North Carolina 2022

[veebz17]

Aug 19, 2022 19:27:23 GMT -5 bvolley17 said:

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!

Wow great post! Thanks for sharing from all reports it sounds like this could be a great season. Now hopefully someone posts their games to YouTube this year so I can watch 😂

[bvolley17]

I think it has the makings of a good season, for sure. But if three freshman do crack that lineup there will be some hiccups. But the good thing is there is experienced depth behind them in those positions except for setter… which is a big one.

[skullars]

UNC is the team I'll be most intrigued about this season. I think the ACC level of play will go up again overall this season, though only slightly more than last year (given that the bottom-dwellers will pull down the overall average). I do think however that it's still essentially a 3-team race at the top. Pitt & Louisville are in their own class, followed a step down by GT. But UNC has a chance at a good season even given the youth. Let's get this thing going!

[MonicaGeller]

Very fun to watch crew - especially Kaya - she is just so dynamic. Setters look good and I feel like the team has a good chemistry - they were having fun out there. Everyone contributed and did their job. Keep everyone healthy and these guys will all have a great season.

[bvolley17]

Barely escaped High Point?? 🤔

Anyone watch the game?

[volleyheels10]

Aug 20, 2022 14:38:55 GMT -5 bvolley17 said:

Barely escaped High Point?? 🤔

Anyone watch the game?

HPU is a good team. They are a mid major but I told a friend this week that Ryan has one of the best teams he has ever had this season....

Today showed why I am a little hesitant. Babic was hands down better. Bostic trapped us a lot at times. We tinkered with line ups a lot which kind of messed w the players some.

Niego had an off day. Unfortunately I think we returned to my concern of feeding the left too much. Shaff had 21 kills and the next was 12 or 13 then everyone else was between 4 and 6. In a 5 setter. That wont work.

This is a very solid team but freshmen hiccups are going to happen. Good thing we have a whole week more of practice.

[volleyheels10]

Now that I can sit down and go over all the events of the weekend. Lots of good and some not so good...yet...

Blue White Scrimmage: There is no reason to a long write up. bvolley17 pretty much nailed it. Our defensive core looks very strong and this was about the freshmen getting acclimated. Shaffmaster only played one set because they were resting her and giving some players who wouldn't play a lot this season some time on the court. Overall, I left very happy, and very confident that we can make an immediate statement and have a balanced team.

High Point Exhibition.

Let me first start by saying, that living in North Carolina, I have seen the rise of HPU. Ryan is a fabulous coach and as you recall, they beat UCF 2 years ago and then played Purdue really close in the NCAA tournament. IMO this is the best HPU team Meeks has started the year with in any season. HPU boasts the Preason POY in Mayberry, another well rounded OH in Palazzolo, and two very solid transfers in Van Eekeren and Wesolich. That doesnt even include the Setter of the year in Miggins. To put it simple: HPU is a perennial NCAA team is no slouch. Now.....for UNC....

This exhibition showed the team we can be and the team we will be at times with so many new faces and freshmen.

Set 1: UNC came out on fire. We waxed them simply put. IF we come out like this every set and every match we will put a lot of people on notice. Babic was actually the starting setter and she consistently spread the ball with good tempo and location. Shaff and Niego both were terminal, and Parker had some great plays on the RS. Maddy May was the DS and she is absolutely insane to watch. Mogridge is a beast and her and Kaya make a great middle duo. There were some hitting errors, but they werent "bad" errors. She did well at spreading the wealth and that helped keep HPU off balance. Our serving this year is on point.

Set 2: The coaches decided to tinker with the line up to get more people in. This set was a train wreck. Swift came in to replace Austin, Skyy came in to replace Mo, and Olivia replaced Maddy. The biggest replacement was Bostic came in at setter. I think that this set we saw the inconsistencies of the offense between the 2 setters. Bostic was not setting well. A lot of her sets were trapping Niego but in her defense Diaz and Wurl both were passing a little too tight. Between bad reception and not as fluid setting, the hitters struggled to find rhythm and HPU went on a massive run.

Set 3: Coaches went back to what I think we will see starting Friday night at CSU. Even with the starters we lost. It was a very close set, but this was the set we saw the freshmen decision making end up biting us. Babic set okay, but its clear the hitters then were struggling to connect with her after hitting off of Bostic during set 2. Charley committed several errors and Babic went away form the middle and started setting the pins a lot. Tied at 18, HPU went on a run because offensively we could not terminate. Our blocking kept us close.

Set 4: Coaches once again changes the setting....they switched Babic back for Bostic. Bostic seemed much better in the 4th set. She set the pins a lot despite very good passing. Swift quietly had a good showing in the 4th with several kills and several key blocks.

