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Post by Huskyfan on Nov 6, 2023 12:00:13 GMT -5
1-1 for the Cal-Stanford trip. Still on track. Interesting to see the coaches use different line-ups for each match this weekend. Maybe they are trying to get the best match up against the strengths/weakness of the other team, or trying to find the magic that will maximize the skills on the roster. Main quandary seems to be finding that 3rd reliable passer and having good side-out options in all rotations. Either way, this group of players seems to be willing to adopt different roles, so I don't hate it. What line-up would you put out there if you were the coaching staff? It was interesting to see the modified 6-2 against Stanford after watching a different line up with May in the middle blocker position against Cal. It worked well enough in the first 2 sets when UW passing was decent. It was good to see Litzau's improved connections with the hitters. Positives about the 6-2: - 3 front row attackers in all rotations. I noticed that was one of UW's weaker rotations was when a setter was in the front row (setter + MB + OH). - setter blocking is not UW's strength. This avoids that. - May looks to be more comfortable attacking from the outside than middle. She is our go to attacker, and she gets more swings from the right than middle. - UW has 2 outside hitters that are more effective hitting from the left (Endsley, Barton) and 2 who are more effective from the right (Wilmes and Pertofsky). Challenges about the 6-2: - when passes are tight to the net (which happened often), setter joust/attack option is not available - May's middle blocking may be better than the freshmen at this time - UW may run out of subs at the end.
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Post by alwayslearning on Nov 6, 2023 17:37:04 GMT -5
All good points, Huskyfan, and I appreciate the perspective of someone who actually watched the match. The coaching staff now has very recent data on two very different lineups, albeit against two vastly different teams. It will be fascinating to see which of three lineups is chosen on Friday night for USC: the 6-2 we saw against Stanford; the 5-1 with May in the middle against Cal; or a 5-1 with May at OPP. I suppose there is another less likely possibility: a 6-2 with May in the middle and Audra at OPP.
I'm going to stick with my guns and suggest the lineup we trotted out against Cal. I'd like to see more of what we got from the middles in that match and I'd like to see Audra catch a little fire at OPP.
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Post by gohuskiesfan on Nov 7, 2023 0:11:04 GMT -5
All good points, Huskyfan, and I appreciate the perspective of someone who actually watched the match. The coaching staff now has very recent data on two very different lineups, albeit against two vastly different teams. It will be fascinating to see which of three lineups is chosen on Friday night for USC: the 6-2 we saw against Stanford; the 5-1 with May in the middle against Cal; or a 5-1 with May at OPP. I suppose there is another less likely possibility: a 6-2 with May in the middle and Audra at OPP. I'm going to stick with my guns and suggest the lineup we trotted out against Cal. I'd like to see more of what we got from the middles in that match and I'd like to see Audra catch a little fire at OPP. "It will be fascinating to see which of three lineups is chosen on Friday night for USC" I'm thankful that there are options again with May Pertofsky's return. I'm hoping they are not bit by more injuries.
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Post by luckydawg on Nov 9, 2023 14:37:06 GMT -5
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Post by cmon on Nov 18, 2023 14:56:43 GMT -5
Maybe Tui should consider going with a 5-1 after seeing how much better the team looks when running it the last 2 matches…
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Post by redbeard2008 on Nov 18, 2023 17:46:02 GMT -5
Maybe Tui should consider going with a 5-1 after seeing how much better the team looks when running it the last 2 matches… They ran a 6-2 in the first four sets against Utah, but started the fifth set with Wilson serving and Pertofsky in the front row for three rotations. When Wilson switched to the front row and Pertofsky went back to serve, UW was leading 12-5. If knotted up 6-6, would Leslie have done the dub-sub? Very possibly. At 12-5 (and Wilmes hitting only .145), she opted instead to stay with a 5-1. They went 3-6 with Wilson in the front-row, but won by 4. USC eviscerated the 5-1 when Wilson was in the front row.
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Post by cmon on Nov 19, 2023 14:29:07 GMT -5
working real well now
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Post by fromonhigh on Nov 19, 2023 22:56:00 GMT -5
I think that coaches too often run a 6-2 thinking they get more offense but don't review the actual results. Unless the team has two quality RS hitters you sometimes end up with two hitters and two setters who never get into the rhythm of the match. I think this is what happened to UW this year and I do blame Tui for this.
Hopefully the new setter coming in is the answer otherwise UW is destined to be a non-factor for quite some time.
