Post by alwayslearning on Dec 24, 2019 22:23:11 GMT -5
The Huskies come off a very good season where, I think most of us would agree, they came pretty close to fulfilling their potential, and ended a consensus sixth best team in the nation. They lose two of their three most valuable players (Bajema and McPherson) but return Powell, who should only continue to get better. They also return a proven terminator in Sam Drechsel. What do the Huskies need to do to make a run at the Pac 12 title and host another subregional?
First priority, as I have opined before, is to find a proven transfer libero. Asking Houghton, Calle, or Crenshaw to fill Shayne’s shoes is asking a lot. I would be surprised if Cook and Co. are not working hard to make this happen. They’ve seen this coming for over a year now.
Second priority is to find a new DS or two, whether that is someone who walks on or another transfer who presumably does not take a scholarship. Teams like Wisconsin and Penn State have liberally substituted good defensive players in the back row with impressive results. The alternative is to develop Houghton or Calle or even Mikkelsen. Given that none of these players could beat out Onosko in 2019, they would need to make a quantum leap in their skill level. The Huskies desperately need athletic players with good ball control and digging skills in the back row and they need an upgrade over Onosko’s level of play at DS to stay in rallies and beat elite teams. I am hopeful that Cook and Co. are talking to DS candidates right now.
Ideally, the Huskies would find a libero/DS who could also play setter in a pinch. Powell has been extremely durable but you need a capable backup. Mikkelsen is that backup now, but she has not seen the court and has a history of injuries. With Mikkelsen on crutches the last three weeks of the season, what was UW’s plan if Powell had been sidelined due to injury?
On the offensive front, how do the Huskies replace Bajema’s awesome production? The short answer is with all of their pin hitters. UW should have four good pin hitters (Hoffman, Drechsel, Crenshaw, and Endsley) vying for three starting positions.
My sense is that Drechsel is more comfortable and effective as a three-rotation Opposite. One way to maximize her effectiveness as an OPP is to start most matches in Rotation 2, where Drechsel would start out on the L front and Powell would serve. This way Drechsel would play three rotations at the net to start a match and UW would benefit from Powell’s excellent serve to begin matches.
I think 2020 could be Shannon Crenshaw’s year to break out. She showed everyone what she could do as a potent front row hitter when the LA schools came to town this year. She was also neck-and-neck with Hoffman, in the eyes of the coaching staff, at the beginning of the year, when she received some starts over Hoffman. Compared to Hoffman and Drechsel, she is a quicker defender in the back row and likely has more potential to become a consistently solid passer in serve receive. I would really rather not see either Drechsel or Hoffman in the back row (see comments above regarding libero and DS positions). The Huskies need at least one of their pin hitters to play back row, and Crenshaw is the best candidate.
If Drechsel continues to play OPP, then Hoffman and Crenshaw are likely to start on the left side. Hoffman is a canny hitter but the Huskies need to see her continue to evolve as a terminator.
Endsley is the wild card. At the very least, she should provide an extra level of security if one of the other pin hitters goes down with an injury or underperforms. We would all love to see another powerful terminator in the front row, but she has her work cut out in securing a starting position. If she is able to break the starting lineup, I assume it would be as a three-rotation player (yet another reason why we need good libero/DS players).
In the middle, the Huskies will miss Niece’s excellent blocking but might be a better middle hitting team overall. Sanders and Powell should continue to improve the slide connection, which slowly evolved into a decent option by the end of 2019. Grote could be a good option on quick middle hits. Summers is another wild card. As a highly rated recruit, you’ve got to think the Huskies will develop her into a very good middle as time goes on. My guess is that both Grote and Summers will get substantial opportunities to prove themselves before conference matches start.
Maria B. should continue to be our serving specialist extraordinaire as well as another insurance policy for the front row. Dani Cole remains an enigma wrapped in a mystery and I sincerely hope that she remains healthy all year and fulfills some of the potential we have seen all too briefly.
