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Post by volleyheels10 on Aug 9, 2022 12:09:49 GMT -5
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Post by volleyheels10 on Aug 15, 2022 7:49:22 GMT -5
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Post by volleyheels10 on Aug 15, 2022 7:56:24 GMT -5
Couple of tidbits as we rounded out week 1 of preseason.
1. Coaches are pleasantly surprised at how far along the team is. Part of it is the team chemistry after only a week is VERY good and the girls are establishing good culture.
2. Coaches are pretty set on Shaff and Niego playing 6 rotation LS. That is a lethal combo. That doesnt mean others arent going to challenge them. Buckner looks surprisingly good and stronger and Parker is returning. Add in Swain who trained this spring. The LS depth is the best we have had in a long time.
3. Middle is coming down to who joins Kaya. Mogridge is giving Skyy a run for her money. Mo seems to be more consistent and is winning that battle for now.
4. The RS battle is essentially between Peck, Swift, and Shea. I think the coahes are really liking the versatility of Swift.
5. Setting: Both setters are playing really well. Ella is getting the leg up because of how well she is setting Mabrey/Niego and the other lefts when OOS. babic is showing off how athletic she is. This is going to be a very tough decision who starts ina 5-1 that the coaches want to run.
6. Wurl and the back row are top notch.
Blocking has been a big emphasis as it was not where it should have been last year. Friday Night we will have the Blue/White and Saturday welcome HPU in for a good scrimmage that will tell us how the freshies play in a game setting.
If season started today, based on what I have been told, the line up would be
S: Bostic
MH: Merkler/Mogridge
OH: Shaff/Niego
OPP: Swift
L: Wurl
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Post by VolleyballMag on Aug 15, 2022 8:01:20 GMT -5
We have a feature by Chuck Curti coming next week on North Carolina.
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Post by volleyheels10 on Aug 15, 2022 8:04:44 GMT -5
We have a feature by Chuck Curti coming next week on North Carolina. I look forward to it. Hoping that they get featured for being much better this year. Time will tell. |
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Post by volleyheels10 on Aug 15, 2022 14:32:39 GMT -5
For the first time in a WHILE, UNC is RV (#30) in the first poll of the year.
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Post by volleyheels10 on Aug 18, 2022 13:19:23 GMT -5
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Post by bvolley17 on Aug 18, 2022 22:18:51 GMT -5
Do we know how many sets they are playing in the Blue/White? I want to go so we can see all the new players play but also not sure if it’s going to be worth the 40 minute drive.
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Post by GoGophs on Aug 19, 2022 8:43:19 GMT -5
Just moved to NC and would really like to go to a UNC match this fall. Any matches/rivalries that you guys would recommend?
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Post by bolleyvall123 on Aug 19, 2022 9:00:40 GMT -5
Couple of tidbits as we rounded out week 1 of preseason. 1. Coaches are pleasantly surprised at how far along the team is. Part of it is the team chemistry after only a week is VERY good and the girls are establishing good culture. 2. Coaches are pretty set on Shaff and Niego playing 6 rotation LS. That is a lethal combo. That doesnt mean others arent going to challenge them. Buckner looks surprisingly good and stronger and Parker is returning. Add in Swain who trained this spring. The LS depth is the best we have had in a long time. 3. Middle is coming down to who joins Kaya. Mogridge is giving Skyy a run for her money. Mo seems to be more consistent and is winning that battle for now. 4. The RS battle is essentially between Peck, Swift, and Shea. I think the coahes are really liking the versatility of Swift. 5. Setting: Both setters are playing really well. Ella is getting the leg up because of how well she is setting Mabrey/Niego and the other lefts when OOS. babic is showing off how athletic she is. This is going to be a very tough decision who starts ina 5-1 that the coaches want to run. 6. Wurl and the back row are top notch. Blocking has been a big emphasis as it was not where it should have been last year. Friday Night we will have the Blue/White and Saturday welcome HPU in for a good scrimmage that will tell us how the freshies play in a game setting. If season started today, based on what I have been told, the line up would be S: Bostic MH: Merkler/Mogridge OH: Shaff/Niego OPP: Swift L: Wurl I've watched Maddy May at tournaments and she makes some gnarly plays in the lib spot... adjusting to the speed and consistency at a high rate will probably be the only thing holding her back. Wouldn't be surprised to see her get a start here and there. |
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Post by houstonbear15 on Aug 19, 2022 9:50:43 GMT -5
I've watched Maddy May at tournaments and she makes some gnarly plays in the lib spot... adjusting to the speed and consistency at a high rate will probably be the only thing holding her back. Wouldn't be surprised to see her get a start here and there. If a freshman beats Wurl out for the libero spot, I’d be super impressed. Wurl may not be the flashiest lib, but she seems to have a rock solid mental fortitude. |
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Post by VolleyballMag on Aug 19, 2022 11:23:36 GMT -5
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Post by veebz17 on Aug 19, 2022 19:07:16 GMT -5
Did anyone attend the Blue/White scrimmage? Any insights?