Set 5: UNC consistency stayed ahead in set 5 and even had a 4 point lead....then we let it slip. HPU clawed back to tie it at 10. UNC took a time out and went on a 5-1 run to close it out. We were much more balanced this set. Shaff, Niego, Mo, and Swift all had important kills and blocks at crucial times. 

So: what do I take from the exhibition:

1. Our Achilles heel is going to be setting. Babic and Bostic are both very good. But until we settle on a starting setter, our hitters are going to struggle with timing issues and solid connections. Bostic is VERY pin heavy. This concerns me because last year we overutilized the pins and teams knew where the ball was going. Babic is more about spreading the ball and running a faster tempo. She also is a lefty and can rip a ball herself. Her location isnt always as precise, but she is getting others looks.

2. OH: Shaffmaster is murdering the ball. Shaff 2.0 is absolutely one of the best pins in the country and is dark horse for ACC POY. Her passing is better her reception is better. She is better. My concern is Niego. Passing and defense wise she makes us better. Offensively, she is hit and miss at time. Looking back at ND, she led the team in kills against big competition. But she wasnt as terminal this weekend. I think she is struggling after hitting from Nunez for 4 years. She is still adjusting to the UNC system and the 2 setters. We have to have her step up and cut down on errors if we are going to meet our potential. Ava Swain and Cadence Shea did not play....I wonder if one of them will be redshirted? Buckner also didnt play but I think she will be good off the bench when we need it.

3. Middle: Kaya is for sure a lock. Her blocking is much better this year because her timing and speed have increased. She had some very uncharacteristic hitting errors. But when she did connect she is hitting harder. Mogridge IMO has beat out Skyy. Mo is big and strong. She can dent the floor. Most impressive was her one on one blocking in the middle. She gets over fast and does well. When the middles are set they are terminal. i want to see the setters really use our middles more, because I think that Kaya and Mo can resemble the Neunfeldt/McPherson days. Skyy will get playing time. She is blocking very well, but her offense is back to being a little inconsistent.

4. RS: the RS is intriguing. I thought Parker Austin looked good there. She took clean swings, she blocked well. Just an all around good game. Swift seems to be who the coaches are gravitating to.....they have been running her as a regular opposite and doing double quicks. Swift is a fabulous blocker. She makes hitters adjust and if they dont she shoves the ball down their throat. Her and Mogridge were an absolute nasty blocking duo. She could be our wild card.....we need more offense out of her as the setting connections develop but she could be very big for shutting down opposing outsides.

5. Defense/Libero: I thought Wurl had an ok game against HPU but she was not her normal self to me. She seemed a step late and tentative. Not sure why. She still was rock solid but didnt pick up some of the easier balls. Maddie May is good yall. I honestly wondered if with Overbeck coming on this year and Marisa/Diaz if she would be redshirted. I think its becoming clear she may be the libero hier when wirl leaves. Solid platform, solid reception, and a spark plug. Her energy is infectious. Diaz was sub par in serve receive and Overbeck was solid but not flashy. I think we have one of the best defensive cores in the conference still, but is seemed a little off Saturday.

All in All:

Good:
-Shaff is something out of this world. She is much better all around this year.
-Mo and Kaya in the middle are very strong duo. They are terminal and they are very fast on the block this year.
-Wurl and May are defensive queens. add in Maria/Diaz/Overbeck and we have numerous DS players that can get it done.
-Niego's back row play and reception are very stabilizing and gives the setters a lot of opportunities.
-Swift's all around game on the RS.
-Depth at every position is very good.
-Serving: it is wicked. 14 aces in 5 sets. 

Not good yet:
-Setting connections and decision making: Both setters are very different. Hitters still have to get used to this. Setters also have to incorporate more people into the offense.
-Niego's front row play: Niego can terminate.....but she has to be more consistent and cut down on thee errors.
-Defensive players have to get used to knowing who is playing where.
-Left Heavy: we CANNOT go back to being a one trick pony like last year. I would rather us lose a set or a match or two trying to get better with using the RS and middle than staying left heavy. 

All in all the team looks very good. We closed out a hard fought match when we needed to. and the sets we won, we won convincingly. A lot of our issues are NOT technical. They are connection related. Team chemistry is very good and in time that should translate onto the court in plays.

Right now if I had to go with a starting line up based on what I see and predict from coaches:

S: Babic
Opp: Swift      DS: Maddy May
OH: Niego/Shaff
MH: Merkler, Mogridge
L: Wurl

Colorado State will NOT be a cake walk Friday night. They were up on us 2-0 last year before we came back. They lost their fabulous libero and a solid middle but have a lot of versatile pieces back. With a young team, we really need the confidence of winning the first set as well as that cushion along with it. This first weekend will be a challenge on the road.

