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Post by burbank55 on Oct 10, 2024 12:56:41 GMT -5
No I agree with you. There are good picks. Good transfer players. And while you mention some of them didn't wind up playing in the championship they took valuable playing time away from better players in the regular season. Kriz tanked at the finals. White the lowly, inexperienced sophomore, was a rock and saved the day. 2 years in a row White crushed it. Now in 24 they were winning on every court but in ‘23 that trophy is 100% on White and she gets very little credit that I can see. She took over that match and optioned them to a W when the highly touted pairs either lost or were loosing. In 24 she got shafted having to play with so many different players and at the 2-4’s (Not sure if she ever played the 5’s). But she doesn’t qualify for most of the recognition that she deserved. I think it was the twins that said she is a stellar student and great to have on the team. I don’t know how much credit the coaches give her but she is a very special player that isn’t talked about much. Keep in mind she embarrassed AVW currently playing pro and the always talked about Newberry. It wasn’t the grad students that got those points it was White hands down. My favorite White image from ‘23 win was the finger wag on the ace in the corner of the court. She was walking off before the ball even touched the court basically telling UCLA you can’t touch me. She could easily play pro and if you got her a big dynamic blocker imagine her being your defender and her side out. That hammer is scary and easily one of the hardest hitters in the NCAA. I always thought her and Meg splitting would have been incredible and they wouldn’t have dropped a set. Yeah, no doubt that White stepped up the last two years at Gulf Shores. She gets a ton of respect on this thread. We thought Kraft/White could/would be the 1s after they spectacularly dominated to win the 2023 SoCal Fall Challenge/AVCA West Pairs Qualifier. Sometimes we have to consider that the regular season is used for multiple purposes: player development, pairs chemistry, etc. Team comes first and everyone works towards that dip in the ocean at the end of the year. |
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Post by burbank55 on Oct 10, 2024 14:12:50 GMT -5
Many of the grad transfers indeed struggle more than what people see/know. In watching you can see some of the underclass at SC with ice in their veins taking over matches. It’s 100% happened the last 2 championships for sure. Some of it is high expectations when you transfer in and have to play with a underclassman and some is just a talent thing and why they likely were not at SC in the first place. As a fan I’m happy all of them were there but I often wonder if the underclass ladies got enough credit and probably $$$. I would assume the grads got money to fill spots each year. It will be an interesting year with no seniors and bigger egos on a few of them. I think we will all be surprised at the line ups and wonder if everyone will be happy with where they play. If marches go the way they might against top 5 ish programs I wouldn’t be surprised to see some starters depart. Not sure if you have some inside information, but my hope is that your scenario never happens. I would hope all of the Trojan players know to put their ego aside, work as hard as they can, and trust the coaches. 2022, did Megan Kraft and Julia Scoles whine about getting “demoted” to Courts 2 and 3 respectively? If Megan was me first, she would have cared about not being a Four Time First Team All-American (which she should have been, even from Court 2 in 2022). Afterall, it’s not like the Beach players are jockeying to be an NBA draft first round pick and get a fat $$$ contract. And it’s silly to think of NIL money as anything other than fun weekend money for Beach players. Players need to take advantage of their admissions to an elite university and for their love of the sport, they should do whatever is asked of them to help the team win a championship. And hopefully, now the players will have better chances to get full scholarships. Supposedly, Dain and Gus weed out the “what can you do for me?” recruits. Gotta trust the process. Look at Madi Kriz, who has gotten some knocks just now. She got her Bachelors in Bioengineering from Stanford and completed her MS in Medical Devices and Diagnostics from USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering in one year. Incredible example of a model student athlete if you ask me. |
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Post by beachnut94 on Oct 10, 2024 16:33:01 GMT -5
Many of the grad transfers indeed struggle more than what people see/know. In watching you can see some of the underclass at SC with ice in their veins taking over matches. It’s 100% happened the last 2 championships for sure. Some of it is high expectations when you transfer in and have to play with a underclassman and some is just a talent thing and why they likely were not at SC in the first place. As a fan I’m happy all of them were there but I often wonder if the underclass ladies got enough credit and probably $$$. I would assume the grads got money to fill spots each year. It will be an interesting year with no seniors and bigger egos on a few of them. I think we will all be surprised at the line ups and wonder if everyone will be happy with where they play. If marches go the way they might against top 5 ish programs I wouldn’t be surprised to see some starters depart. Not sure if you have some inside information, but my hope is that your scenario never happens. I would hope all of the Trojan players know to put their ego aside, work as hard as they can, and trust the coaches. 2022, did Megan Kraft and Julia Scoles whine about getting “demoted” to Courts 2 and 3 respectively? If Megan was me first, she would have cared about not being a Four Time First Team All-American (which she should have been, even from Court 2 in 2022). Afterall, it’s not like the Beach players are jockeying to be an NBA draft first round pick and get a fat $$$ contract. And it’s silly to think of NIL money as anything other than fun weekend money for Beach players. Players need to take advantage of their admissions to an elite university and for their love of the sport, they should do whatever is asked of them to help the team win a championship. And hopefully, now the players will have better chances to get full scholarships. Supposedly, Dain and Gus weed out the “what can you do for me?” recruits. Gotta trust the process. Look at Madi Kriz, who has gotten some knocks just now. She got her Bachelors in Bioengineering from Stanford and completed her MS in Medical Devices and Diagnostics from USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering in one year. Incredible example of a model student athlete if you ask me. Zero inside information. I just think the dynamics are about to change with the money. I’m just talking the cost of going to the schools and the schools ability to arrange to offset costs. You can see how it works at SC. Beach gets a couple into house of victory. There are programs already heavily funding players and SC is behind in two ways…Less money and it’s 100k a year. |
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Post by hbmb10k on Oct 13, 2024 23:26:08 GMT -5
Here's my 10 for most likely to start. No particular order.
