Big Ten Fall 2021

[Kingsley]

For tomorrow's preview, the RNG machine has decided:

[Brutus Buckeye]

Aug 17, 2021 12:47:04 GMT -5 Kingsley said:

     Minnesota Golden Gophers




Departures (* denotes starter):

Hunter Atherton - 5'10 S

[greatlakesvballer]

I just read the Michigan State preview. It was brilliant. Cathy George should put a hit out on Kingsley.

[Deleted]

Aug 17, 2021 17:02:20 GMT -5 greatlakesvballer said:

I just read the Michigan State preview. It was brilliant. Cathy George should put a hit out on Kingsley.

Wait until the story of how the team got Covid goes public...

[bruinsgold]

Aug 17, 2021 22:09:45 GMT -5 @bigwestfan2 said:

Aug 17, 2021 17:02:20 GMT -5 greatlakesvballer said:

I just read the Michigan State preview. It was brilliant. Cathy George should put a hit out on Kingsley.

Wait until the story of how the team got Covid goes public...

[abcd098]

Aug 17, 2021 22:09:45 GMT -5 @bigwestfan2 said:

Aug 17, 2021 17:02:20 GMT -5 greatlakesvballer said:

I just read the Michigan State preview. It was brilliant. Cathy George should put a hit out on Kingsley.

Wait until the story of how the team got Covid goes public...

You can’t leave us hanging like that!

[badgerbreath]

Trying to envision a truly scandalous way for a team to catch COVID and not coming up with anything. I need to work on my imagination.

[volleyaudience]

No volleyball games yet.... Little detail coming out of practices... Fans are bored and getting delirious.

[Kingsley]

     Ohio State Buckeyes

Spring 2021 Overall Record: 16-4

Conference Record: 15-3 (4th)

NCAA Tournament Placement: Regional Semifinals (L, 1-3 vs. Florida)

Final AVCA Ranking: 10



Head Coach: Jen Flynn Oldenburg (2nd season at Ohio State)

Record at Ohio State: 16-4



Returning Starters:

Vanja Bukilic - SR, 6'6 OH

Gabby Gonzales - JR, 6'3 OH

Hannah Gruensfelder - 5'6 DS/L

Emily Londot - SO, 6'3 RS

Kylie Murr - JR, 5'6 L

Mac Podraza - JR, 6'2 S

Rylee Rader - SO, 6'2 MB



Departures (* denotes starter):

Lauren Witte* - 6'4 MB



Incoming Players:

Arica Davis - FR, 6'2 MB

Meghan McCann - FR - 5'9 DS/L

Sydney Taylor - FR, 5'8 L

Sarah White - FR, 5'11 S



Spring 2021 Recap:

Finally, it's time for the five-set fiesta.

Ohio State's spring season was all about perpetuating a meme, as everything the Buckeyes touched seemed to go to a tiebreaker. It all started on opening weekend with two five-set home contests against Maryland. The Buckeyes won them both.

Then, it was on to East Lansing, where Ohio State scored a sweep in the first match before winning another tiebreaker in the rematch. A return trip to Columbus was next, and the home team crushed Iowa to improve to 6-0.

Soon after, the Covelli Center welcomed Penn State for a mid-week fill-in match. The Nittany Lions won the first two sets before, of course, Ohio State stormed back and completed the reverse sweep.

Huff Hall was the next destination for the undefeated Buckeyes. Ohio State won the first contest in four sets and filled their five-set quota in the second. 9-0.

Back on the road to Rutgers. A quick sweep extended the win streak to ten. Then, only because it's fair, Ohio State and Rutgers went the distance in the second match. The Scarlet Knights were up 14-12 in the fifth set, but the Buckeyes scored four unanswered to preserve their unblemished record.

The road leg of the Penn State fill-ins was next. The Nittany Lions got smoked. To atone for such an unnaturally quick match, Ohio State went five sets in both of their matches against Nebraska. The road trip ended in a split, handing the Buckeyes their first loss.

Michigan was quickly dispatched. Purdue was not, as the Buckeyes showed some vulnerability in back-to-back losses.