One of the relative strengths of the 2019 Huskies was a good sense of chemistry and leadership. My guess is that the four departing seniors had a lot to do with that. Leadership often begins with the setter, and Powell seems as good a candidate as any to provide that leadership to the 2020 Huskies. Who else will step up and be the “glue” for the next Husky team?
First priority, as I have opined before, is to find a proven transfer libero. Asking Houghton, Calle, or Crenshaw to fill Shayne’s shoes is asking a lot. I would be surprised if Cook and Co. are not working hard to make this happen. They’ve seen this coming for over a year now.
Second priority is to find a new DS or two, whether that is someone who walks on or another transfer who presumably does not take a scholarship. Teams like Wisconsin and Penn State have liberally substituted good defensive players in the back row with impressive results. The alternative is to develop Houghton or Calle or even Mikkelsen. Given that none of these players could beat out Onosko in 2019, they would need to make a quantum leap in their skill level. The Huskies desperately need athletic players with good ball control and digging skills in the back row and they need an upgrade over Onosko’s level of play at DS to stay in rallies and beat elite teams. I am hopeful that Cook and Co. are talking to DS candidates right now.
Ideally, the Huskies would find a libero/DS who could also play setter in a pinch. Powell has been extremely durable but you need a capable backup. Mikkelsen is that backup now, but she has not seen the court and has a history of injuries. With Mikkelsen on crutches the last three weeks of the season, what was UW’s plan if Powell had been sidelined due to injury?
On the offensive front, how do the Huskies replace Bajema’s awesome production? The short answer is with all of their pin hitters. UW should have four good pin hitters (Hoffman, Drechsel, Crenshaw, and Endsley) vying for three starting positions.
My sense is that Drechsel is more comfortable and effective as a three-rotation Opposite. One way to maximize her effectiveness as an OPP is to start most matches in Rotation 2, where Drechsel would start out on the L front and Powell would serve. This way Drechsel would play three rotations at the net to start a match and UW would benefit from Powell’s excellent serve to begin matches.
I think 2020 could be Shannon Crenshaw’s year to break out. She showed everyone what she could do as a potent front row hitter when the LA schools came to town this year. She was also neck-and-neck with Hoffman, in the eyes of the coaching staff, at the beginning of the year, when she received some starts over Hoffman. Compared to Hoffman and Drechsel, she is a quicker defender in the back row and likely has more potential to become a consistently solid passer in serve receive. I would really rather not see either Drechsel or Hoffman in the back row (see comments above regarding libero and DS positions). The Huskies need at least one of their pin hitters to play back row, and Crenshaw is the best candidate.
If Drechsel continues to play OPP, then Hoffman and Crenshaw are likely to start on the left side. Hoffman is a canny hitter but the Huskies need to see her continue to evolve as a terminator.
Endsley is the wild card. At the very least, she should provide an extra level of security if one of the other pin hitters goes down with an injury or underperforms. We would all love to see another powerful terminator in the front row, but she has her work cut out in securing a starting position. If she is able to break the starting lineup, I assume it would be as a three-rotation player (yet another reason why we need good libero/DS players).
In the middle, the Huskies will miss Niece’s excellent blocking but might be a better middle hitting team overall. Sanders and Powell should continue to improve the slide connection, which slowly evolved into a decent option by the end of 2019. Grote could be a good option on quick middle hits. Summers is another wild card. As a highly rated recruit, you’ve got to think the Huskies will develop her into a very good middle as time goes on. My guess is that both Grote and Summers will get substantial opportunities to prove themselves before conference matches start.
Maria B. should continue to be our serving specialist extraordinaire as well as another insurance policy for the front row. Dani Cole remains an enigma wrapped in a mystery and I sincerely hope that she remains healthy all year and fulfills some of the potential we have seen all too briefly.
One of the relative strengths of the 2019 Huskies was a good sense of chemistry and leadership. My guess is that the four departing seniors had a lot to do with that. Leadership often begins with the setter, and Powell seems as good a candidate as any to provide that leadership to the 2020 Huskies. Who else will step up and be the “glue” for the next Husky team?