Blockers: Coakley, White, Kok, Goellner, Gessner
Defenders: Thomas, Henson, Pater, Truslow, Bolyard.
Outside shot: Karl, Hong, Young, Tufto, Walker.
Not sure what the rules or ethics are regarding seeding by a coach at the start of the season? Probably fully ethical to drop a better blocker down a few courts as long as they are matched up below average defender? Truevolley ranking doesn't come close to the order I would do. So that would present sort of an opportunity to put your strength at at the 3,4,5 courts and still be able to argue you're not sandbagging? I realize truevolley ranking doesn't matter formally but could be used to make the case a coach is sandbagging. Also, looking at this I think it's critical Kok and Goellner step up and dedicate themselves. Those two players are the key to this season's success. That's where most of the unrealized potential lies. The other likely starters are a known quantity.
Truevolley rankings:
Ashley Pater
Kennedy Coakley
Maya Gessner
Madison White
Madison Goellner
Zoey Henson
Kaileigh Truslow
Mabyn Thomas
Gabby Walker
Delaney Karl
Macy Bolyard
Kaylee Young
Calla Tufto
Calinda Kok
Bailey Showalter.
Grace Hong
Zoey Mitchell
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Post by burbank55 on Oct 14, 2024 1:04:15 GMT -5
Here's my 10 for most likely to start. No particular order. Blockers: Coakley, White, Kok, Goellner, Gessner Defenders: Thomas, Henson, Pater, Truslow, Bolyard. Outside shot: Karl, Hong, Young, Tufto, Walker. Not sure what the rules or ethics are regarding seeding by a coach at the start of the season? Probably fully ethical to drop a better blocker down a few courts as long as they are matched up below average defender? Truevolley ranking doesn't come close to the order I would do. So that would present sort of an opportunity to put your strength at at the 3,4,5 courts and still be able to argue you're not sandbagging? I realize truevolley ranking doesn't matter formally but could be used to make the case a coach is sandbagging. Also, looking at this I think it's critical Kok and Goellner step up and dedicate themselves. Those two players are the key to this season's success. The other likely starters are a known quantity. Truevolley rankings: Ashley Pater Kennedy Coakley Maya Gessner Madison White Madison Goellner Zoey Henson Kaileigh Truslow Mabyn Thomas Gabby Walker Delaney Karl Macy Bolyard Kaylee Young Calla Tufto Calinda Kok Bailey Showalter. Grace Hong Zoey Mitchell Thanks. I also had taken a look at the Truvolley ratings/rankings and find them questionable. Let’s see if the TCU imported freshmen will live up to their lofty rankings. TruVolley Rankings keep shifting every day… 7 - Ashley Pater 9.80 8 - Kennedy Coakley 9.79 9 - Maya Gessner 9.60 49 - Madison White 8.80 50 - Madison Goellner 8.80 67 - Zoey Henson 8.59 71 - Kayleigh Truslow 8.57 87 - Mabyn Thomas 8.42 90 - Gabby Walker 8.41 164 - Delaney Karl 7.98 182 - Macy Bolyard 7.92 197 - Kaylee Young 7.82 258 - Calla Tufto 7.65 299 - Bailey Showalter 7.56 479 - Ally Batenhorst 7.10 488 - Grace Hong 7.09 615 - Zoey Mitchell 6.82 Kenzie Miller - not ranked/rated Calinda Kok - not ranked/rated |
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Post by hbmb10k on Oct 14, 2024 12:32:32 GMT -5
I don't think Hector would ever split up his top Spanish pair nor drop them down to a three. He might split up Hamlett and the Ukrainian girl to spread out his talent, but if they pair again don't see them at a three. But USC is a blank slate. They will have new transfers, freshman, only four lower court starters coming back. I could see the true best pair in playing at fours, and the 2nd best pair playing at the threes. (that's why it's critical kok or goellner step up at the fives to have a chance of reaching dynasty status) With truevolley being off, and the coaches history of favoring transfers it could be done.