Still, the regular season campaign was good enough for a ninth-overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes swept Missouri in the second round before falling to Florida in the regional semifinals.


The Lineup:

This was a young team last spring, and they underwent a few notable changes throughout the year.

Ohio State started out with Mac Podraza at setter, Gabby Gonzales at L1, Jenaisya Moore at L2, Lauren Witte at M1, Adria Powell at M2, Emily Londot at opposite, and Kylie Murr at libero. Sarah Sue Morbitzer was the primary DS and helped relieve Londot.

This lineup didn't last. The following week, Moore moved to L1 and Vanja Bukilic entered the lineup at L2, replacing Gonzales. Hannah Gruensfelder was now seeing an expanded role as Bukilic's DS. Meanwhile, during the five-set rematch against the Spartans, Powell gave way to Rylee Rader at M2.

In the home match against Penn State, the Buckeyes came out in a lineup with Gonzales and a DS for Bukilic and Gruensfelder as a DS for Moore. Moore injured her ankle in the fifth set of that match, and Gonzales promptly returned to a six-rotation L2 role for the rest of the year (with a few exceptions).

Ohio State enters the fall season with only Witte departing. I'll be interested to see if Rader moves over to M1. Witte played in that spot for the entire spring, so somebody's gotta do it. For the other middle spot, we will either see the return of Powell or the emergence of true freshman Arica Davis.

Everything else will likely hold from last season. The big question for this team is whether they can improve their consistency on the left side, especially at L2. Gonzales hit .127 on the year, and Bukilic had some off matches, including the regional semifinal against Florida. Can someone take some pressure off Londot? Podraza, to her credit, did a great job of feeding the middles to make up for some deficits on the left side. That has to continue, even without Witte.


The Schedule:

The non-conference slate is...meh. For tournament seeding purposes, there's a lot riding on that Washington match on opening weekend. You really want that crown jewel win to make up for the fact that the rest of your pre-conference lineup is underwhelming.

On to conference:

Home + Away	Home	Away

The Verdict:

Is this a safe place to talk about regression toward the mean?

Seriously, though, Ohio State's tendency to play five-set matches with just about everybody last spring leaves this team's future open to several different trains of thought. They scrapped with some of the best in the conference and won. They battled with some of the worst in the conference and won. At which end of the spectrum does this team find itself this fall?

If you're a pessimist, you look at Ohio State's incredibly high success rate in close matches last season and conclude that it likely won't be replicated. The Buckeyes are "due" for more losses.

On the optimist's side, though, perhaps there's a real quality about this Buckeye team that makes them thrive under pressure.

Here's what I know, or at least what I think and would like to project as divine truth. Ohio State has proven its worth. This team has demonstrated that it has the talent to compete with top teams.

The floor for this squad might continue to be a little shaky. Again, some steady production at L2, or just the left side as a whole, would help a lot.

At the end of the day, this is still a team that brings back almost everyone. That continuity, in itself, could help minimize the mediocre performances.

If things go well for Ohio State this fall, they should be battling for a top 16 seed in the NCAA tournament by the end of the year.

[Kingsley]

For tomorrow's preview, the RNG machine has decided:

[cbusvball]

Aug 18, 2021 12:45:42 GMT -5 Kingsley said:

     Ohio State Buckeyes

Spring 2021 Overall Record: 16-4

Conference Record: 15-3 (4th)

NCAA Tournament Placement: Regional Semifinals (L, 1-3 vs. Florida)

Final AVCA Ranking: 10



Head Coach: Jen Flynn Oldenburg (2nd season at Ohio State)

Record at Ohio State: 16-4



Returning Starters:

Vanja Bukilic - SR, 6'6 OH

Gabby Gonzales - JR, 6'3 OH

Hannah Gruensfelder - 5'6 DS/L

Emily Londot - SO, 6'3 RS

Kylie Murr - JR, 5'6 L

Mac Podraza - JR, 6'2 S

Rylee Rader - SO, 6'2 MB



Departures (* denotes starter):

Lauren Witte* - 6'4 MB



Incoming Players:

Arica Davis - FR, 6'2 MB

Meghan McCann - FR - 5'9 DS/L

Sydney Taylor - FR, 5'8 L

Sarah White - FR, 5'11 S



Spring 2021 Recap:

Finally, it's time for the five-set fiesta.

