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Post by hipsterfilth on Nov 24, 2021 20:55:46 GMT -5
I'm not sure what to make of the PAC this year. On one hand, you watch the B1G and you can just visibly see that the high-level matches are much more competitive, floor defense is about 100x better in the B1G > PAC, and the hitters are just generally much more shotty.
On the other hand... it's not like this league lets you develop bad habits. That was Texas' problem for years- you could set moon balls to the OH and score every time, and then once you hit the post-season, it didn't work anymore. I think the PAC will still allow the teams it sends to the tourney to be competitive. They have rosters that are filled with talented players that can, and will, step up and play at a high level when needed. Washington made it happen last year.
On one hand, Arizona State hung with (an early season version of) Nebraska. Arizona hung with Texas.
On the other hand, Stanford got whipped by Minnesota, a team fighting for 5th/6th in the B1G.
Is the PAC a race to the bottom? Or do we just have a league filled with ten teams that could all be considered "capable", and quite a few that will end up making some noise?
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Post by crando on Nov 24, 2021 20:57:58 GMT -5
As someone said a ways back, Stanford is probably not a top-16 team (granted, if Miner never got hurt, they might be more like 12 or 13...). And they handled USC without too much stress. USC just isn't all that great, and that's the team they've been most nights this season. Their mean is well below UCLA's mean. You never know on the day, and rivalry matches are weird, and USC will bring a ton of desperation ... but it feels like there aren't very many days when USC can play better than UCLA for two hours.
Tonight, Stanford's defense was just a tad better; Stanford's serve and pass was definitely better; Stanford's setter bettered the ball more than USC's; Stanford's pins were better. And those first two things have been issues for Stanford much of the year; they've gotten better (fewer glaring defensive holes; fewer missed serves; more consistent service pressure; fewer clean aces against and Miner is able to clean up more of the medium passes by finding Kipp/Baird). That doesn't reflect well on USC as being a top-tier team. They're one of the 64 best teams; maybe maybe they're one of the best 35ish (or however-many there are) at-large candidates? But we probably won't find out, since I don't think they'll be eligible.
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Post by crando on Nov 24, 2021 21:12:22 GMT -5
Is Two-Uh-Knee-Guh really that hard to say? Is that how you say it? I thought it was but that's how Holly McPeak was saying it last weekend, then she heard the arena announcer say Two-uh-NING -uh frequently so she corrected herself to Two-uh-NING-uh (and said she'd been saying it wrong). So then I thought I was saying it wrong I don't know her, so I don't know for positive. I'm a Stanford person; not a SC (or LBSU) person. I know that pretty much every announcer has called Malia Tufuga of Stanford "Tufunga" this year and I assumed that was wrong, but maybe "g" is pronounced as "ng" in the specific Pacific Islander (I'm assuming...) culture her name/family came from??? Neither seems to have a pronunciation clue listed on their respective Roster/Bio pages on the school websites, so I've always assumed it's pronounced how it looks, and some American people just have a tough time saying it without sticking a "n" in there? I don't know. Yeah, I'd hope that USC's own in-arena announcer would pronounce her name correctly, so perhaps I am wrong... |
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Post by hipsterfilth on Nov 24, 2021 21:15:20 GMT -5
Is that how you say it? I thought it was but that's how Holly McPeak was saying it last weekend, then she heard the arena announcer say Two-uh-NING -uh frequently so she corrected herself to Two-uh-NING-uh (and said she'd been saying it wrong). So then I thought I was saying it wrong I don't know her, so I don't know for positive. I'm a Stanford person; not a SC (or LBSU) person. I know that pretty much every announcer has called Malia Tufuga of Stanford "Tufunga" this year and I assumed that was wrong, but maybe "g" is pronounced as "ng" in the specific Pacific Islander (I'm assuming...) culture her name/family came from??? Neither seems to have a pronunciation clue listed on their respective Roster/Bio pages on the school websites, so I've always assumed it's pronounced how it looks, and some American people just have a tough time saying it without sticking a "n" in there? I don't know. Yeah, I'd hope that USC's own in-arena announcer would pronounce her name correctly, so perhaps I am wrong... Not gonna lie, this same USC in-house announcer says "Paige Himmons". Not sure I'd put too much stock in him. |
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Post by jband on Nov 24, 2021 21:22:49 GMT -5
Both teams have only 4 hitting errors so far in the match. Stanford has Zero blocks...? USC has 2 The stats are up now on the Stanford site (that I tend to trust). They show Stanford with zero BS/BA for the entire match. When's the last time that happened? It was a solid win, but we need to see some successful blocking too in the future please. |
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Post by naujack85 on Nov 24, 2021 21:27:28 GMT -5
USC hits .323 at home and loses in straights š
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Post by USCāš¼ on Nov 24, 2021 21:58:09 GMT -5
All I know is all 9 seniors are leaving after this for USC
I canāt wait for next year. Iām so over it. Shannon could not dig a ball. It was so frustrating watching the game in person.
