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Post by cindra on Jan 7, 2020 13:11:51 GMT -5
Another year, another early end in the tournament. Really deflating loss, but I'm sure the team will be ready to get back in the gym and prove themselves against a very strong ACC field next season. Roster| Name | Position | Height | Year | Notes | | Kayla Lund | OH | 6'0" | Sr | | | Jordan Lockwood | OH | 6'2" | Jr | Navarro/Houston | | Natalie Steibel | OH | 6'1" | So* | | | Valeria Vazquez Gomez | OH | 6'1" | Fr* | | | Cat Flood | OH | 6'2" | Fr | | | Zoi Faki | OH/RS | 6'1" | Sr* | | | Sadie Dick | OH/RS | 6'2" | Fr* | | | Sabrina Starks | MB | 6'2" | Jr | | | Anastasia Russ | MB | 6'5" | Fr* | | | Chiamaka Nwokolo | MB/RS | 6'1" | So | | | Chinaza Ndee | RS/MB | 5'11" | Sr | | | Kylee Levers | S | 6'0" | Sr* | | | Lexis Akeo | S | 5'8" | So | | | Marija Popovic | L/DS | 5'5" | Sr | ETSU | | Ashley Browske | L/DS | 5'10" | So | |
Layne Van Buskirk, MB, 6'3", Graduated Alix Dreier, OH/RS, 6'1", Graduated Nika Markovic, RS, 6'0", Graduated Stephanie Williams, OH, 6'0", Graduated Hali Hillegas, L, 5'6", Graduated Avery Perosa, L/DS, 5'7", Graduated (?) Maddie Soboleski, S, 6'0", So*, South Alabama |
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Post by cindra on Jan 7, 2020 13:27:01 GMT -5
My positional breakdown:
S - I would guess a 6-2 with Levers and Akeo. That was the plan last year before Levers got injured and I'm not sure if Akeo has improved enough (or grown taller) to stay in the 5-1 from last year. Soboleski is an afterthought, as Levers is the same height and a better setter in the same role. This is probably the strongest position, no matter what offense we run.
OH - Lund will continue to hammer the ball, as usual. Williams is a loss at the net but was a huge liability passing, with the most receiving errors and lowest pass % on the team. Faki should be considered her replacement, as she often subbed in when Williams had a bad game. Faki improves on defense but loses some offense from Williams. Gomez and Dick impressed my friend who went to the spring scrimmage and they looked OK when they played in warmups. Haven't seen HS tape from them. Flood is a top 150 Senior Ace but I haven't seen tape on her either. No issues here, just interested to see who grabs OH2.
RS - Should be Ndee at the net, subbing in for a DS or L on the back row. Might move to MB if we can't find anyone to replace LVB. Don't expect anyone else to match the blocking and hitting power Ndee brings to the table. Depth is fine as a lot of our OH's can play both sides. No worries at RS.
MB - Starks should be M1. She was top 10 in blocks/set in the nation and has massively improved on offense in one season starting. She was even working a mediocre slide by the end of the year, which should be coordinated better with the focus on her as the main offensive option out of the middle. Nwokolo is pretty good, but was raw last year. Went off in some games, barely played in others. I expect her at M2. Russ is tall but lacks coordination, as is typical of tall girls out of HS. This is a young position and lacks depth unless Ndee moves back over. Starks only really has 1 season of experience despite being a junior.
DS/L - Starting competition will be very interesting. I think Browske is the better defensive player but she has a pretty bad serve from the few she took last year (can be fixed with gym time). Perosa is more experienced and a better server but may lack the talent that Browske brings to the table. Again, I don't know what recruits are coming but I wouldn't be surprised if a freshman or transfer comes in and also competes for floor time. Probably the weakest position on the team, and way down vs past years after the loss of Seman's experience last season and Hillegas's great play this year.