Ohio State's spring season was all about perpetuating a meme, as everything the Buckeyes touched seemed to go to a tiebreaker. It all started on opening weekend with two five-set home contests against Maryland. The Buckeyes won them both.

Then, it was on to East Lansing, where Ohio State scored a sweep in the first match before winning another tiebreaker in the rematch. A return trip to Columbus was next, and the home team crushed Iowa to improve to 6-0.

Soon after, the Covelli Center welcomed Penn State for a mid-week fill-in match. The Nittany Lions won the first two sets before, of course, Ohio State stormed back and completed the reverse sweep.

Huff Hall was the next destination for the undefeated Buckeyes. Ohio State won the first contest in four sets and filled their five-set quota in the second. 9-0.

Back on the road to Rutgers. A quick sweep extended the win streak to ten. Then, only because it's fair, Ohio State and Rutgers went the distance in the second match. The Scarlet Knights were up 14-12 in the fifth set, but the Buckeyes scored four unanswered to preserve their unblemished record.

The road leg of the Penn State fill-ins was next. The Nittany Lions got smoked. To atone for such an unnaturally quick match, Ohio State went five sets in both of their matches against Nebraska. The road trip ended in a split, handing the Buckeyes their first loss.

Michigan was quickly dispatched. Purdue was not, as the Buckeyes showed some vulnerability in back-to-back losses.

Still, the regular season campaign was good enough for a ninth-overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes swept Missouri in the second round before falling to Florida in the regional semifinals.


The Lineup:

This was a young team last spring, and they underwent a few notable changes throughout the year.

Ohio State started out with Mac Podraza at setter, Gabby Gonzales at L1, Jenaisya Moore at L2, Lauren Witte at M1, Adria Powell at M2, Emily Londot at opposite, and Kylie Murr at libero. Sarah Sue Morbitzer was the primary DS and helped relieve Londot.

This lineup didn't last. The following week, Moore moved to L1 and Vanja Bukilic entered the lineup at L2, replacing Gonzales. Hannah Gruensfelder was now seeing an expanded role as Bukilic's DS. Meanwhile, during the five-set rematch against the Spartans, Powell gave way to Rylee Rader at M2.

In the home match against Penn State, the Buckeyes came out in a lineup with Gonzales and a DS for Bukilic and Gruensfelder as a DS for Moore. Moore injured her ankle in the fifth set of that match, and Gonzales promptly returned to a six-rotation L2 role for the rest of the year (with a few exceptions).

Ohio State enters the fall season with only Witte departing. I'll be interested to see if Rader moves over to M1. Witte played in that spot for the entire spring, so somebody's gotta do it. For the other middle spot, we will either see the return of Powell or the emergence of true freshman Arica Davis.

Everything else will likely hold from last season. The big question for this team is whether they can improve their consistency on the left side, especially at L2. Gonzales hit .127 on the year, and Bukilic had some off matches, including the regional semifinal against Florida. Can someone take some pressure off Londot? Podraza, to her credit, did a great job of feeding the middles to make up for some deficits on the left side. That has to continue, even without Witte.


The Schedule:

The non-conference slate is...meh. For tournament seeding purposes, there's a lot riding on that Washington match on opening weekend. You really want that crown jewel win to make up for the fact that the rest of your pre-conference lineup is underwhelming.

On to conference:

Home + Away	Home	Away

The Verdict:

Is this a safe place to talk about regression toward the mean?

Seriously, though, Ohio State's tendency to play five-set matches with just about everybody last spring leaves this team's future open to several different trains of thought. They scrapped with some of the best in the conference and won. They battled with some of the worst in the conference and won. At which end of the spectrum does this team find itself this fall?

If you're a pessimist, you look at Ohio State's incredibly high success rate in close matches last season and conclude that it likely won't be replicated. The Buckeyes are "due" for more losses.

On the optimist's side, though, perhaps there's a real quality about this Buckeye team that makes them thrive under pressure.

Here's what I know, or at least what I think and would like to project as divine truth. Ohio State has proven its worth. This team has demonstrated that it has the talent to compete with top teams.

