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Post by ndodge on Aug 11, 2023 11:01:47 GMT -5
I don't know how I missed it until now, but Juhnke is not on SD's roster for 2023. I assumed she'd be back. Guess the knee couldn't handle it. Big bummer. Yea :/ It got changed to student assistant (down with the staff) last week or the one before. I assume her knee was similar to Jaela zimmerman's.... just no coming back from that (soon anyways) Does her eligibility expire then after this year, or would she maybe be able to play next year? (I know she may well move on, but I hope she plays again for sure, somewhere).
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Post by avid 2.0 on Aug 11, 2023 11:13:14 GMT -5
Yea :/ It got changed to student assistant (down with the staff) last week or the one before. I assume her knee was similar to Jaela zimmerman's.... just no coming back from that (soon anyways) Does her eligibility expire then after this year, or would she maybe be able to play next year? (I know she may well move on, but I hope she plays again for sure, somewhere). I have no idea how that would work... id imagine she might have to appeal to the NCAA? (but if we're being honest... high level sport probably isnt good for her knee in the long term)
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Post by kiyoat on Aug 11, 2023 11:35:59 GMT -5
Yea :/ It got changed to student assistant (down with the staff) last week or the one before. I assume her knee was similar to Jaela zimmerman's.... just no coming back from that (soon anyways) Does her eligibility expire then after this year, or would she maybe be able to play next year? (I know she may well move on, but I hope she plays again for sure, somewhere). This would have been her 5th year(Covid). I don't know if the NCAA would honor a medical redshirt for a 5th year player who has already played for four years, but who knows?
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Post by kiyoat on Aug 11, 2023 11:42:25 GMT -5
New Summit League Network announced:
- no more subscriptions for individual schools, $10 per month for all programing that CBS Sports doesn't pick up (schools still responsible for their own broadcasts, so some will be better than others)
- no more games on ESPN3 or ESPN+
- not sure if some schools can still choose to make content available via free streams online?
- SLN available via MidCo Sports+ (no MidCo cable subscription required) - all major streaming platforms supported AFAIK - maybe not Chromecast
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Post by rainbowbadger on Aug 11, 2023 11:42:53 GMT -5
Does her eligibility expire then after this year, or would she maybe be able to play next year? (I know she may well move on, but I hope she plays again for sure, somewhere). This would have been her 5th year(Covid). I don't know if the NCAA would honor a medical redshirt for a 5th year player who has already played for four years, but who knows? They did for Danielle Hart and Kayla Caffey last year.
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Post by Steve vb on Aug 11, 2023 13:26:13 GMT -5
New Summit League Network announced: - no more subscriptions for individual schools, $10 per month for all programing that CBS Sports doesn't pick up (schools still responsible for their own broadcasts, so some will be better than others) - no more games on ESPN3 or ESPN+ - not sure if some schools can still choose to make content available via free streams online? - SLN available via MidCo Sports+ (no MidCo cable subscription required) - all major streaming platforms supported AFAIK - maybe not Chromecast The good news is that perhaps I'll finally be able to watch matches at Denver. However, I might have another monthly subscription to pay to watch what was previously free prior to this agreement. Most Summit League teams provided a stream for free and both South Dakota's and Omaha's streams were already high-quality multi-camera productions.
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Post by kiyoat on Aug 11, 2023 13:47:38 GMT -5
New Summit League Network announced: - no more subscriptions for individual schools, $10 per month for all programing that CBS Sports doesn't pick up (schools still responsible for their own broadcasts, so some will be better than others) - no more games on ESPN3 or ESPN+ - not sure if some schools can still choose to make content available via free streams online? - SLN available via MidCo Sports+ (no MidCo cable subscription required) - all major streaming platforms supported AFAIK - maybe not Chromecast The good news is that perhaps I'll finally be able to watch matches at Denver. However, I might have another monthly subscription to pay to watch what was previously free prior to this agreement. Most Summit League teams provided a stream for free and both South Dakota's and Omaha's streams were already high-quality multi-camera productions. True, but now in addition to Denver, it opens up Mavs road matches at UND, NDSU and SDSU that were previously premium. Overall it’s better for Summit fans, but worse for national exposure with no ESPN. Hopefully the league revenues will increase across the board.
