Nebraska vs Texas | Sat. 12/11 9:00 PM CT | ESPNU

[toonscivb]

Dec 10, 2021 13:11:06 GMT -5 doublecontact said:

I would've said Nebraska has a chance on a neutral court, but it'll be in Gregory so... point Texas

Plus the "WE ARE TEXAS" 

[maplespear]

So my thoughts on the game are this. Texas is still not a great passing team and are beatable. Theirs pins are incredible, and they win earn pts from them. Nebraska cannot get lazy with the block and must keep the pressure on, hell they've used 3 blockers in some games. Krause looked really confident last night and hope she brings the same to this game. Hoping Nebraska's excellent defense is on, GO BIG RED !

[bruinsgold]

Every year, the Texas/Nebraska threads are more entertaining than the actual matches. I love it.

Thanks for making this holiday season so merry y'all! 😁

[hornshouse23]

Dec 10, 2021 19:57:01 GMT -5 bruinsgold said:

Every year, the Texas/Nebraska threads are more entertaining than the actual matches. I love it.

Thanks for making this holiday season so merry y'all! 😁

I’m happy that you and yours are still in the tournament.

[bruinsgold]

Dec 10, 2021 20:00:43 GMT -5 hornshouse23 said:

Dec 10, 2021 19:57:01 GMT -5 bruinsgold said:

Every year, the Texas/Nebraska threads are more entertaining than the actual matches. I love it.

Thanks for making this holiday season so merry y'all! 😁

I’m happy that you and yours are still in the tournament.

Every 5 setter is a blessing 😂

[hornshouse23]

Dec 10, 2021 20:08:06 GMT -5 bruinsgold said:

Dec 10, 2021 20:00:43 GMT -5 hornshouse23 said:

I’m happy that you and yours are still in the tournament.

Every 5 setter is a blessing 😂

To the fans and to my cardiologist who charges by the consult.

[staticb]

Dec 10, 2021 17:21:59 GMT -5 maplespear said:

So my thoughts on the game are this. Texas is still not a great passing team and are beatable. Theirs pins are incredible, and they win earn pts from them. Nebraska cannot get lazy with the block and must keep the pressure on, hell they've used 3 blockers in some games. Krause looked really confident last night and hope she brings the same to this game. Hoping Nebraska's excellent defense is on, GO BIG RED !

Last Spring, Texas won the Serve/Pass game against Nebraska, which I found crazy.  Texas lost O'Brien, Nebraska gained Rodriguez, you have to think the passing edge goes to Nebraska now.  But Texas serving can sometimes be off the charts.  I don't know what's going to happen in this one.

[Resident Bitchy Canadian Fan]

Dec 10, 2021 20:11:55 GMT -5 staticb said:

Dec 10, 2021 17:21:59 GMT -5 maplespear said:

So my thoughts on the game are this. Texas is still not a great passing team and are beatable. Theirs pins are incredible, and they win earn pts from them. Nebraska cannot get lazy with the block and must keep the pressure on, hell they've used 3 blockers in some games. Krause looked really confident last night and hope she brings the same to this game. Hoping Nebraska's excellent defense is on, GO BIG RED !

Last Spring, Texas won the Serve/Pass game against Nebraska, which I found crazy.  Texas lost O'Brien, Nebraska gained Rodriguez, you have to think the passing edge goes to Nebraska now.  But Texas serving can sometimes be off the charts.  I don't know what's going to happen in this one.

not only did we gain Rodriguez, but Sun is also out of serve receive (if she plays). I remember Eggelston (and others lol) going after her a lot in the match.

[slxpress]

UT's serving has absolutely gotten better. Logan has improved, and she wasn't bad last year. Melanie Parra is one of the best servers in the country, a role she's only moved into this season. Iosia has perfected the illusive net tape serve.

I thought Texas would build off of where they were last year and just take off from there. That didn't happen. It's a new team with new dynamics. It felt like Gabriel took a step back in terms of her proficiency from where she was at the end of last year. It certainly felt like the passing took a step back. Butler was uninvolved in the early part of the year in ways that were absolutely befuddling to me. Eggleston wasn't as dominant. On the other hand, Molly Phillips felt like a silent assassin. O'Neal continued to show the best slide in college volleyball, IMO. Iosia, Petersen, and Parra were inconsistent in the back row, from match to match, set to set, and even point to point. Elliot tried to incorporate SKT midseason in ways that were middling in terms of their success.

But this team has been incredibly resilient all year long. I said it early when the team struggled some in the non conference, and then again later in conference play when they would hit some unexpected obstacles. There's truly a "I don't give a f***" kind of attitude from this team. They don't feel intimidated by any score or set result. There's an incredible resilience about them as a group. There's also a Marine type "no man gets left behind" kind of attitude, where no one is allowed to pout or sulk. Everyone is counted on to the utmost. There's an expectation that the next time that player is going to perform, regardless of previous results, because the teammates trust one another utterly. People rise to meet the expectations others put on them.

