|
|
Post by basil on Sept 22, 2022 11:07:20 GMT -5
anyways about the match itself:
Kansas played very well. they certainly looked like a top 25 team last night and were for most of the preseason. that loss to UCF isn't bad except that it was a sweep, and the loss to UNLV hurts even if Kansas was without their best offensive middle. Still, those are two solid teams that they've lost to and they have some nice wins over Utah, LMU, Omaha. they definitely passed the eye test against Texas too. really like what Elnady is doing all around, and if they can get Bien to be more assertive (as the commentators said in the match) I like their potential trajectory.
I thought Texas improved their ball control and made defensive adjustments (namely on Davis) as the match went on, which is a good sign and was cool to see play out. Saige probably played the worst two sets of her Texas career thus far but rebounded very nicely, and it was cool to see Jerritt stick with her and trust that she would improve her play, which came up along with the rest of the team. Logan is a mf star, and really locked in after the first two sets. She led this team back. Career high in kills, settled down her blocking, and is now 4 aces away from the all-time Texas record. Madi on either pin was astonishing all night long, and I'm leaning towards putting her on the right especially if Mel continues to put up solid offensive numbers like this and handles her few passing duties. Kansas is a strong defensive team and Mel showed she can put the ball down. Her serve needs to get in the rotation somehow. Blocking as whole has to get better, especially from Asjia. Team defense in general needs to get better, gotta do a better job of getting our opponents to hit lower efficiencies.
But overall, good showcase of volleyball on ESPN2! Environment was awesome and it was an entertaining match (though I let my frustrations get the better of me at times). looking forward to the rematch in Austin.
|
|
|
|
Post by slxpress on Sept 22, 2022 11:23:23 GMT -5
anyways about the match itself: Kansas played very well. they certainly looked like a top 25 team last night and were for most of the preseason. that loss to UCF isn't bad except that it was a sweep, and the loss to UNLV hurts even if Kansas was without their best offensive middle. Still, those are two solid teams that they've lost to and they have some nice wins over Utah, LMU, Omaha. they definitely passed the eye test against Texas too. really like what Elnady is doing all around, and if they can get Bien to be more assertive (as the commentators said in the match) I like their potential trajectory. I thought Texas improved their ball control and made defensive adjustments (namely on Davis) as the match went on, which is a good sign and was cool to see play out. Saige probably played the worst two sets of her Texas career thus far but rebounded very nicely, and it was cool to see Jerritt stick with her and trust that she would improve her play, which came up along with the rest of the team. Logan is a mf star, and really locked in after the first two sets. She led this team back. Career high in kills, settled down her blocking, and is now 4 aces away from the all-time Texas record. Madi on either pin was astonishing all night long, and I'm leaning towards putting her on the right especially if Mel continues to put up solid offensive numbers like this and handles her few passing duties. Kansas is a strong defensive team and Mel showed she can put the ball down. Her serve needs to get in the rotation somehow. Blocking as whole has to get better, especially from Asjia. Team defense in general needs to get better, gotta do a better job of getting our opponents to hit lower efficiencies. But overall, good showcase of volleyball on ESPN2! Environment was awesome and it was an entertaining match (though I let my frustrations get the better of me at times). looking forward to the rematch in Austin. Other than Texas winning, Elnady was my favorite part of this match. I feel like Parra’s rotations as a DS last year have really helped. She looks more comfortable passing this year from what I’ve seen. I’d emphasize the issues with the middles beyond O’Neal. She had a challenging first few sets. But the middles overall have been a quandary. It was nice to see Caffey make a difference late. She is so easy on the eyes for me, and her kills are thunderous. I don’t understand why the play at middle is so inconsistent. I know setting is a part of it, but defensively they’ll look real good, then they just disappear, then reappear again. It’s baffling. I like seeing Skinner be productive. It’s not good for her or the team for her to struggle too much. Do you have any thoughts on setting someone other than Eggleston in the backrow? Not instead of, but in addition to. Either Skinner or Parra. Maybe they’re not seeing enough production with it in practice? Any thoughts on the backcourt last night? I felt like they were the most consistent part about of the team in the first 4 matches but this game they felt a bit off. |
|
|
|
Post by nellynel on Sept 22, 2022 11:34:19 GMT -5