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Post by avid 2.0 on Aug 11, 2023 13:50:26 GMT -5
The good news is that perhaps I'll finally be able to watch matches at Denver. However, I might have another monthly subscription to pay to watch what was previously free prior to this agreement. Most Summit League teams provided a stream for free and both South Dakota's and Omaha's streams were already high-quality multi-camera productions. True, but now in addition to Denver, it opens up Mavs road matches at UND, NDSU and SDSU that were previously premium. Overall it’s better for Summit fans, but worse for national exposure with no ESPN. Hopefully the league revenues will increase across the board. can you remind me which games were on ESPN+? or was that just an option for some of the midco games? At least its not flosports
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Post by kiyoat on Aug 11, 2023 13:57:32 GMT -5
I think that was Midco-sports-produced games. They had an agreement with ESPN. The schools that produced their own content (where the quality was sometimes lacking) were just available via streaming IIRC. Some free and some premium. Now everything is under one paywall (unless CBS Sports chooses to air it). I think the CBS thing will mostly be basketball though.
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Post by volleyballislyf on Aug 11, 2023 17:10:03 GMT -5
I wonder if we will be able to share a subscription across multiple devices?
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Post by kiyoat on Aug 12, 2023 2:32:05 GMT -5
I wonder if we will be able to share a subscription across multiple devices? TBD I’ll certainly test the waters…
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Post by kiyoat on Aug 16, 2023 15:11:59 GMT -5
#1 The University of South Dakota (USD) "Coyotes"Last 5 Years' Results:year | overall | conf | postseason | coach | 2018 | 21-10 | 13-3 (#2) | Summit Champs/ NCAA Rd 1 | Leanne Williamson
| 2019 | 31-3 | 16-0 (#1) | Summit Semi-final/ NIVC Finals | Leanne Williamson
| 2020 | 15-7 | 12-3 (#2) | Summit Champs/ NCAA Rd 1 | Leanne Williamson
| 2021 | 20-10 | 15-3 (#2) | Summit Champs/ NCAA Rd 1 | Leanne Williamson
| 2022 | 29-4 | 16-2 (#1) | Summit Champs/ NCAA Rd 1 | Leanne Williamson
| 2023 | ? | ? | ? | Leanne Williamson
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2022 Recap:South Dakota was picked #2 in the 2022 preseason coaches' poll behind Denver. They went 11-1 in the non-conference season, with Power-5 wins over Missouri (3-2) and West Virginia (3-1). In conference play the Yotes only recorded two losses, finishing 16-2 and first in the conference. Those two losses both came at the hands of #3 NDSU. In the Conference Tournament they were playing in peak form, beating both Denver and Omaha in straight sets for their fourth Summit Tournament title, third in a row, and the first time they had won both the regular season and the tournament. Unprecedented success in the school's volleyball history. In the NCAA's they finally won a program-first set in the NCAA tournament, followed by another. They ultimately lost to Sweet-16-bound Houston (25-14, 25-19, 18-25, 23-25, 15-11). Besides being the best ever showing for this program in the NCAA tournament, this match was memorable for HM All-American OH Elizabeth Juhnke ending her season and possibly her career in the middle of the 4th set with a painful ACL/Knee injury on a landing. After a long delay the Yotes rallied to win that 4th set, and played well in the final set. Statistically, This 2022 South Dakota squad generally finished between #1 and #3 in most team stats, in the top tier along with Omaha, Denver and NDSU. They led the conference in Hitting percentage (.256) and digs (6.15/set). The only major stat they fell to fourth in was the opponent's service aces (1.49/set), so serve-receive might be a weakness to exploit. Individually the team was led by: 6'-0" Junior OH, Elizabeth Juhnke (AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, Summit POY) 5'-7" 5th Yr L/DS Lolo Weideman (First Team All-conference, Summit DPOY) 6'-3" Junior