I thought Texas was for sure going to win the national championship against Kentucky after watching nearly the entire tournament up to that point. @madden55 had been extolling the virtues of Kentucky's passing all year long, and while I certainly respected his opinion, I thought the Texas train was going to be up to the task. That first set seemed like a vindication. I didn't count Kentucky out, but I certainly felt like this was going to be our year. Turned out not so fast.

I don't know that this year's team is better or worse than last year's. Could last year's team have come back from that deficit against Washington? Maybe they wouldn't have been in that deficit in the first place? Who knows?

What I will say is that the chemistry and confidence on this team is off the charts. You see it manifest in all kinds of ways. The press conferences. The huddles. The on and off court interactions. The results. When Parra went into a dark place against Rice, no one left her alone to battle through it. They were constantly encouraging her and letting her know they counted on her to get it right next time. When she had success against Washington, you could see her respond to her teammates giving her an extra pat on the back to let her know, "we always knew you'd be fine." Same with Skylar. Same with Iosia. This isn't a one game thing. This has been going on all season long.

Not to throw Nebraska under the bus, because John Cook is arguably the best coach in women's college volleyball. He's built an amazing program going by nearly every metric, and he's done a fantastic job with this team. He's put what he considers the best players on his roster on the floor, and he did it his way. But the way it's been done prevents the same kind of dynamic from existing inherently.

Elliot gets a lot of crap for his teams not winning more championships. He does get credit for his program's consistency, but not nearly enough, IMO, especially on VT. I've used the analogy of Bobby Bowden with Florida State when his program finished in the top 5 14 years in a row. He was constantly criticized for not winning the big game. I feel like Elliot ends up lumped in the same kind of category. I feel like that is going to lessen with a couple more national championships. I'd love to see this year become a part of it.

I feel like Elliot has been an amazing program builder. He's done a great job attracting high quality support staff, both on the bench and off. He's a fantastic recruiter, not just in talent but in finding kids who fit. I feel like he consistently manages his teams well, getting them to peak year after year at tournament time.

The win against Washington was in many ways a testament to his approach. This team oozes mental toughness and resilience. They've done it all year long. It's just that the Washington game was a bigger stage in a more dramatic fashion than the others. But the foundation had been laid in non conference as well as conference play.

So maybe Texas' passing numbers aren't the equal of its peers. The blocking numbers aren't what I'm used to. But in the end, I do think this team has everything it takes to win the national championship, and I firmly believe they're going to do just that. Nebraska is the next opponent. I love Nebraska's program. I love any time Texas has an opportunity to play them. I love the passion of their fans. It was a true test last year, and it will be a true test this year. I'm ecstatic Texas gets them on their home floor, after having to face them so many times in the tournament in Omaha or Lincoln. But I'm absolutely confident Texas comes away from the victory.

I just ask the team not to go into a 2 1/2 set hole before roaring back in dominating fashion. I'll take the win any way it comes, but that was tough on the heart.

[gibbyb1]

Nebraska is going to need some help from Texas. If they both play well, I do t think Nebraska can beat them. Nebraska can play all the great D they want, they’ll need to kill the ball.

[knapplc]

Dec 10, 2021 19:57:01 GMT -5 bruinsgold said:

Every year, the Texas/Nebraska threads are more entertaining than the actual matches. I love it.

Thanks for making this holiday season so merry y'all! 😁

You need a Santa hat on your avatar to make everything super awesome.

[knapplc]

Dec 10, 2021 20:48:25 GMT -5 slxpress said:

UT's serving has absolutely gotten better. Logan has improved, and she wasn't bad last year. Melanie Parra is one of the best servers in the country, a role she's only moved into this season. Iosia has perfected the illusive net tape serve.

I thought Texas would build off of where they were last year and just take off from there. That didn't happen. It's a new team with new dynamics. It felt like Gabriel took a step back in terms of her proficiency from where she was at the end of last year. It certainly felt like the passing took a step back. Butler was uninvolved in the early part of the year in ways that were absolutely befuddling to me. Eggleston wasn't as dominant. On the other hand, Molly Phillips felt like a silent assassin. O'Neal continued to show the best slide in college volleyball, IMO. Iosia, Petersen, and Parra were inconsistent in the back row, from match to match, set to set, and even point to point. Elliot tried to incorporate SKT midseason in ways that were middling in terms of their success.

But this team has been incredibly resilient all year long. I said it early when the team struggled some in the non conference, and then again later in conference play when they would hit some unexpected obstacles. There's truly a "I don't give a f***" kind of attitude from this team. They don't feel intimidated by any score or set result. There's an incredible resilience about them as a group. There's also a Marine type "no man gets left behind" kind of attitude, where no one is allowed to pout or sulk. Everyone is counted on to the utmost. There's an expectation that the next time that player is going to perform, regardless of previous results, because the teammates trust one another utterly. People rise to meet the expectations others put on them.

