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Post by Brutus Buckeye on Jul 20, 2023 19:01:34 GMT -5
1 Nightmare on Stadium (favorite holiday)
2 Pink Game (I "dig" the pink VB gear)
3 Blue Out the Bucks (nice to be recognized)
4 Senior Night (go on, get 'em outta here!)
5 Maize Out (amusing premise)
6 Olympics ('Merica!)
7 Team Impact (whatever that is)
8 Pride Night (meh)
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1guy
Freshman
Posts: 71
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Post by 1guy on Jul 27, 2023 13:51:06 GMT -5
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Post by bprtbone on Aug 1, 2023 10:28:28 GMT -5
Nice to see that third assistant position filled, we will need it when Erin takes leave this fall for Team USA. Welcome Coach Clark!
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Post by bprtbone on Aug 16, 2023 20:23:24 GMT -5
Welp. https://www.instagram.com/p/CwBn3NyMg2t This is a serious blow to what was already going to be a challenging season. Allison is our most experienced OH and was establishing herself as a team leader. It also explains why she was so confident yesterday on the MiSHEgan podcast about returning next year. Wishing her a swift and healthy recovery. |
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Post by bprtbone on Aug 19, 2023 17:09:28 GMT -5
Notes from today's Maize and Blue scrimmage: - Although this was billed as the Maize/Blue scrimmage, the team was wearing blue and white jerseys? The white jerseys are new and feature the players names.
- It was nice to see Erin Virtue at the helm, hoping her absence this fall with the WNT will be minimal.
- Valentina Vaulet was the star of the show. The freshman from Argentina displayed a quick arm, good net presence and a wicked little top spin jump serve. I counted 20 kills in the 3.5 sets played, getting set by both Johnson and Burke. It doesn't look like she's ready to play 6 rotations, but she was still the best player on the floor. This is the big arm Michigan needed on the left side.
- It looks like Chopra has beat out Nyambio at MB. Chopra showed poise and presence and was featured more with the starters.
- At OPP there is a battle between freshman Lydia Johnson and grad transfer Saj McBurrows. I'm giving the edge to McBurrows, she is more experienced and made fewer errors.
- Lydia Johnson had her own Canadain mini cheering section at the scrimmage today. Every time she made a play, the big Maize and Blue Canadian flag was waved. It looked like she got the opportunity to sign it after the match was over, adding her name to the ever growing list of Canadians that have played for Michigan over the years.
- Freshman Morgan Burke more than held her own at setter today, but it looks like Scottee Johnson is going to run the offense in her senior season. For maybe the first time in her career, she is starting out 100% healthy. Her defense remains strong, but can Erin Virtue teach her how to set her middles? Burke will be waiting in the wings, and has a promising future in Ann Arbor.
- One more freshman: Carly Greskovics does not play like a freshman; she is very poised and confident in the back row. She has potential to be the future libero on this team but the more senior defensive specialists in front of her are likely to see more play time this season.
- I've updated the OP with my projected starting lineup after what we saw today: S Johnson (S); Vaulet/Murray (OH); Boney/Chopra (MB); McBurrows (OPP); Humphrey (DS); Grant (L)
I'm excited for the season to start and to see the new direction that Virtue will lead this program. It's likely to be a tough transition year, but there is still a lot of talent and the team should compete well. Go Blue!
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Post by Kearney Kingston on Aug 19, 2023 17:59:43 GMT -5
I miss Rosen & Rosen. What a lousy deal.
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Post by bprtbone on Aug 25, 2023 12:01:07 GMT -5
Happy Opening Day!
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Post by ned3vball on Aug 26, 2023 17:31:44 GMT -5
BC is getting better. Don't overreact. My two favorite D1 teams! I went to BC and my daughter did a post doc at Michigan. My visit to Cliff Kean was great!
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Post by thevoiceofreason on Aug 26, 2023 22:30:01 GMT -5
BC is getting better. Don't overreact. My two favorite D1 teams! I went to BC and my daughter did a post doc at Michigan. My visit to Cliff Kean was great! Easy not to overreact - - my expectations for this team are basement level. Not because of anything at fault of the current roster - just not skilled enough in key areas right now. I'm looking forward to seeing how this team grows under Coach Virtue this year and beyond. |
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Post by thevoiceofreason on Aug 26, 2023 22:30:19 GMT -5
Congratulations to Coach Virtue on the first win over her head coaching career!