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Post by 900sqftdad on Nov 20, 2023 0:02:37 GMT -5
Setting is not the problem on this team
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Post by tomclen on Nov 20, 2023 7:02:07 GMT -5
Washington VB, which was already at a major crossroads with graduations and a coaching change, is now staring at a much more challenging future beyond 2023, IMO. Am I understanding correctly that USC & UCLA are getting full shares in the B1G, but UW and UO are only getting partial (half) shares? Oregon has Nike money to prop up all of their sports programs. UW does not have a Phil Knight, and Paul Allen is gone. Since JMac, UW has finished at or near the top of the PAC with incredible regularity. I don't see that happening in 2023. And finishing near the top of the B1G is going to be much more challenging. We all see how VB, in multiple conferences, has teams which finish regularly near the top. And we see how hard it is for teams in the middle or bottom to move up. Winners get better recruits and keep winning. UW has had a two-decade streak as a team that always battled for a conference title and always seemed to be a good bet to make a regional. I'm concerned that UW VB's glory days may be over. Please convince me I'm wrong. (Won't be the first time.) I'm still hopeful that someone can convince me this screed from August was wrong. And I hope it's wrong.
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Post by redbeard2008 on Nov 20, 2023 17:35:06 GMT -5
Washington VB, which was already at a major crossroads with graduations and a coaching change, is now staring at a much more challenging future beyond 2023, IMO. Am I understanding correctly that USC & UCLA are getting full shares in the B1G, but UW and UO are only getting partial (half) shares? Oregon has Nike money to prop up all of their sports programs. UW does not have a Phil Knight, and Paul Allen is gone. Since JMac, UW has finished at or near the top of the PAC with incredible regularity. I don't see that happening in 2023. And finishing near the top of the B1G is going to be much more challenging. We all see how VB, in multiple conferences, has teams which finish regularly near the top. And we see how hard it is for teams in the middle or bottom to move up. Winners get better recruits and keep winning. UW has had a two-decade streak as a team that always battled for a conference title and always seemed to be a good bet to make a regional. I'm concerned that UW VB's glory days may be over. Please convince me I'm wrong. (Won't be the first time.) I'm still hopeful that someone can convince me this screed from August was wrong. And I hope it's wrong. UW and UO were late to the table. Last on the teat get the least. We'll be at full-shares in six years, I believe. Tui needs to recruit. One of my concerns is that she has only coached at UW, so may not have the network of "coaching contacts" she'd have if she had coached at several schools. Is she willing to put in the leg-work, basically "live" on a plane? It isn't clear how much she was involved in recruiting under Cook. She needs to upgrade the roster beyond Bush, Hunt, and Haury - if she can't, it'll be very bad news.
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Post by luckydawg on Nov 20, 2023 17:50:36 GMT -5
I'm still hopeful that someone can convince me this screed from August was wrong. And I hope it's wrong. UW and UO were late to the table. Last on the teat get the least. We'll be at full-shares in six years, I believe. Tui needs to recruit. One of my concerns is that she has only coached at UW, so may not have the network of "coaching contacts" she'd have if she had coached at several schools. Is she willing to put in the leg-work, basically "live" on a plane? It isn't clear how much she was involved in recruiting under Cook. She needs to upgrade the roster beyond Bush, Hunt, and Haury - if she can't, it'll be very bad news. My understanding is that Cook primarily handled the road trip part of recruiting and Tui was in charge of bringing them to UW, their campus visits, making them feel wanted and closing the deal. Obviously, a lot of overlap in the process, but she is not a newcomer to recruiting.
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Post by alwayslearning on Nov 20, 2023 17:51:43 GMT -5
I agree that Tui will likely need to be more involved with recruiting than she has ever been. If I were in her shoes, I'd be looking, starting now, at a proven assistant coach who has contacts, desire, and the ability to connect with recruits and their families. Oh, and is willing to "live on a plane." Divide and conquer with the assistant. We have two scholarships to offer beyond Hunt and Haury next year. And we have more in 2025 and beyond. All hands on deck.
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Post by redbeard2008 on Nov 20, 2023 18:45:52 GMT -5
My understanding is that Cook primarily handled the road trip part of recruiting and Tui was in charge of bringing them to UW, their campus visits, making them feel wanted and closing the deal. Obviously, a lot of overlap in the process, but she is not a newcomer to recruiting. She is new to being a "road" warrior and the face of the program. The biggest hurdle is just getting top recruits to visit. Powell's parents had to convince her to visit - she didn't want to, but came on a clear day and was "wowed". If that hadn't happened, we might have fallen to the middle of the Pac a lot earlier.
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Post by fromonhigh on Nov 20, 2023 20:55:27 GMT -5
A lot has changed but back in 20111/2012 Tui and JMac were fixtures at the big tourneys. In fact Tui was just as involved as JMac during the entire recruiting process. They did miss on getting the best WA player in Olivia Magill but it wasn't for lack of effort by Tui.
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