do with NE coaching, which is why NE is an excellent opportunity for athletes with aspirations for playing post-college volleyball; and why Husker volleyball will continue as one of the best programs in the Big Ten and nationally. Jealous trolls will always exist. GBR! I noticed that if you recognise a troll and don't respond to their trolling: they go away!😒 GO HUSKERS Why do you find it necessary to respond if silence is a “troll” cure? And why is such a question “troll”. It’s a fair question, IMO. The truth is Wisconsin in 2019 was just better. They returned everyone and added a healthy and improved Haggerty. Nebraska lost one of the best players in the country in Foecke8 and AA Libero in Maloney and replaced them with freshman. . . Very very good freshman but not Foecke and Maloney. . . yet. In all 3 Wisconsin matches this year, Nebraska got Wisconsin’s best shot. Did Ohio State? Probably not . . .and that match in particular shows what happens when you don’t come to play at your best in the B1G. Why would Wisconsin play their best against Marquette? . . . a team who can’t even win a low grade mediocre conference. As for Washington, why would Wisconsin focus their best play on them? Clearly Wisconsin, like Nebraska spends the pre-season focusing on improving their skills in preparation for the important matches in the B1G, and not practice fodder like Washington to prepare for the B1G. The top 4 B1G programs are only concerned with winning 6 matches in the tournament. . . Nebraska is one of them. Penn St. lost in the F8 and many fans in State College are lamenting and over-reacting over such a “wasted”, “horrible” season. Two of the other 3 teams who lost in the F8 round are celebrating “great” seasons. . . Nebraska, like Penn St. doesn’t see much positive out of 2019. Sort of amusing. |
|
|
|
Post by ilikecorn on Dec 20, 2019 17:58:40 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by bball on Dec 20, 2019 22:00:23 GMT -5
I am home with a head cold and went back and watched the championship match last season against Stanford. And WOW. what a difference between last season and this season. I am shocked really. Our defense.. backcourt and even winning drive was soo much better. We were definitely a mess in lots of areas this season. We had a stellar back court and our serve pass was 50x better. Sigh..  |
|