The floor for this squad might continue to be a little shaky. Again, some steady production at L2, or just the left side as a whole, would help a lot.

At the end of the day, this is still a team that brings back almost everyone. That continuity, in itself, could help minimize the mediocre performances.

If things go well for Ohio State this fall, they should be battling for a top 16 seed in the NCAA tournament by the end of the year.

This is well done. Thanks for the work put in for all these teams.

Two things I would change/add:
-Hannah Gruensfelder wasn't dressed the first week which is why Morbitzer started that weekend. Hannah was always the first choice DS when available.
-Another possibility for playing time at middle is  Reilly Macneill. She is a junior but has been injured for parts of the last 2 seasons. My guess is that it is Powell who will start as the second middle, with Reilly getting the next look if Powell struggles.

[badgerbreath]

I love all these. It's great and really creates some sense out of the Spring chaos. I have a much better sense about what happened.

[Deleted]

Creighton-Nebraska and Marquette-Wisconsin are both going to be on FS1 

[Brutus Buckeye]

Aug 18, 2021 11:46:56 GMT -5 badgerbreath said:

Trying to envision a truly scandalous way for a team to catch COVID and not coming up with anything. I need to work on my imagination.

[Deleted]

Aug 16, 2021 12:37:52 GMT -5 hawkfan said:

Aug 16, 2021 11:59:45 GMT -5 Kingsley said:

    Iowa Hawkeyes

Spring 2021 Overall Record: 4-16

Conference Record: 4-16 (13th)

NCAA Tournament Placement: N/A (Last tournament appearance: 1994 -- First Round)

Final AVCA Ranking: NR



Head Coach: Vicki Brown (3rd season at Iowa)

Record at Iowa: 14-37



Returning Starters:

Audrey Black - SO, 6'3 OH

Courtney Buzzerio - SR, 6'5 S/RS

Hannah Clayton - SR, 6'2 MB

Amiya Jones - SR, 6'2 MB

Leanne Lowry - SO, 5'11 DS/L

Bailey Ortega - SO, 5'9 S

Blythe Rients - JR, 6'2 MB/RS

Edina Schmidt - JR, 6'1 OH

Maddie Slagle - SR, 5'9 DS/L



Departures (* denotes starter):

Joslyn Boyer* - JR, 5'6 L (Transfer to Wisconsin)



Incoming Players (* denotes Spring 2021 enrollee):

Sydney Dennis* - FR, 5'5 DS/L

Mari Hinkle - JR, 5'9 DS/L (Transfer from UCLA)

Oluwatoyosi Onabanjo - FR, 6'0 MB

Jenna Splitt* - FR, 5'11 S/RS

Addie VanderWeide - FR, 6'1 OH



Spring 2021 Recap:

Iowa started the season at home with a pair of four-set losses to Illinois. Things got even tougher as a road trip to Purdue yielded no set victories.

The Hawkeyes finally got in the win column with a home win over Indiana, but the Hoosiers managed to split the series. After another pair of road defeats at the hands of Ohio State, Iowa mustered two more splits against Rutgers and Northwestern.

A very disappointing road series against Maryland left the Hawkeyes battling at the bottom of the Big Ten. A home-and-home against Nebraska was fruitless, but Iowa picked up a sweep over Michigan State for the season's fourth win. Two more road losses against Minnesota wrapped up the season.


The Lineup:

Like most of the teams that finished near the bottom of the Big Ten last season, Iowa underwent some notable lineup changes throughout the spring.

The Hawkeyes came out of the gates in 2021 running a 6-2. That wasn't surprising. Bailey Ortega was at setter, Courtney Buzzerio returned as a front-row opposite and back-row setter, Edina Schmidt played left side with Maddie Slagle as her DS, Kyndra Hansen was a six-rotation left side, Blythe Rients and Hannah Clayton were the middles, Audrey Black was the other opposite, and Joslyn Boyer was the libero.

Hansen did not appear in the following week's series against Purdue. Emma Grunkemeyer played opposite with Black moving to the left. Hansen then reemerged in the Indiana series, but an injury after those matchups kept her out for the rest of the season.