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Pitt 2020
Jan 7, 2020 13:42:56 GMT -5
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Post by gibbyb1 on Jan 7, 2020 13:42:56 GMT -5
My positional breakdown: S - I would guess a 6-2 with Levers and Akeo. That was the plan last year before Levers got injured and I'm not sure if Akeo has improved enough (or grown taller) to stay in the 5-1 from last year. Soboleski is an afterthought, as Levers is the same height and a better setter in the same role. This is probably the strongest position, no matter what offense we run. OH - Lund will continue to hammer the ball, as usual. Williams is a loss at the net but was a huge liability passing, with the most receiving errors and lowest pass % on the team. Faki should be considered her replacement, as she often subbed in when Williams had a bad game. Faki improves on defense but loses some offense from Williams. Gomez and Dick impressed my friend who went to the spring scrimmage and they looked OK when they played in warmups. Haven't seen HS tape from them. Flood is a top 150 Senior Ace but I haven't seen tape on her either. No issues here, just interested to see who grabs OH2. RS - Should be Ndee at the net, subbing in for a DS or L on the back row if we go 5-1. Might move to MB if we can't find anyone to replace LVB. Don't expect anyone else to match the blocking and hitting power Ndee brings to the table. Depth is fine as a lot of our OH's can play both sides. No worries at RS. MB - Starks should be M1. She was top 10 in blocks/set in the nation and has massively improved on offense in one season starting. She was even working a mediocre slide by the end of the year, which should be coordinated better with the focus on her as the main offensive option out of the middle. Nwokolo is pretty good, but was raw last year. Went off in some games, barely played in others. I expect her at M2. Russ is tall but lacks coordination, as is typical of tall girls out of HS. This is a young position and lacks depth unless Ndee moves back over. Starks only really has 1 season of experience despite being a junior. DS/L - Starting competition will be very interesting. I think Browske is the better defensive player but she has a pretty bad serve from the few she took last year (can be fixed with gym time). Perosa is more experienced and a better server but may lack the talent that Browske brings to the table. Again, I don't know what recruits are coming but I wouldn't be surprised if a freshman or transfer comes in and also competes for floor time. Probably the weakest position on the team, and way down vs past years after the loss of Seman's experience last season and Hillegas's great play this year. Not sure how you arrived at the plan this past season being a 6-2 prior to injury |
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Pitt 2020
Jan 7, 2020 13:47:36 GMT -5
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Post by cindra on Jan 7, 2020 13:47:36 GMT -5
My positional breakdown: S - I would guess a 6-2 with Levers and Akeo. That was the plan last year before Levers got injured and I'm not sure if Akeo has improved enough (or grown taller) to stay in the 5-1 from last year. Soboleski is an afterthought, as Levers is the same height and a better setter in the same role. This is probably the strongest position, no matter what offense we run. OH - Lund will continue to hammer the ball, as usual. Williams is a loss at the net but was a huge liability passing, with the most receiving errors and lowest pass % on the team. Faki should be considered her replacement, as she often subbed in when Williams had a bad game. Faki improves on defense but loses some offense from Williams. Gomez and Dick impressed my friend who went to the spring scrimmage and they looked OK when they played in warmups. Haven't seen HS tape from them. Flood is a top 150 Senior Ace but I haven't seen tape on her either. No issues here, just interested to see who grabs OH2. RS - Should be Ndee at the net, subbing in for a DS or L on the back row if we go 5-1. Might move to MB if we can't find anyone to replace LVB. Don't expect anyone else to match the blocking and hitting power Ndee brings to the table. Depth is fine as a lot of our OH's can play both sides. No worries at RS. MB - Starks should be M1. She was top 10 in blocks/set in the nation and has massively improved on offense in one season starting. She was even working a mediocre slide by the end of the year, which should be coordinated better with the focus on her as the main offensive option out of the middle. Nwokolo is pretty good, but was raw last year. Went off in some games, barely played in others. I expect her at M2. Russ is tall but lacks coordination, as is typical of tall girls out of HS. This is a young position and lacks depth unless Ndee moves back over. Starks only really has 1 season of experience despite being a junior. DS/L - Starting competition will be very interesting. I think Browske is the better defensive player but she has a pretty bad serve from the few she took last year (can be fixed with gym time). Perosa is more experienced and a better server but may lack the talent that Browske brings to the table. Again, I don't know what recruits are coming but I wouldn't be surprised if a freshman or transfer comes in and also competes for floor time. Probably the weakest position on the team, and way down vs past years after the loss of Seman's experience last season and Hillegas's great play this year. Not sure how you arrived at the plan this past season being a 6-2 prior to injury Thought fisher said that in some Post Gazette or VB Mag article about akeo. Am I remembering wrong? |
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Post by volleynerdmw on Jan 7, 2020 14:11:24 GMT -5
Not sure how you arrived at the plan this past season being a 6-2 prior to injury Thought fisher said that in some Post Gazette or VB Mag article about akeo. Am I remembering wrong? It certainly seemed like a good possibility since they did the same the year before with the older sister. |
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Post by Riviera Minestrone on Jan 7, 2020 14:17:38 GMT -5
I am going to approach this with a comment from a wholly different angle. What's occurring at Pitt is nothing short of amazing, NCAA WVB-wise. I'm a grad, and fan, of the top DI WVB program in history. THAT being said, it took about a decade for Don Shaw and Stanford to finally win a NC: after three title match defeats. Shaw was labelled as the coach who "never can win the big one" (he eventually won 4 titles; in the AVCA Hall-Of-Fame; etc.). For Pitt to even be in the conversation, historically speaking, is a fantastic accomplishment! Hang in there, Pitt & Dan.
