Post by volleyheels10 on Feb 8, 2022 10:36:53 GMT -5
What a year to be a fan of the ACC! The ACC placed the most teams in the tournament since 2017 and for the first time ever advanced 3 teams to the Regional Finals and 2 teams to the National Semifinals. The transfer portal and 5th years really propelled the conference this year, look for the ACC to continue building in the 2022 season....
Final Standings Fall 2021:
1. Louisville
2. Pitt
2. Miami
4. Georgia Tech
5. Florida State
6. UNC
6. NCSU
6. Notre Dame
9. Duke
10. Syracuse
10. Wake Forest
10. Boston College
13. Clemson
13. Va Tech
15. UVA
Key Storylines Moving into Fall 2022:
Louisville: UL loses Stevenson and Dilfer; 2 influential and big leaders on this team. That is a pair of big shoes to fill. Good news is that the Cards will welcome back Chausse for a 5th year and bring in Glock and Raquel, 2 setters from USC, to try and lead a balanced offense.
Pitt: Pitt loses its 2 players that really helped Dan build this program...Lund and Ndee will be hard to replace....but Dalton and Buzzerio should help with that case. Jepsen, a ND commit flipped to Pitt and that will add more intrigue to the middle situation....Add in a foreign tour, and that will really help the team gel.
Miami: Miami was a surprise in the ACC....granted, they did get what some would call the easier year of ACC scheduling....but they were stout on the defensive end. Losing Hernandez and Tontai will leave some defensive questions, but returning Grieve, Janice, and one of the best setters in the league will help provide a strong core for the younger players filling roles on the floor.
Georgia Tech: What a job Michelle has done down in Atlanta. GA Tech was a solid team that made pushes the last 3 years....but there are key losses....McKissock was a special and versatile setter and leader....Drewnick I assume is next in line. Brambilla was the engine of this team and she is not returning but is currently playing foreign volleyball. Bertolino will need to really step up to help Bergman and Moss in the upcoming season.
Florida State: A young group that began to mesh....Lilly Tessier became a premier setter in the 5-1 and a leader for a team of freshman....they will welcome in a freshman setter in the fall and that will determine where this team goes. Losing Chacon who was often the glue of the team will need to have an answer. But the core of Louis, Clothier, Keonig, and Dupes should help FSU get back to competing for the ACC.
UNC: Quite simple; UNC goes as far as their freshmen setters go. Neelon was an experienced setter who had good rhythm and a feel for the game. She was a liability on the block. Babic and Bostic are both taller setters, but they will need to establish connections quickly. Losing Robinson isnt as big of a blow with landing Charly Niego from ND. UNC will have the ACC FOY Shaffmaster and a 1st teamer in Niego playing all the way around. And that is not mentioning a combo of Kaya Merkler, Skyy Howard, and Liv Mogridge in the Middle. I expect Swain and Shea will somehow factor into the pins as well. Wurl will be one of the best liberos in the ACC....This team is loaded with potential, but a lot hinges on youth.
NCSU: Slabe knew he was losing a lot....Jade Parchment ,Kaylee Frazier, and Melissa Evans leaving provides a massive need for offense and leadership. Slabe brings back a good middle combo in Shaak and Allen, Hernandez is a fabulous addition as libero, but bringing in transfers Madison Williams, Naomi Cabello, and Vanja B will bring firepower. But can he get all the transfers to mesh. NCSU could really surprise in a good way or bad way...
Notre Dame: and we begin the Rockwell era. Niego, Hamilton, Miller, and Meuth are huge losses. Good news is Nunez is staying as is Monson. Tarnoff will help with the middle, but Salima will need the freshmen to desperately fill roles. I expect this to be a rebuild year of ND losing games they should but occasionally shocking some of the better teams. You would think a team losing so much would finish toward the bottom, but I think they still may end up middle of the pack.
Duke: Nagel has been loaded with talent for the past several seasons and has done nothing with it...Nazor has been injured and they need her to be healthy and running the show. Duke loses a lot of seniors. They should get their freshman stud Ngozi this year after redshirting and Richardson and Wood will need to help out Gracie Johnson. But replacing Cole, the ACC DPOY is no easy task.
Syracuse: Syracuse was a disappointing team in 2021....Shemanova, Markova, Karakasi, and a much poorer finish than expected. Hogan was injured throughout the season so the defensive core was very sparse. Franco has shown flashes of brilliance, but Syracuse needs a major shot in the arm given how good the top half is getting.
Wake Forest: When was the last time WF had 6 conference wins? Malloy and Sweeny are gone....but Fuentes, Slater, and Seuss should be back. WF upset some decent teams this year and played other teams tough. If Smart can get her young players coming in to contribute, I expect WF to add to that win total.
Boston College: Kennedy has had a struggle at BC....its harder to recruit to BC vs the sunny west coast and injuries have riddled players. McCae is gone as is Naughton.....a lot of work is to be done...
Clemson: The coaching debacle last year was....a debacle.....Clemson was still a roster full of talent. Long, Hannah, Finney, Slavik, and Clark are a good core group of players. If Kirr can get them to buy into her program this spring, and with some solid freshman, Clemson will be much more competitive.
Va Tech: Beyers and Slabe both must of talked together, because VA Tech landed a good size group of transfers. Beyers continues to rebuild but I expect that with the quality of players coming in we will see a jump in quality of play.