After having to sit out to start the year, Amiya Jones reclaimed her starting spot in the Ohio State series. This is when Iowa settled on the lineup they'd use for...a few weeks.

In a way, it was a 6-2 with three middle blockers. Jones was technically an opposite in the rotation, but she shifted to the middle post-serve. Rients and Clayton were the "real" middles, but they played on the right pin when they shared the front row with Jones. Isn't that fun?

Eventually, though, Jones and Rients switched places in the lineup. Way to kill the novelty, Hawkeyes. They'd stick with this for the Maryland series onward to the end of the season.

Boyer (Wisconsin) was the only offseason loss for a team that had no seniors in the spring. Adding Mari Hinkle (UCLA) should help solve the libero spot. Slagle and Leanne Lowry will continue to contribute as defensive specialists, especially if Hansen is still out.

The start of the fall season will probably be status quo for Iowa. It's another 6-2 with largely the same personnel. They really don't have a choice, do they? I could see freshman Addie VanderWeide pushing Black or Schmidt for playing time on the left. We'll see if Hansen is ready. In any case, Iowa needs a spark on the left. Buzzerio, meanwhile, will lead as a setter and a hitter once again.


The Schedule:

Yeesh. If there's a Big Ten team at risk of being squeezed into a hearty handful of L's in non-conference, this might be the one.

Landmines everywhere. I'll give Iowa the benefit of the doubt and say that the opening matches against Duke and Coastal Carolina are toss-ups. Colorado will not be easy. Syracuse will be formidable if their Russian army returns to form. Cy-Hawk should be a battle, and a road trip to Denver is no gimme, either.

Of course, if all those matches are landmines, then Washington is the M.O.A.B. Iowa has overperformed in non-conference before, so don't chalk up all the aforementioned matches as losses. Except Washington. I'm giving you permission to chalk that one.

Here's the conference slate:

Home + Away	Home	Away

The Verdict:

Again, Iowa has to somehow find a spark with almost the same lineup that yielded a 4-16 performance in the spring.

Maybe the experience and continuity will help a little bit. At the same time, though, there are glaring deficiencies that need to improve if Iowa is to reach another level. Most notably, someone needs to help Buzzerio offensively. You'd like to see that help come from the left pin, where Black and Schmidt hit .062 and .133 last season, respectively. It has to be better.

So, it really comes down to how many steps forward you expect these familiar players to take. Hopefully, this team doesn't get discouraged if they take a few bumps in non-conference play. Big Ten double-dips against Northwestern and Indiana will be important if the Hawkeyes want to stay above rock bottom.

In the end, though, another finish in the bottom four of the B1G seems inevitable.

Really great write-up (as expected from you  )...thanks for this! I believe this is an accurate and fair assessment for the most part. 

The two pieces I would add:
- I am betting Buzzerio may not be setting again this year with the addition of Frosh setter Jenna Splitt to the mix. Splitt is talented and had the spring to get accustomed to things from the sideline as a spring enrollee. If the Hawks stick with a 6-2, I would see Splitt and Ortega in the setter roles, which will allow C Buzz to truly focus on RS duties. For two years, Buzzerio essentially had to fill in as setter (admirably, I might add). I don't see that being necessary this year...but sure could be wrong, of course, depending on how Coach Brown approaches things.

- I don't see reference anywhere to OH transfer Kacia Brown (Kaz Brown's sister), who transferred to Iowa from Mississippi State mid-year last year. Because she had played at MSU a bit during their fall 2020 season, she had to sit out in the spring at Iowa. She was the 2019 Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year. I could see Brown adding some much-needed firepower on the left pin...especially if Hansen is unable to play again or would be less than 100%. 

It will be interesting to see how this fall goes. Will be great to be in our new arena with fans. The pre-conference schedule is indeed aggressive. I see the Hawks making strides after a tough spring that involved some injuries and also piecing things together after losing our senior setter, senior leading OH and senior libero due to opting out. I think your assessment is on point about where they will likely finish in B1G but I do think they will surprise some along the way.

Thanks again for this and GO HAWKS!

VanderWeide starts from day one if winning is a priority for them.