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Post by hammer on Jan 7, 2020 14:21:31 GMT -5
I am going to approach this with a comment from a wholly different angle. What's occurring at Pitt is nothing short of amazing, NCAA WVB-wise. I'm a grad, and fan, of the top DI WVB program in history. THAT being said, it took about a decade for Don Shaw and Stanford to finally win a NC: after three title match defeats. Shaw was labelled as the coach who "never can win the big one" (he eventually won 4 titles; he's in AVCA Hall-Of-Fame; etc.). For Pitt to even be in the conversation, historically speaking, is a fantastic accomplishment! Hang in there, Pitt & Dan. Yeah, pretty much 2nd those thoughts. Usually you have to start by knocking on the door, improving your program, and eventually the knock gets answered. |
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Pitt 2020
Jan 7, 2020 14:24:57 GMT -5
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Post by cindra on Jan 7, 2020 14:24:57 GMT -5
I am going to approach this with a comment from a wholly different angle. What's occurring at Pitt is nothing short of amazing, NCAA WVB-wise. I'm a grad, and fan, of the top DI WVB program in history. THAT being said, it took about a decade for Don Shaw and Stanford to finally win a NC: after three title match defeats. Shaw was labelled as the coach who "never can win the big one" (he eventually won 4 titles; he's in AVCA Hall-Of-Fame; etc.). For Pitt to even be in the conversation, historically speaking, is a fantastic accomplishment! Hang in there, Pitt & Dan. I agree. Even with a lack of tourney success, being good in the regular season will get recruits which will improve success, etc etc. Pitt is on its way and quickly. |
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Pitt 2020
Jan 7, 2020 14:35:50 GMT -5
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Post by gibbyb1 on Jan 7, 2020 14:35:50 GMT -5
Thought fisher said that in some Post Gazette or VB Mag article about akeo. Am I remembering wrong? It certainly seemed like a good possibility since they did the same the year before with the older sister. Her sister was an upperclassmen all conference setter. |
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Post by volleynerdmw on Jan 7, 2020 15:19:13 GMT -5
It certainly seemed like a good possibility since they did the same the year before with the older sister. Her sister was an upperclassmen all conference setter. Right... and Lexi is/will be very similar so it seemed like Dan liked the bigger setter up front to set. Unless Levers was going run a traditional 6-2 with Lexi. Kama ran a 5-1 as a jr since i assume Levers wasn't "ready" then they ran a 5-2 Kama Senior year. |
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Post by gibbyb1 on Jan 7, 2020 16:34:03 GMT -5
I am going to approach this with a comment from a wholly different angle. What's occurring at Pitt is nothing short of amazing, NCAA WVB-wise. I'm a grad, and fan, of the top DI WVB program in history. THAT being said, it took about a decade for Don Shaw and Stanford to finally win a NC: after three title match defeats. Shaw was labelled as the coach who "never can win the big one" (he eventually won 4 titles; he's in AVCA Hall-Of-Fame; etc.). For Pitt to even be in the conversation, historically speaking, is a fantastic accomplishment! Hang in there, Pitt & Dan. I agree. Even with a lack of tourney success, being good in the regular season will get recruits which will improve success, etc etc. Pitt is on its way and quickly. I hope the expectation isn’t they will go on to “better”, Fisher is getting everything he can out of that program and fans should be thrilled if he can continue to be in that ballpark. Pitt fans grew tired of Jamie Dixon’s inability to get it to next level, and that was an epic blunder. |
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Pitt 2020
Jan 7, 2020 16:39:56 GMT -5
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Post by jasonr on Jan 7, 2020 16:39:56 GMT -5
Pitt, and the other top ACC teams, need the mid-level and cellar dwellers to improve. That will make the biggest impact on their postseason success.
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Pitt 2020
Jan 7, 2020 16:45:23 GMT -5
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Post by cindra on Jan 7, 2020 16:45:23 GMT -5
I agree. Even with a lack of tourney success, being good in the regular season will get recruits which will improve success, etc etc. Pitt is on its way and quickly. I hope the expectation isn’t they will go on to “better”, Fisher is getting everything he can out of that program and fans should be thrilled if he can continue to be in that ballpark. Pitt fans grew tired of Jamie Dixon’s inability to get it to next level, and that was an epic blunder. I hope better than Round 2 isnt too much to ask. |
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Post by gibbyb1 on Jan 7, 2020 17:15:23 GMT -5
I hope the expectation isn’t they will go on to “better”, Fisher is getting everything he can out of that program and fans should be thrilled if he can continue to be in that ballpark. Pitt fans grew tired of Jamie Dixon’s inability to get it to next level, and that was an epic blunder. I hope better than Round 2 isnt too much to ask. In reality, when Pitt makes it to round two, it’s not like they are lining it up with superior athletes. That’s how the top teams year in and year out advance past second round. It’s not like they don’t play bad, or have off nights, their athletes are just superior when they are top seeds in round 2. That isn’t the case IMO with Pitt. They have nice athletes who are marvelously prepared and play the game the right way. I don’t your expectation is “unreasonable” I just don’t think their success means they are going to start signing kids who are going to Michigan, Purdue, let alone the big boys and making regional finals and final fours. If the expectation level is they will go 29-1, undefeated in ACC every year, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Just winning doesn’t in and of itself lend to al of the sudden getting the top kids. Make no bones about it, getting to FF’s is all about getting the top kids. There’s a reason the same teams go to regional finals, FFs and win titles. Athletes. |
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Post by gibbyb1 on Jan 7, 2020 17:18:34 GMT -5
Pitt, and the other top ACC teams, need the mid-level and cellar dwellers to improve. That will make the biggest impact on their postseason success. Their league isn’t very good at all IMO. They went undefeated really easily after losing starting setter in pre season. 10 weeks is a long time to go unchallenged |
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