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Post by burbank55 on Oct 14, 2024 13:18:09 GMT -5
I don't think Hector would ever split up his top Spanish pair nor drop them down to a three. He might split up Hamlett and the Ukrainian girl to spread out his talent, but if they pair again don't see them at a three. But USC is a blank slate. They will have new transfers, freshman, only four lower court starters coming back. I could see the true best pair in playing at fours, and the 2nd best pair playing at the threes. (that's why it's critical kok or goellner step up at the fives to have a chance of reaching dynasty status) With truevolley being off, and the coaches history of favoring transfers it could be done. I agree that USC is a blank slate as there is currently no clear cut #1 like Meg or Tina. Hoping Goellner has continued her improvement and plays higher than 5s. Also hoping I can check them all out this weekend at MB. Don’t forget Ally Batenhorst is a clear possibility to start. Maybe Fight On or one of the indoor fans could please give an assessment of Ally as she seems better than Molly was last year. (I haven’t yet had a chance to attend an indoor match this year). The big win yesterday over UCLA had a surprising stat for me. 52 service receptions seems quite high. Is that because Ally’s passing is questionable? “Gr. OH Ally Batenhorst recorded her fifth double-double of the season (seventh career) and finished with her 16th match in double-digit kills at 13 (5e, 36) with .222 hitting and 11 digs. Batenhorst was the team's porter with 52 service receptions and added four blocks and served a pair of aces to finish with 17.0 points.“ |
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Post by burbank55 on Oct 14, 2024 13:50:29 GMT -5
2024 AVCA West Coast Qualifier at Manhattan Beach for the AVCA Beach National Championship (Women’s Collegiate Pairs) at Huntsville, Alabama. Oct 18-20 Some teams showing in the Silver Division. Did UCLA not get its bids in on time last year and it filled up? Or did they just choose not to get the extra competition practice? This year they are allowing 160 pairs in Silver which should be plenty for every school to participate. Only 32 pairs in Gold, probably 2 pairs per school. Seems like ASU has 2 pairs in Gold as their Silver pairs are listed 3-9. But who knows until the tourney starts. SILVER: ASU - 7 pairs Cal - 8 pairs Cal Poly - 7 pairs GCU - 5 pairs LMU - 6 pairs Long Beach St - 5 pairs Pepperdine - 4 pairs Stanford - 4 pairs UCLA - 7 pairs USC - 7 pairs USF - 3 pairs Washington - 5 pairs avca.volleyballlife.com/tournament/23171/division/89624/teamsThe Gold Bid Division has 28 pairs mapped to schools. TCU is indeed attending the tourney with 4 pairs in Gold. CalPoly and Long Beach have 3 Gold pairs and everyone else has 2 pairs. Only ASU so far has submitted its players mapped to pairs. All subject to change of course. |
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Post by beachnut94 on Oct 14, 2024 14:48:29 GMT -5
The issue with true volley is it doesn’t account for partners etc. some of the players last year has less than ideal partners for some portion of the season and or only starting for part of the season. It accounts for the position you play at for lower points from an NCAA stand point. Obviously lots of them didn’t play pro over the summer for what ever their reasons are so it also over values more events. But I guess it’s better than nothing.
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Post by Fight On! on Oct 14, 2024 17:45:56 GMT -5
^ Re: Ally B
She is 6’4 or 6’5 and her defense is probably stronger than her serve receive. There are passing stats periodically posted on the indoor side.
This was one week ago:
Batenhorst 1.90 / 38.8 gp% on 335 attempts
For comparison, strong passing OHs pass a 2.2+.
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Post by Leftrightapproach on Oct 14, 2024 19:07:47 GMT -5
The issue with true volley is it doesn’t account for partners etc. some of the players last year has less than ideal partners for some portion of the season and or only starting for part of the season. It accounts for the position you play at for lower points from an NCAA stand point. Obviously lots of them didn’t play pro over the summer for what ever their reasons are so it also over values more events. But I guess it’s better than nothing. Actually it does take partner into account |
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Post by beachnut94 on Oct 15, 2024 8:48:05 GMT -5
The issue with true volley is it doesn’t account for partners etc. some of the players last year has less than ideal partners for some portion of the season and or only starting for part of the season. It accounts for the position you play at for lower points from an NCAA stand point. Obviously lots of them didn’t play pro over the summer for what ever their reasons are so it also over values more events. But I guess it’s better than nothing. Actually it does take partner into account I meant more if they are with the wrong partner. Not the actual stats. |
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Post by uscvel on Oct 15, 2024 10:15:00 GMT -5
Take this for what it's worth as I have only seen Batenhorst play indoor, but I would be pretty (very) surprised if Batenhorst contributes on the beach. Yes, she is 6'5" and will put up a very big block. But she does not seem to have the quickness or explosiveness necessary to play on the beach. Personally, I find beach passing to be much easier than indoor, and she is an adequate indoor passer, so I'd expect her passing to be fine. My guess is she will be very similar to Molly last season, big and puts up a big block. Effective in serve receive. But poor in transition and all scramble plays. Probably also a major question mark whether she'll be able to set (I'm assuming she'll be bump setting, which is becoming less than ideal given how many girls hand set now). Hope I am wrong.
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Post by burbank55 on Oct 16, 2024 16:28:07 GMT -5
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Post by hbmb10k on Oct 17, 2024 11:45:53 GMT -5
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