I thought Texas was for sure going to win the national championship against Kentucky after watching nearly the entire tournament up to that point. @madden55 had been extolling the virtues of Kentucky's passing all year long, and while I certainly respected his opinion, I thought the Texas train was going to be up to the task. That first set seemed like a vindication. I didn't count Kentucky out, but I certainly felt like this was going to be our year. Turned out not so fast.

I don't know that this year's team is better or worse than last year's. Could last year's team have come back from that deficit against Washington? Maybe they wouldn't have been in that deficit in the first place? Who knows?

What I will say is that the chemistry and confidence on this team is off the charts. You see it manifest in all kinds of ways. The press conferences. The huddles. The on and off court interactions. The results. When Parra went into a dark place against Rice, no one left her alone to battle through it. They were constantly encouraging her and letting her know they counted on her to get it right next time. When she had success against Washington, you could see her respond to her teammates giving her an extra pat on the back to let her know, "we always knew you'd be fine." Same with Skylar. Same with Iosia. This isn't a one game thing. This has been going on all season long.

Not to throw Nebraska under the bus, because John Cook is arguably the best coach in women's college volleyball. He's built an amazing program going by nearly every metric, and he's done a fantastic job with this team. He's put what he considers the best players on his roster on the floor, and he did it his way. But the way it's been done prevents the same kind of dynamic from existing inherently.

Elliot gets a lot of crap for his teams not winning more championships. He does get credit for his program's consistency, but not nearly enough, IMO, especially on VT. I've used the analogy of Bobby Bowden with Florida State when his program finished in the top 5 14 years in a row. He was constantly criticized for not winning the big game. I feel like Elliot ends up lumped in the same kind of category. I feel like that is going to lessen with a couple more national championships. I'd love to see this year become a part of it.

I feel like Elliot has been an amazing program builder. He's done a great job attracting high quality support staff, both on the bench and off. He's a fantastic recruiter, not just in talent but in finding kids who fit. I feel like he consistently manages his teams well, getting them to peak year after year at tournament time.

The win against Washington was in many ways a testament to his approach. This team oozes mental toughness and resilience. They've done it all year long. It's just that the Washington game was a bigger stage in a more dramatic fashion than the others. But the foundation had been laid in non conference as well as conference play.

So maybe Texas' passing numbers aren't the equal of its peers. The blocking numbers aren't what I'm used to. But in the end, I do think this team has everything it takes to win the national championship, and I firmly believe they're going to do just that. Nebraska is the next opponent. I love Nebraska's program. I love any time Texas has an opportunity to play them. I love the passion of their fans. It was a true test last year, and it will be a true test this year. I'm ecstatic Texas gets them on their home floor, after having to face them so many times in the tournament in Omaha or Lincoln. But I'm absolutely confident Texas comes away from the victory.

I just ask the team not to go into a 2 1/2 set hole before roaring back in dominating fashion. I'll take the win any way it comes, but that was tough on the heart.

I disagree.

[volleyaudience]

A scary thing is that almost all the Texas team will be back next year.

[bucky415]

I think O'Brien was huge for Texas in the spring, which helped a lot. That said, while Eggleston has maybe not been as good offensively, I feel her back row play has improved to the point of being good, making her a huge all around threat. One weakness Texas has is that Phillips is not really a good option out of system, so it is thus Eggleston and Fields, but they are fully capable of scoring in those situations. For Nebraska, Stivrins hit zero and had one block in the last match. She will be better than that, obviously, but Texas can hold down her and Caffey by keeping up their tough serving and avoiding the woman with the off colored jersey. Phillips is a nightmare on the block if the passing isn't there, paired with either middle. I also don't envy Cook the decision on which left side to go with, other than Kubik. All 3 options have been good at times, but this is a difficult match up.

[slxpress]

Dec 10, 2021 23:41:57 GMT -5 bucky415 said:

I think O'Brien was huge for Texas in the spring, which helped a lot. That said, while Eggleston has maybe not been as good offensively, I feel her back row play has improved to the point of being good, making her a huge all around threat. One weakness Texas has is that Phillips is not really a good option out of system, so it is thus Eggleston and Fields, but they are fully capable of scoring in those situations. For Nebraska, Stivrins hit zero and had one block in the last match. She will be better than that, obviously, but Texas can hold down her and Caffey by keeping up their tough serving and avoiding the woman with the off colored jersey. Phillips is a nightmare on the block if the passing isn't there, paired with either middle. I also don't envy Cook the decision on which left side to go with, other than Kubik. All 3 options have been good at times, but this is a difficult match up.

Texas has a new secret strategy. We go RIGHT AT the woman with the off colored jersey! Catches ‘em by surprise every time!