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Post by thevoiceofreason on Aug 29, 2023 19:28:24 GMT -5
I know I said my expectations were basement-level, but I was not expecting a loss to Western (had BG as the MAC loss for the non-con).
I'm not able to travel as much to games this year, so it was disappointing to not have any coverage (besides Twitter) tonight. I know there are internet issues on campus right now that restrict the BTN+ stream, but other U-M sports had live stats during this situation.
Anyone there tonight? Notice in the final box that Burke had 21 assists and Johnson only 8.
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1guy
Freshman
Posts: 71
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Post by 1guy on Aug 29, 2023 20:16:05 GMT -5
I was there. Burke played all of set 2 and most of set 3, except for a brief double substitution. She was solid and had a better connection with the middles.
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Post by gobluevb on Aug 29, 2023 20:58:27 GMT -5
I’m not seeing Grant in the stat line. It explains a lot if she wasn’t playing. We can barely pass and play defense with her in the lineup…without her we got nothin’.
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Post by bprtbone on Aug 30, 2023 9:53:17 GMT -5
So much to process after the shocking opening days of the 2023 season. Some thoughts:
- We knew this season was going to be a challenge, but the lopsided straight set losses to BC and WMU are still a jolt. Michigan swept WMU this past spring with an even thinner lineup than they have now. The loss of Jacobs was certainly a blow, especially as a senior floor leader, but the team's overall serve and pass game is in shambles.
- I have been a big supporter of the Virtue hiring and I still think she is going to make positive strides long term, but bailing on the team for NORCECA today is a really bad look. How is the team supposed to work itself out of its struggles when their leader has made the national team a higher priority?
- I know the staff is still trying to figure out the best working lineup, but the double sub of S Johnson/McBurrows for Burke/L Johnson in Set 3 was a curious one. Michigan had finally grabbed the lead and seemed to change momentum but things quickly fell apart after this move.
- Has Scottee Johnson played herself out of the starting lineup? She has struggled setting middle her entire career and the team seemed to perform better with Burke at the helm last night.
- The biggest problem early on is passing. Without Grant on the floor, there just isn't a lot of Big Ten talent left on the roster to pick up the slack.
- Not sure what happened with Grant last night but hopefully it is not a long term injury. She is the only reliable passer on the roster and the de facto floor leader.
- I feel bad for Jacque Boney, one of the few bright spots so far. She is a consistent point scorer when we can get her the ball. Lydia Johnson has had some nice moments as a freshman also.
- Vaulet is a huge talent, but she is not quite ready for prime time. It has to have been tough on her moving to a new country, starting school and adapting to a new team and system all in a matter of a few weeks. They have tried to place a huge offensive load on her early, and that's a big ask. I still think she will adjust and be a quality pin hitter for Blue.
- It's disappointing that Virtue was unable to attract more experience and talent out of the portal. There have been allusions to the academic barriers for transfers, but in today's game you have to be able to pluck talent out whenever and wherever you can.
- Still no 2025 commitments? When do we start getting worried?
- The schedule doesn't get any easier the next couple of weeks as they play a string of quality teams in Colorado State, Arkansas, Duke and UNC. Hoping to see some incremental improvements before the B1G gauntlet hits.
It will be very telling to see how the team responds to early adversity over the next month or so. Virtue will be gone for a spell, so the burden will be on the assistant coaches to right the ship. Right now this has the looks of a historic losing season, the likes of which we haven't seen since the 90's. But it is still early and the team can hopefully improve and become more competitive. Go Blue!
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Post by ballvolley28 on Aug 30, 2023 10:47:15 GMT -5
I know I said my expectations were basement-level, but I was not expecting a loss to Western (had BG as the MAC loss for the non-con). I'm not able to travel as much to games this year, so it was disappointing to not have any coverage (besides Twitter) tonight. I know there are internet issues on campus right now that restrict the BTN+ stream, but other U-M sports had live stats during this situation. Anyone there tonight? Notice in the final box that Burke had 21 assists and Johnson only 8. There haven't been any other sports on campus since the internet went out, so not sure what live stats you were following. The broadcast will be sent to BTN so you will be able to watch it eventually. |
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