UVA: Walker, leader in blocks in the ACC is gone, that is a big loss. Gabi Eason will provide more stable setting as she returns to the ACC. Borum has got to have more offensive help.
Please add in the thread more transfer news/updates to add. 2022 may be another exciting year in the ACC.
Final Standings Fall 2021:
1. Louisville
2. Pitt
2. Miami
4. Georgia Tech
5. Florida State
6. UNC
6. NCSU
6. Notre Dame
9. Duke
10. Syracuse
10. Wake Forest
10. Boston College
13. Clemson
13. Va Tech
15. UVA
Key Storylines Moving into Fall 2022:
Louisville: UL loses Stevenson and Dilfer; 2 influential and big leaders on this team. That is a pair of big shoes to fill. Good news is that the Cards will welcome back Chausse for a 5th year and bring in Glock and Raquel, 2 setters from USC, to try and lead a balanced offense.
Pitt: Pitt loses its 2 players that really helped Dan build this program...Lund and Ndee will be hard to replace....but Dalton and Buzzerio should help with that case. Jepsen, a ND commit flipped to Pitt and that will add more intrigue to the middle situation....Add in a foreign tour, and that will really help the team gel.
Miami: Miami was a surprise in the ACC....granted, they did get what some would call the easier year of ACC scheduling....but they were stout on the defensive end. Losing Hernandez and Tontai will leave some defensive questions, but returning Grieve, Janice, and one of the best setters in the league will help provide a strong core for the younger players filling roles on the floor.
Georgia Tech: What a job Michelle has done down in Atlanta. GA Tech was a solid team that made pushes the last 3 years....but there are key losses....McKissock was a special and versatile setter and leader....Drewnick I assume is next in line. Brambilla was the engine of this team and she is not returning but is currently playing foreign volleyball. Bertolino will need to really step up to help Bergman and Moss in the upcoming season.
Florida State: A young group that began to mesh....Lilly Tessier became a premier setter in the 5-1 and a leader for a team of freshman....they will welcome in a freshman setter in the fall and that will determine where this team goes. Losing Chacon who was often the glue of the team will need to have an answer. But the core of Louis, Clothier, Keonig, and Dupes should help FSU get back to competing for the ACC.
UNC: Quite simple; UNC goes as far as their freshmen setters go. Neelon was an experienced setter who had good rhythm and a feel for the game. She was a liability on the block. Babic and Bostic are both taller setters, but they will need to establish connections quickly. Losing Robinson isnt as big of a blow with landing Charly Niego from ND. UNC will have the ACC FOY Shaffmaster and a 1st teamer in Niego playing all the way around. And that is not mentioning a combo of Kaya Merkler, Skyy Howard, and Liv Mogridge in the Middle. I expect Swain and Shea will somehow factor into the pins as well. Wurl will be one of the best liberos in the ACC....This team is loaded with potential, but a lot hinges on youth.
NCSU: Slabe knew he was losing a lot....Jade Parchment ,Kaylee Frazier, and Melissa Evans leaving provides a massive need for offense and leadership. Slabe brings back a good middle combo in Shaak and Allen, Hernandez is a fabulous addition as libero, but bringing in transfers Madison Williams, Naomi Cabello, and Vanja B will bring firepower. But can he get all the transfers to mesh. NCSU could really surprise in a good way or bad way...
Notre Dame: and we begin the Rockwell era. Niego, Hamilton, Miller, and Meuth are huge losses. Good news is Nunez is staying as is Monson. Tarnoff will help with the middle, but Salima will need the freshmen to desperately fill roles. I expect this to be a rebuild year of ND losing games they should but occasionally shocking some of the better teams. You would think a team losing so much would finish toward the bottom, but I think they still may end up middle of the pack.
Duke: Nagel has been loaded with talent for the past several seasons and has done nothing with it...Nazor has been injured and they need her to be healthy and running the show. Duke loses a lot of seniors. They should get their freshman stud Ngozi this year after redshirting and Richardson and Wood will need to help out Gracie Johnson. But replacing Cole, the ACC DPOY is no easy task.
Syracuse: Syracuse was a disappointing team in 2021....Shemanova, Markova, Karakasi, and a much poorer finish than expected. Hogan was injured throughout the season so the defensive core was very sparse. Franco has shown flashes of brilliance, but Syracuse needs a major shot in the arm given how good the top half is getting.
Wake Forest: When was the last time WF had 6 conference wins? Malloy and Sweeny are gone....but Fuentes, Slater, and Seuss should be back. WF upset some decent teams this year and played other teams tough. If Smart can get her young players coming in to contribute, I expect WF to add to that win total.
Boston College: Kennedy has had a struggle at BC....its harder to recruit to BC vs the sunny west coast and injuries have riddled players. McCae is gone as is Naughton.....a lot of work is to be done...
Clemson: The coaching debacle last year was....a debacle.....Clemson was still a roster full of talent. Long, Hannah, Finney, Slavik, and Clark are a good core group of players. If Kirr can get them to buy into her program this spring, and with some solid freshman, Clemson will be much more competitive.
Va Tech: Beyers and Slabe both must of talked together, because VA Tech landed a good size group of transfers. Beyers continues to rebuild but I expect that with the quality of players coming in we will see a jump in quality of play.
UVA: Walker, leader in blocks in the ACC is gone, that is a big loss. Gabi Eason will provide more stable setting as she returns to the ACC. Borum has got to have more offensive help.
Please add in the thread more transfer news/updates to add. 2022 may be another exciting year in the ACC.