anyways about the match itself: Kansas played very well. they certainly looked like a top 25 team last night and were for most of the preseason. that loss to UCF isn't bad except that it was a sweep, and the loss to UNLV hurts even if Kansas was without their best offensive middle. Still, those are two solid teams that they've lost to and they have some nice wins over Utah, LMU, Omaha. they definitely passed the eye test against Texas too. really like what Elnady is doing all around, and if they can get Bien to be more assertive (as the commentators said in the match) I like their potential trajectory. I thought Texas improved their ball control and made defensive adjustments (namely on Davis) as the match went on, which is a good sign and was cool to see play out. Saige probably played the worst two sets of her Texas career thus far but rebounded very nicely, and it was cool to see Jerritt stick with her and trust that she would improve her play, which came up along with the rest of the team. Logan is a mf star, and really locked in after the first two sets. She led this team back. Career high in kills, settled down her blocking, and is now 4 aces away from the all-time Texas record. Madi on either pin was astonishing all night long, and I'm leaning towards putting her on the right especially if Mel continues to put up solid offensive numbers like this and handles her few passing duties. Kansas is a strong defensive team and Mel showed she can put the ball down. Her serve needs to get in the rotation somehow. Blocking as whole has to get better, especially from Asjia. Team defense in general needs to get better, gotta do a better job of getting our opponents to hit lower efficiencies. But overall, good showcase of volleyball on ESPN2! Environment was awesome and it was an entertaining match (though I let my frustrations get the better of me at times). looking forward to the rematch in Austin. Passing seemed to be clutch down the stretch (after being shaky especially in set 1) and the Texas serve seemed to keep the Kansas setter chasing passes which helped the defense, even on some of the Kansas kills late they were just really good swings out of system and you just have to give them credit for that. |
|
|
|
Post by nellynel on Sept 22, 2022 11:37:52 GMT -5
anyways about the match itself: Kansas played very well. they certainly looked like a top 25 team last night and were for most of the preseason. that loss to UCF isn't bad except that it was a sweep, and the loss to UNLV hurts even if Kansas was without their best offensive middle. Still, those are two solid teams that they've lost to and they have some nice wins over Utah, LMU, Omaha. they definitely passed the eye test against Texas too. really like what Elnady is doing all around, and if they can get Bien to be more assertive (as the commentators said in the match) I like their potential trajectory. I thought Texas improved their ball control and made defensive adjustments (namely on Davis) as the match went on, which is a good sign and was cool to see play out. Saige probably played the worst two sets of her Texas career thus far but rebounded very nicely, and it was cool to see Jerritt stick with her and trust that she would improve her play, which came up along with the rest of the team. Logan is a mf star, and really locked in after the first two sets. She led this team back. Career high in kills, settled down her blocking, and is now 4 aces away from the all-time Texas record. Madi on either pin was astonishing all night long, and I'm leaning towards putting her on the right especially if Mel continues to put up solid offensive numbers like this and handles her few passing duties. Kansas is a strong defensive team and Mel showed she can put the ball down. Her serve needs to get in the rotation somehow. Blocking as whole has to get better, especially from Asjia. Team defense in general needs to get better, gotta do a better job of getting our opponents to hit lower efficiencies. But overall, good showcase of volleyball on ESPN2! Environment was awesome and it was an entertaining match (though I let my frustrations get the better of me at times). looking forward to the rematch in Austin. Passing seemed to be clutch down the stretch (after being shaky especially in set 1) and the Texas serve seemed to keep the Kansas setter chasing passes which helped the defense, even on some of the Kansas kills late they were just really good swings out of system and you just have to give them credit for that. Down 2 sets, Honey Badger don’t care. I love watching Logan play for that reason alone besides the play making, she is so mentally strong. |
|
|
|
Post by hornshouse23 on Sept 22, 2022 11:40:45 GMT -5
Have you guys watched international ball? The fire, fierceness and attitude of the teams that dominate. I think culturally, the USA doesn't have that, but all the other international teams do. From what I have observed, they are incredibly nice off the court, they are generous and humble. on the court is a different deal, is that the arrogance is being condemned? I am just reflecting on a topic I have never been able to fully understand. I never understood why people condemned the Texas players as arrogant do they know they're good? do they get fired up and in their opponent's faces at an acceptable level? sure. but I don't see that as bad in any way and frankly it's fun to watch them go out there and compete. when they lose, they consistently credit their opponents for playing well (unlike others) and show a lot of respect *after* the match is over. at times I feel like a lot of this just stems from people subconsciously wanting to police female behavior on the court, and also that it's Texas. our team consistently being the most diverse at the top level of college volleyball probably plays a role too. you nailed all of this. There’s a pattern to who people call arrogant and to who people simply say gets fired up, and it’s been noticeable about Texas players over the years. And yes. Women must maintain niceties at all times… didn’t you know? |
|
|
|
Post by basil on Sept 22, 2022 11:44:48 GMT -5