[GoGophs]

Aug 20, 2022 14:56:34 GMT -5 volleyheels10 said:

Aug 20, 2022 14:38:55 GMT -5 bvolley17 said:

Barely escaped High Point?? 🤔

Anyone watch the game?

HPU is a good team. They are a mid major but I told a friend this week that Ryan has one of the best teams he has ever had this season....

Today showed why I am a little hesitant. Babic was hands down better. Bostic trapped us a lot at times. We tinkered with line ups a lot which kind of messed w the players some.

Niego had an off day. Unfortunately I think we returned to my concern of feeding the left too much. Shaff had 21 kills and the next was 12 or 13 then everyone else was between 4 and 6. In a 5 setter. That wont work.

This is a very solid team but freshmen hiccups are going to happen. Good thing we have a whole week more of practice.

Wait… am I reading these posts correctly? Shaff only played one set and had 21 kills???

[volleyheels10]

Aug 22, 2022 7:50:35 GMT -5 GoGophs said:

Aug 20, 2022 14:56:34 GMT -5 volleyheels10 said:

HPU is a good team. They are a mid major but I told a friend this week that Ryan has one of the best teams he has ever had this season....

Today showed why I am a little hesitant. Babic was hands down better. Bostic trapped us a lot at times. We tinkered with line ups a lot which kind of messed w the players some.

Niego had an off day. Unfortunately I think we returned to my concern of feeding the left too much. Shaff had 21 kills and the next was 12 or 13 then everyone else was between 4 and 6. In a 5 setter. That wont work.

This is a very solid team but freshmen hiccups are going to happen. Good thing we have a whole week more of practice.

Wait… am I reading these posts correctly? Shaff only played one set and had 21 kills???

Shaff only played 1 set in the Blue/White Scrim. She played all sets in the HPU Exhibition. She had 6 kills in the 1 set in the inters quad and 21 against HPU.  I truly think shes good enough to have 21 in the modern era 

[GoGophs]

Aug 22, 2022 7:53:20 GMT -5 volleyheels10 said:

Aug 22, 2022 7:50:35 GMT -5 GoGophs said:

Wait… am I reading these posts correctly? Shaff only played one set and had 21 kills???

Shaff only played 1 set in the Blue/White Scrim. She played all sets in the HPU Exhibition. She had 6 kills in the 1 set in the inters quad and 21 against HPU.  I truly think shes good enough to have 21 in the modern era 

Ohhh okay, I know she’s good but I was like DAMN! Looking forward to watching her this season

[volleyheels10]

Aug 22, 2022 8:23:45 GMT -5 GoGophs said:

Aug 22, 2022 7:53:20 GMT -5 volleyheels10 said:

Shaff only played 1 set in the Blue/White Scrim. She played all sets in the HPU Exhibition. She had 6 kills in the 1 set in the inters quad and 21 against HPU.  I truly think shes good enough to have 21 in the modern era 

Ohhh okay, I know she’s good but I was like DAMN! Looking forward to watching her this season

I will not be surprised to see her put up double digit kills in every match and 5 or more with 20+.

She is that good. I noticed her blocking is VASTLY improved compared to last year. Make no mistake, this is her and Wurl's team. 

[volleyheels10]

www.dailytarheel.com/article/2022/08/sports-vb-exhibition-three-takeaways-joe-sagula-unc-volleyball-charley-niego

[volleyheels10]

North Carolina has been picked to finish 6th this season in the ACC. Seemss reasonable given how so much of our success will depend on unproven freshmen.

However I am a little perturbed that we are picked below Florida state and Miami when we have more all ACC pre season picks than those 2 combined. North Carolina has 3 pre season picks as does Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh.

Congrats to Niego, Merkler, and Shaff

[skullars]

Aug 24, 2022 6:58:31 GMT -5 volleyheels10 said:

North Carolina has been picked to finish 6th this season in the ACC. Seemss reasonable given how so much of our success will depend on unproven freshmen.

However I am a little perturbed that we are picked below Florida state and Miami when we have more all ACC pre season picks than those 2 combined. North Carolina has 3 pre season picks as does Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh.

Congrats to Niego, Merkler, and Shaff

I wouldn't sweat it. Pre-season polls mean very little. They often get it wrong. I don't see UNC realistically challenging the "big 2" but could challenge GT for #3 by end of season. Friday can't come soon enough. Excited for this season. And this weekend brings some good matches across most of the conferences.

[bvolley17]

Mad props to Colorado State for this crowd. Wow!