trojansc
Legend
All-VolleyTalk 1st Team (2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017), All-VolleyTalk 2nd Team (2016), 2021, 2019 Fantasy League Champion, 2020 Fantasy League Runner Up, 2022 2nd Runner Up
Posts: 30,369
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Post by trojansc on Jul 20, 2020 20:31:22 GMT -5
17-18 year old student-athletes can't possibly imagine what it's going to be like away from home for the first time. Add the number of times going on the road. Especially, the number of trans-Pacific flights back and forth,...Hawaii to Calif. each year. Very stressful,...not to mention if you don't enjoy flying. Besides having a university available for the best local HS and JC students to further their careers in VB,...outstanding/logical! As a 17 year old, I was thrilled to be away from college and somewhere like SC. Some people are tired of growing up in the same small hometown for their whole life and can't' wait for the chance to be away from home! If someone didn't like flying, why on earth would they choose to go to Hawai'i? Why? Hawai'is travel is not even that bad. It's a one-way flight each time. No stopovers, no connections in tiny airports. The Big Sky travel is pretty bad - and those schools aren't that far apart geographically if you think about it, just inconvenient. Everyone has different preferences!
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Post by Wolfgang on Jul 20, 2020 21:34:11 GMT -5
When I became a father, I encouraged my own kids to get out of the house and go to a college as far away as possible. So, they did.
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Post by thebeach1 on Jul 21, 2020 20:47:50 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2020 20:53:35 GMT -5
If only they were back at school and able to practice!
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Post by chatchu-off moksri on Jul 21, 2020 21:38:02 GMT -5
How is Allison Martinez listed as a redshirt sophomore? Did she get injured less than 1/3 of the way through last season? If LBSU doesn't pull a decent season out with this roster, I'm going to be really disappointed. Of course, if by some miracle, the season actually happens...
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2020 21:43:03 GMT -5
How is Allison Martinez listed as a redshirt sophomore? Did she get injured less than 1/3 of the way through last season? If LBSU doesn't pull a decent season out with this roster, I'm going to be really disappointed. Of course, if by some miracle, the season actually happens... Now that Helvig has left the conference, the pin trio of Williams, Jordan and Martinez is definitely the strongest group in the BW on paper - so long as they're all healthy...
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Post by thebeach1 on Jul 21, 2020 21:47:20 GMT -5
How is Allison Martinez listed as a redshirt sophomore? Did she get injured less than 1/3 of the way through last season? If LBSU doesn't pull a decent season out with this roster, I'm going to be really disappointed. Of course, if by some miracle, the season actually happens... The last game Martinez played in was in a 0-3 loss to James Madison at the University of Florida pre season tournament. The loss to JMU--on 9/13/19-- was just the 7th match of the season out of a total of 29 matches played.
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Post by beachgrad on Jul 25, 2020 12:27:15 GMT -5
Program’s in the Big West will never have the depth at every position that some of the BCS schools have, and if we take the injury bug out of the equation, what do teams need at a minimum to be successful. Of course we all would love to be three deep at every position but could you make it to the second weekend in the NCAA tourney and push for an elite eight position with just one elite player, two or three and build around them with quality journeyman level players. What positions do you need those elite players in. One of the biggest factor is being at home the first weekend but that is another topic.
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Post by SmokeDogg on Jul 25, 2020 18:25:50 GMT -5
You asked what each program needs.
For Fullerton, two things are needed. A strong Rt side player and height on the front row.
Even with these needs, I think Fullerton will move up in the standings. Let's hope we have a season to find out.
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Post by beachgrad on Jul 26, 2020 11:30:34 GMT -5
Since a mid major does not have the depth or numbers of elite players at a minimum what positions are more important to fill with those upper tier players.
IMO the three must have positions for a mid major is to have a good setter, libero and one go to left side hitter that you can rely on to get you points. Outside of those three I believe you can fill with quality journeyman level players and still be very successful. Of course it would be great to have a go to hitter up front on every rotation but that maybe hard to come by for most mid majors. In addition the team needs to be a good overall defense teams so they can keep the rallies going and provide them extra chances to score and run a really fast offense to keep their opponent off balance.
