Sweet 16: Houston @ Stanford | Thurs 12/8, 7 PM PT

[uofaGRAD]

Dec 5, 2022 14:10:46 GMT -5 dl3ww said:

Dec 5, 2022 3:17:16 GMT -5 uofaGRAD said:

I’m scared to see a Rice team without Graham

Wait Graham is out?

out of eligibility now yes

[joetrinsey]

A short writeup on my blog related to this matchup:

smartervolley.substack.com/p/triangles-in-the-tournament-houston

[baytree]

[slxpress]

Dec 5, 2022 14:29:14 GMT -5 joetrinsey said:

A short writeup on my blog related to this matchup:

smartervolley.substack.com/p/triangles-in-the-tournament-houston

I enjoyed reading the introduction. Possibly indicate it’s a premium blog article when you link it. That’s pretty customary. I’m all in favor of looking for support for the time investment you make, but I don’t like to be surprised by it personally. When I’m told I’m going to be reading a blog post I’m not expecting to pay for it. That said I hope you gain a number of new subscribers. Thank you for linking the article. From the little I read, this seems like compelling content to me.

[vbcoltrane]

This seems to be the "dud" of the Sweet 16 with few giving the Cougs much of a shot to even be competitive. Is that fair? Do they have a shot at sets, at the match?

[baytree]

Dec 5, 2022 15:18:34 GMT -5 vbcoltrane said:

This seems to be the "dud" of the Sweet 16 with few giving the Cougs much of a shot to even be competitive. Is that fair? Do they have a shot at sets, at the match?

Of course they have a shot at the match or especially at taking a set or two. Stanford has a habit of losing focus or starting slow (non-exclusive or). Someone predicted the SD match would be SD winning the first two sets by a few points, then losing the third bc they couldn't be bothered, then crushing the fourth. That sounds pretty typical for Stanford (tho they sometimes start slow in the fourth and wait until the middle of the set to come roaring back; see Pepperdine)

At this stage, there are no bad teams. Houston deserves to be here.

But if Francis is back, I'd be shocked if Houston won. Don't know if she'll be back and I've been shocked at match outcomes before.

[slxpress]

Dec 5, 2022 15:18:34 GMT -5 vbcoltrane said:

This seems to be the "dud" of the Sweet 16 with few giving the Cougs much of a shot to even be competitive. Is that fair? Do they have a shot at sets, at the match?

UH has won 30 matches on the year, including one stretch of 11 sweeps in a row.

They went 1-1 against fellow tournament participant UCF, winning 3-1 in the first match, and losing 2-3 in the return match, with both home teams coming out on top.

Against Texas in Austin, the only opponent even remotely close to as good as Stanford, they won the first set 25-17, before falling in the next 3 sets -16, -12, -22.

So that should tell you they absolutely have a shot at winning sets, but they also could get blown off the court. 

There is not an individual position where UH will have an advantage. Coach Rehr is not a Zaddy. He could be someone's teddy bear, though. He doesn't have a magical ipad. It will be on Stanford's home court. I don't even think Stanford has to play their best game to win. But I'd consider that true of all the #1/#4 matchups. Penn State and Baylor perception wise seem more dangerous because they're both power conference programs, but both UH and Marquette deserve to be where they are. If UH is able to give maximum effort, and bad Baird shows up, or Stanford is otherwise off their A game, this match could be a lot more competitive than people are naturally willing to think. 

Or it could be Stanford with three -15 wins. 

[nellynel]

Dec 5, 2022 15:18:34 GMT -5 vbcoltrane said:

This seems to be the "dud" of the Sweet 16 with few giving the Cougs much of a shot to even be competitive. Is that fair? Do they have a shot at sets, at the match?

Definitely possible, how likely? Probably not much due to the talent difference. But Houston is incredibly scrappy and will go down swinging. Texas took them lightly in September and got thumped 25-17 in set 1. If Stanford comes ready for business they should win with no issues. If they show up like they did vs Penn St (or Texas did with them) they will be in for a rude awakening.

[stanfordvb]

save

[trojansc]

Not enough Kate Georgiades in this thread

[Disc808]

If Francis is back... wouldn't she be rusty. I'd be interested to see how they would incorporate her back into the fold if she does come back soon

[vbcoltrane]

I love that the Houston player Georgiades went viral and had everyone talking VB for a hot minute. It really was highlight worthy - especially the part when she runs around from the other side of the table and back onto the court and makes MORE plays. Kudos.

A couple sports nuts at work talked about it. They don't follow volleyball and one assumed Houston must be the top team in the nation.

[slxpress]

Dec 5, 2022 17:39:54 GMT -5 vbcoltrane said:

I love that the Houston player Georgiades went viral and had everyone talking VB for a hot minute. It really was highlight worthy - especially the part when she runs around from the other side of the table and back onto the court and makes MORE plays. Kudos.

A couple sports nuts at work talked about it. They don't follow volleyball and one assumed Houston must be the top team in the nation.

They're not even the top team in Houston.

[hammer]

Dec 5, 2022 16:03:31 GMT -5 nellynel said:

Dec 5, 2022 15:18:34 GMT -5 vbcoltrane said:

This seems to be the "dud" of the Sweet 16 with few giving the Cougs much of a shot to even be competitive. Is that fair? Do they have a shot at sets, at the match?

Definitely possible, how likely? Probably not much due to the talent difference. But Houston is incredibly scrappy and will go down swinging. Texas took them lightly in September and got thumped 25-17 in set 1. If Stanford comes ready for business they should win with no issues. If they show up like they did vs Penn St (or Texas did with them) they will be in for a rude awakening.

I don't think this is rocket science for Houston. Kipp hit .527 with 45 kills over the weekend and had seven blocks. She has to be Houston's focus. Obviously, serve pressure and location to make it hard to use Kipp. Avoid your left side hitter OOS when Kipp is blocking her. Get your best blocking LS on Kipp. Move your back row defenders closer to the net and the doughnut because (in case you haven't noticed) Kipp likes to hit vertical. And the last thing ... pray.

[slxpress]

Dec 5, 2022 18:47:29 GMT -5 hammer said:

Dec 5, 2022 16:03:31 GMT -5 nellynel said:

Definitely possible, how likely? Probably not much due to the talent difference. But Houston is incredibly scrappy and will go down swinging. Texas took them lightly in September and got thumped 25-17 in set 1. If Stanford comes ready for business they should win with no issues. If they show up like they did vs Penn St (or Texas did with them) they will be in for a rude awakening.

I don't think this is rocket science for Houston. Kipp hit .527 with 45 kills over the weekend and had seven blocks. She has to be Houston's focus. Obviously, serve pressure and location to make it hard to use Kipp. Avoid your left side hitter OOS when Kipp is blocking her. Get your best blocking LS on Kipp. Move your back row defenders closer to the net and the doughnut because (in case you haven't noticed) Kipp likes to hit vertical. And the last thing ... pray.

Houston is going to tip Stanford to death. The Cardinal has no idea what kind of tipping ferocity is heading in their direction.