Other than Texas winning, Elnady was my favorite part of this match. I feel like Parra’s rotations as a DS last year have really helped. She looks more comfortable passing this year from what I’ve seen. I’d emphasize the issues with the middles beyond O’Neal. She had a challenging first few sets. But the middles overall have been a quandary. It was nice to see Caffey make a difference late. She is so easy on the eyes for me, and her kills are thunderous. I don’t understand why the play at middle is so inconsistent. I know setting is a part of it, but defensively they’ll look real good, then they just disappear, then reappear again. It’s baffling. I like seeing Skinner be productive. It’s not good for her or the team for her to struggle too much. Do you have any thoughts on setting someone other than Eggleston in the backrow? Not instead of, but in addition to. Either Skinner or Parra. Maybe they’re not seeing enough production with it in practice? Any thoughts on the backcourt last night? I felt like they were the most consistent part about of the team in the first 4 matches but this game they felt a bit off. I thought Akana had a bad match. I'm not expecting her to be perfect but this was pretty well below average of how she's doing on the season thus far (to my eye) but she'll bounce back. I think the free ball dropping really was lowkey a wake up call to the team as a whole, they tightened it up after that and played a pretty high level throughout the last three sets besides a small dip in the fourth I think at the moment, having Halter and Akana's defense back there has outweighed Texas's need for another backrow outlet aside from Logan. Madi looks strong in the backrow when she's not having to worry about passing so I think there's options to be looked into there where if Akana is struggling or we're having trouble terminating that Madi can step in there. At the moment I like the dynamic of Mel front row and serving then Halter coming in. even when Mel was playing six rotations during her matches in preseason neither setter was going to her much which makes me think Mel isn't finding efficiency out of the back row in practice |
|
|
|
Post by hornshouse23 on Sept 22, 2022 12:47:02 GMT -5
I missed the back end of this match for reasons unknown so had to rewatch the whole thing this morning. This is the kind of match I was hoping we’d get, and glad we came out on top. Also, I don’t feel too bad not dropping Kansas out of my top 25. They are very good and will make someone’s regional uncomfortable.
My prediction of the lineup ended up being correct! Super sub Molly better grease the chain on the YBG bike because we’ll need every bit of her abilities coming off the bench to make it through the season/tournament unscathed.
My next question is do we see a 6ro Skinner? Maybe Akana serves for her, so 5 rotations? I’m predicting it.
|
|
|
|
Post by socal3 on Sept 22, 2022 12:53:59 GMT -5
Sometimes ego bites you in the A$$ and sometimes it doesn't Very courageous of you to scroll through last night’s conversations and make pompous “I told you so-esque” comments only AFTER your team was able to pull themselves together for the reverse sweep. You gotta have the (volley) balls to speak up in the moment to be taken seriously. |
|
|
|
Post by eyeroll2021 on Sept 22, 2022 12:57:40 GMT -5
I missed the back end of this match for reasons unknowns so had to rewatch the whole thing this morning. This is the kind of match I was hoping we’d get, and glad we came out on top. Also, I don’t feel too bad not dropping Kansas out of my top 25. They are very good and will make someone’s regional uncomfortable. My prediction of the lineup ended up being correct! Super sub Molly better grease the chain on the YBG bike because we’ll need every bit of her abilities coming off the bench to make it through the season/tournament unscathed. My next question is do we see a 6ro Skinner? Maybe Akana serves for her, so 5 rotations? I’m predicting it. If we get 6 RO Skinner, I predict it's at RS. Her right back defense also looks better than center back. |
|
|
|
Post by hornshouse23 on Sept 22, 2022 13:02:34 GMT -5
I missed the back end of this match for reasons unknowns so had to rewatch the whole thing this morning. This is the kind of match I was hoping we’d get, and glad we came out on top. Also, I don’t feel too bad not dropping Kansas out of my top 25. They are very good and will make someone’s regional uncomfortable. My prediction of the lineup ended up being correct! Super sub Molly better grease the chain on the YBG bike because we’ll need every bit of her abilities coming off the bench to make it through the season/tournament unscathed. My next question is do we see a 6ro Skinner? Maybe Akana serves for her, so 5 rotations? I’m predicting it. If we get 6 RO Skinner, I predict it's at RS. Her right back defense also looks better than center back. Totally agree. I wonder if the OH decision is being driven by her or Elliott weather way, it’s clear where she belongs, at least on this team. |
|
|
|
Post by katn on Sept 22, 2022 13:23:33 GMT -5
Have you guys watched international ball? The fire, fierceness and attitude of the teams that dominate. I think culturally, the USA doesn't have that, but all the other international teams do. From what I have observed, they are incredibly nice off the court, they are generous and humble. on the court is a different deal, is that the arrogance is being condemned? I am just reflecting on a topic I have never been able to fully understand. I never understood why people condemned the Texas players as arrogant do they know they're good? do they get fired up and in their opponent's faces at an acceptable level? sure. but I don't see that as bad in any way and frankly it's fun to watch them go out there and compete. when they lose, they consistently credit their opponents for playing well (unlike others) and show a lot of respect *after* the match is over. at times I feel like a lot of this just stems from people subconsciously wanting to police female behavior on the court, and also that it's Texas. our team consistently being the most diverse at the top level of college volleyball probably plays a role too. well said...the players can be assertive/ aggressive as they want...stop trying to pigeon-hole the players |