The BCS schools have a big advantage at depth and have other players that can step up on any given night. This reminds me of last season’s UCSB match where they had Texas on the ropes and the Texas coach kept subbing in quality players until he found something that works. No real drop off in talent when he went to his bench.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2020 11:50:24 GMT -5
Since a mid major does not have the depth or numbers of elite players at a minimum what positions are more important to fill with those upper tier players. IMO the three must have positions for a mid major is to have a good setter, libero and one go to left side hitter that you can rely on to get you points. Outside of those three I believe you can fill with quality journeyman level players and still be very successful. Of course it would be great to have a go to hitter up front on every rotation but that maybe hard to come by for most mid majors. In addition the team needs to be a good overall defense teams so they can keep the rallies going and provide them extra chances to score and run a really fast offense to keep their opponent off balance. The BCS schools have a big advantage at depth and have other players that can step up on any given night. This reminds me of last season’s UCSB match where they had Texas on the ropes and the Texas coach kept subbing in quality players until he found something that works. No real drop off in talent when he went to his bench. Good point on how that game was a good illustration of the difference. UCSB had a great OH1, a great libero, a fast system and tough serving. Texas, in comparison, started the night really struggling in the serve/pass game and having issues with their block. But Elliott was able to go to his bench and bring in a better libero (that night) mix up the blocking until something worked. Texas won the stuff block count 14.5-6. The depth and athleticism on those top teams are so significant, compared to a mid-major that you really need to play great and a get a few breaks along the way.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2020 12:24:02 GMT -5
Since a mid major does not have the depth or numbers of elite players at a minimum what positions are more important to fill with those upper tier players. IMO the three must have positions for a mid major is to have a good setter, libero and one go to left side hitter that you can rely on to get you points. Outside of those three I believe you can fill with quality journeyman level players and still be very successful. Of course it would be great to have a go to hitter up front on every rotation but that maybe hard to come by for most mid majors. In addition the team needs to be a good overall defense teams so they can keep the rallies going and provide them extra chances to score and run a really fast offense to keep their opponent off balance. The BCS schools have a big advantage at depth and have other players that can step up on any given night. This reminds me of last season’s UCSB match where they had Texas on the ropes and the Texas coach kept subbing in quality players until he found something that works. No real drop off in talent when he went to his bench. Good point on how that game was a good illustration of the difference. UCSB had a great OH1, a great libero, a fast system and tough serving. Texas, in comparison, started the night really struggling in the serve/pass game and having issues with their block. But Elliott was able to go to his bench and bring in a better libero (that night) mix up the blocking until something worked. Texas won the stuff block count 14.5-6. The depth and athleticism on those top teams are so significant, compared to a mid-major that you really need to play great and a get a few breaks along the way. Would you rate both Eggleston and White above Ruddins? I think I would take LR over white but maybe not Eggleston.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2020 12:36:15 GMT -5
Good point on how that game was a good illustration of the difference. UCSB had a great OH1, a great libero, a fast system and tough serving. Texas, in comparison, started the night really struggling in the serve/pass game and having issues with their block. But Elliott was able to go to his bench and bring in a better libero (that night) mix up the blocking until something worked. Texas won the stuff block count 14.5-6. The depth and athleticism on those top teams are so significant, compared to a mid-major that you really need to play great and a get a few breaks along the way. Would you rate both Eggleston and White above Ruddins? I think I would take LR over white but maybe not Eggleston. Just in that match, I'd have them ranked as you do. Ruddins was overall less consistent through the other two though, and against weaker competition. But she has all the tools. She's actually got one of the best hybrid serves I've seen from a collegiate player, but it's so inconsistent that she barely used it at all in 2019. If she can figure that out and develop a more professional approach to the game, she could definitely have a successful pro career.
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Post by Riviera Minestrone on Jul 26, 2020 13:08:39 GMT -5
You asked what each program needs. For Fullerton, two things are needed. A strong Rt side player and height on the front row. Even with these needs, I think Fullerton will move up in the standings. Let's hope we have a season to find out. Gotta say I admire your loyalty to your institution. My father has a similar loyalty (I don't) to a BW school that hasn't ever reached the upper echelon of the conference, either.
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Post by beachgrad on Jul 26, 2020 14:12:12 GMT -5
Would you rate both Eggleston and White above Ruddins? I think I would take LR over white but maybe not Eggleston. Just in that match, I'd have them ranked as you do. Ruddins was overall less consistent through the other two though, and against weaker competition. But she has all the tools. She's actually got one of the best hybrid serves I've seen from a collegiate player, but it's so inconsistent that she barely used it at all in 2019. If she can figure that out and develop a more professional approach to the game, she could definitely have a successful pro career. I really like Ruddins game and she would have been a lot more effective over her career if UCSB had more offensive options so the opposing team could not just camp out in front of her. Imagine what her efficiency numbers would have been if she was not double blocked on every swing.
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