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Post by bvolley17 on Aug 19, 2022 19:27:23 GMT -5
Overall, a really solid team.
The freshman looked good - some really good! Basically, everything volleyheels has reported is accurate.
I think the starters are exactly what he posted earlier:
Bostic - S
Swift - RS
Merkler, Mogridge - MB
Shaffmaster, Niego - OH
Wurl - L
DS - May
Maddie May was the second libero most of the night. She’s really solid! The biggest surprise for me was Mogridge. She is extremely confident and really strong. She’s certainly more consistent offensively than Howard but is not a liability on defense. She’s loud on the court and demands the ball. She’s able to run behind the setter, too. I think they’ll split time.
Sadie Swift is smooth and she’s versatile. She’s not connecting super consistently but she did well and can definitely block! It feels like she glides on the court.
Cadence Shea, as reported, has a cannon! She played on both pins today and wasn’t bad in receive. We are deep on the pins so I don’t know much she’ll play this year but she’s one to watch for the future. She also held her own blocking, too.
Ava was good in six rotations but isn’t terminal. Kind of reminds me of Leigh Andrew…
The setter battle is interesting… Bostic is more consistent but I think Babic runs the better offense. Bostic is heavy OH and Babic spreads it out more, but does miss the pins more than Bostic does. I think Bostic starts the season but I wouldn’t be surprised if Babic takes the spot in the future… especially if she can key in offensively in the front row since she’s a lefty setter! She’s also the better blocker.
Shaffmaster only played one set tonight but she was destroying the ball. Niego was good, no worries there, and Merkler looked great! Austin looked good but did get roofed a bit, which isn’t out of the ordinary for her. Skyy was typical Skyy and they’ve added a new back 6 wrinkle, but she’s still so athletic she’s hanging in the air so much! Buckner struggled a bit tonight but will be a good option off the bench.
Our defensive core is strong. There are no weak links there!
I don’t see Peck and Nikki playing much this season… I think you’ll see Shea, Swift, and Austin on the RS this season at different times unless they plan to RS someone.
All-in-all, we are very deep, and pretty all around solid!
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Post by volleyheels10 on Aug 19, 2022 19:31:10 GMT -5
Did anyone attend the Blue/White scrimmage? Any insights? I did. I am leaving now and will post a full review at some point. Mabrey got rested first 2 sets. Her and Niego will be one of the best OH duos in the ACC. Talk about heat. Liv Mogridge is the real deal. Blocking machine and cannon kills. Bostic and Babic both look fantastic. Run fast and clean. Maddy May is insane. She will be a contender for libero after Wurl. WURL is so steady. Shea and Swift look very dynamic playing any position. Watch out for Skyy and Kaya. We look very good in every facet. Passing is good. Serve recieve is good. Offense good. And blocking is much improved. Oh and we have depth |
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