|
|
|
Post by tudbud on Sept 22, 2022 13:56:07 GMT -5
Have you guys watched international ball? The fire, fierceness and attitude of the teams that dominate. I think culturally, the USA doesn't have that, but all the other international teams do. From what I have observed, they are incredibly nice off the court, they are generous and humble. on the court is a different deal, is that the arrogance is being condemned? I am just reflecting on a topic I have never been able to fully understand. I never understood why people condemned the Texas players as arrogant do they know they're good? do they get fired up and in their opponent's faces at an acceptable level? sure. but I don't see that as bad in any way and frankly it's fun to watch them go out there and compete. when they lose, they consistently credit their opponents for playing well (unlike others) and show a lot of respect *after* the match is over. at times I feel like a lot of this just stems from people subconsciously wanting to police female behavior on the court, and also that it's Texas. our team consistently being the most diverse at the top level of college volleyball probably plays a role too. This hits it on the head. Thanks for sharing |
|
|
|
Post by tudbud on Sept 22, 2022 13:58:16 GMT -5
Have you guys watched international ball? The fire, fierceness and attitude of the teams that dominate. I think culturally, the USA doesn't have that, but all the other international teams do. From what I have observed, they are incredibly nice off the court, they are generous and humble. on the court is a different deal, is that the arrogance is being condemned? They have the facts behind them to feel pretty secure about their history in the program, just like Nebraska does, so I truly don't understand why Texas gets punished for it? If we wanted to dig deeper in the observation, it's a diverse program historically, so maybe seeing those girls out there killing it stings to a different note? I am just reflecting on a topic I have never been able to fully understand. Its mainly the people on this board. Lol The players seem to get along fine after the matches IMO, even intense highly contested matches. I recall in 2020 Devyn Robinson and Skylar Fields we’re really going after each other shot for shot, stare for stare but I don’t think that carries over to post match relationships. Which is good. Texas and Nebraska last year was about as intense as you can get in an NCAA volleyball match and it didn’t stop 2 Nebraska players from transferring to Texas later. That’s what I observe. They pump each other up on social media, hang out outside their colleges, when on USA for example. But we glorify basketball players and football players for being hyped and have crazy celebrations, when a volleyball player does it is arrogant? Hmm.. I think we need a self check here. |
|
bluepenquin
Hall of Fame
4-Time VolleyTalk Poster of the Year (2019, 2018, 2017, 2016), All-VolleyTalk 1st Team (2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016) All-VolleyTalk 2nd Team 2023
Posts: 13,303 
|
Post by bluepenquin on Sept 22, 2022 18:35:31 GMT -5
I was out of town this week - so I missed this thread. I did get an opportunity to watch last night. Some comments.
I figured that Kansas needed these two things to happen in order for them to have a chance of winning against Texas:
1) Texas had to be off some
2) Kansas had to get significant production from their RS - something of a .350+ hitting %.
#1 and #2 happened in the first two sets - they both didn't happen in sets 3-5. Not sure Texas could possibly play better than they played in the 5th set. London Davis was outstanding in the first 2 sets - and when Kansas gets this kind of production from the RS - they can pretty much play with anyone. Szabo was out of this world great against Utah and LMU. Davis was outstanding against Omaha. They didn't get good production against UCF or UNLV - and they lost.
|
|
bluepenquin
Hall of Fame
4-Time VolleyTalk Poster of the Year (2019, 2018, 2017, 2016), All-VolleyTalk 1st Team (2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016) All-VolleyTalk 2nd Team 2023
Posts: 13,303
|
Post by bluepenquin on Sept 22, 2022 18:46:06 GMT -5
Bechard appears to have a strong preference for running a 5-1. Last year (if memory serves) - Kansas started the season with McGhie as the setter. They moved to a 6-2 so as to get Turner into the games. It wasn't until the middle of conference season that Turner became the 5-1 setter. The reverse sweep loss to Texas last year - Kansas was running a 6-2.
Here is the dilemma for this year. London Davis is too good to be playing the bench. Szabo has real value as a blocker and can get hot on occasions. I just think the drop off from Turner to Dalton is too big right now to be running a 6-2. Up until last night - Kansas had only run a 6-2 in the last half of the UCF loss. Essentially, this was the first match that Dalton has played that wasn't mop up or that brief time with UCF. What a way to get her acclimated to D1 volleyball against Texas... But I guess that Bechard believe Kansas had to have the better blocking in the match against a team like Texas - and for the first 2 sets - Kansas badly out blocked Texas.
I expect Kansas to be playing mostly a 5-1 the rest of conference play - and make some strategic late set double switches. Turner is just too darn good to be putting on the bench.
|
|
%20ii%201967-2011-Seal.jpg)