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Post by Fight On! on Nov 24, 2021 22:07:54 GMT -5
IMO, bringing in all these COVID fifth years was really silly of Keller. You lose Scully, Hammons, Botkin, Denny, Smith, and Nelson and there's zero guarantee that Lazaro and Schirmer stick around for fifth years since they were both beaten out. I think he was trying to build a super roster, forgetting how competitive the women's side is. I really hope he tries to develop players in the next 2-3 years and doesn't keep trying to build a roster from the transfer portal. He should've taken the hit of a 12-17 or 10-19 season or something like that this year in order to develop players for next year. Is Tuaniga really an upgrade on Lazaro? I donāt believe so but Keller does. Keller got Tuaniga. His predecessor got Lazaro. But Lazaro isnāt 100% either. To be fair, Tuaniga sets the MB better. Lazaro is a better server and blocker. They both have strengths and weaknesses. Donāt forget Glock. If I were Lazaro, I would leave. |
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Post by Disc808 on Nov 24, 2021 22:11:19 GMT -5
Both teams have only 4 hitting errors so far in the match. Stanford has Zero blocks...? USC has 2 The stats are up now on the Stanford site (that I tend to trust). They show Stanford with zero BS/BA for the entire match. When's the last time that happened? It was a solid win, but we need to see some successful blocking too in the future please. Iām not worried so much about the blockingā¦ Iām worried about the floor Defense |
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Post by USCāš¼ on Nov 24, 2021 22:11:58 GMT -5
Is Tuaniga really an upgrade on Lazaro? I donāt believe so but Keller does. Keller got Tuaniga. His predecessor got Lazaro. But Lazaro isnāt 100% either. To be fair, Tuaniga sets the MB better. Lazaro is a better server and blocker. They both have strengths and weaknesses. Donāt forget Glock. If I were Lazaro, I would leave. From what Iāve heard all seniors are leaving |
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Post by USCāš¼ on Nov 24, 2021 22:12:38 GMT -5
I donāt believe so but Keller does. Keller got Tuaniga. His predecessor got Lazaro. But Lazaro isnāt 100% either. To be fair, Tuaniga sets the MB better. Lazaro is a better server and blocker. They both have strengths and weaknesses. Donāt forget Glock. If I were Lazaro, I would leave. From what Iāve heard all seniors are leaving Sorry graduating |
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Post by bucky415 on Nov 24, 2021 22:14:29 GMT -5
It has to be a frustrating season for USC fans. There are a lot of pieces there, but it has rarely entirely clicked. Still, they have one shot left. Serve tough, stay in system, make Mac the Magnificent be inefficient on a ton of swings, make the tournament, deny their rivals a league title potentially.
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Post by bucky415 on Nov 24, 2021 22:17:33 GMT -5
And my Mac the Magnificent comment is in no way sarcastic.
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Post by Fight On! on Nov 24, 2021 22:18:44 GMT -5
It has to be a frustrating season for USC fans. There are a lot of pieces there, but it has rarely entirely clicked. Still, they have one shot left. Serve tough, stay in system, make Mac the Magnificent be inefficient on a ton of swings, make the tournament, deny their rivals a league title potentially. Very fkn annoying. Like 42,000 top 15 recruits and theyāre most likely not finishing .500, after adding Brown. Gross. |
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Post by bigfan on Nov 24, 2021 22:19:31 GMT -5
It has to be a frustrating season for USC fans...... Still, they have one shot left. Serve tough, stay in system, make Mac the Magnificent be inefficient on a ton of swings.................. .............and START AND PLAY LAZARO the entire match....................... |
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