MB Madison Harms. (First Team All-conference) __________________________________________________________________ 2023 Roster:(LINK)Leaving the team for 2023 are: L/DS Lolo Weideman (Grad) 3-year starter, 2022 DPOYRS Aimee Adams (Grad) 3-year starter OH Elizabeth Juhnke (injured) 4-year starter, 2019 FOY, 2022 POYMB Alexis Moses (Transfer)The Coyotes lose:52% of Kills (Juhnke & Adams were #1 and #3) 51% of Digs (Weideman & Juhnke were #1 and #2)11% of Assists 37% of Aces (Weideman was #1) 31% of Blocks (Juhnke and Adams were #3 and #4) Key Returning Liberos/ Defensive Specialists:Soph Kamryn Farris (#3 Digs, 2.21 D/Set, #3 Aces) Junior Alaina Wolff (#4 Digs, 2.00 D/Set, #2 Aces) Kamryn Farris Key Returning Setters:Senior Brooklyn Schramm (#1 Assists, 10.16 Asst/Set, .39 K/Set, .27 Ace/Serve, 2.16 Dig/Set) Soph Madi Woodin (#2 Assists, 7.41 Asst/Set, 2.05 Dig/Set) Brooklyn Schramm Key Returning Outside Hitters:Senior Evelyn Deiderich (#4 Kills, 2.03 K/Set (#4) Junior Kylen Sealock (#6 Kills, 2.25 K/Set (#3) Evelyn Deiderich Kylen Sealock Key Returning Middle Blockers:5th Year Madison Harms (#1 Blocks, 1.23 B/Set, #2 Kills, 2.41 K/Set) 5th Year Brynn Paumen (#2 Blocks, 0.91 B/Set, #5 Kills, 1.36 K/Set) Brynn Paumen Key Newcomers:Freshman Setter: Avery Van Hook (from Marion, IA, PrepDig #1 Setter/ #3 player Iowa) Avery Van Hook 2023 Outlook:
When you look at the losses of POY Juhnke and DPOY Weideman, along with the #2 OH in Adams, ... there are some big shoes to fill. But when I look at the amount of experience returning in the back row, and the "twin towers of 6-3 Harms and 6-3 Paumen in the Middle, there are a lot of pieces left from that 2022 championship team. The focus now will be on who can emerge in those Outside Hitter spots. Last year I was sure we would see 6-0 Sophomore Kylen Sealock take the backup spot behind Juhnke, but a foot injury kept her off the floor for the first half of the season.... Enter 5-8 Dynamo, Evelyn Deiderich, doing surprisingly well for being so undersized. Lots of other hitters in the wings, ready to get the opportunity to increase their role, too. Who will pick up the slack left by future Coyote Hall-of-Fame legend, Juhnke? That answer may go a long way to determining how well this 2023 Coyote team does. Whoever it is, they will be surrounded by experienced and competent teammates. Harms and Paumen should provide that 3rd offensive option needed to take pressure off of the hitters, too. With three Setters now on the roster with the addition of Freshman Avery Van Hook from Marion, IA (PrepDig #1 Setter/ #3 player Iowa), I wonder if Coach Williamson might consider using a 2-setter system? Either way, I'm going with the Yotes to win it all again.
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Post by kiyoat on Aug 16, 2023 15:12:15 GMT -5
#2 The University of Nebraska - Omaha (Omaha) "Mavericks"Last 5 Years' Results:year | overall | conf | postseason | coach | 2018 | 17-12 | 12-4 (#3) | Summit Quart-final
| Rose Shires | 2019 | 19-14 | 10-6 (#4)
| Summit Final | Matt Buttermore
| 2020 | 13-6 | 12-4 (#4) | Summit Semi-final | Matt Buttermore
| 2021 | 20-10 | 16-2 (#1) | Summit Final
| Matt Buttermore
| 2022 | 20-11 | 14-4 (#2) | Summit Final | Matt Buttermore | 2023 |
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| Matt Buttermore
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2022 Recap:Omaha was picked #3 in the 2022 preseason coaches' poll behind Denver and USD. They went 5-5 in the non-conference season, with a brutal schedule. Being swept by South Carolina early might have been the worst loss, but by the end of the non-con, they had a couple of narrow losses to ranked Creighton (2-3) and Kansas (1-3). In conference play the Mavs only recorded four losses, finishing 14-4 and second place in the conference. Most of the wins were in dominant fashion, only dropping 5 total sets in 14 wins. The losses were mostly in 5-set road losses to South Dakota, South Dakota State and NDSU. They went 8-1 in Baxter Arena in conference play, only losing to USD. In the Conference Tournament they beat North Dakota 3-1 in the semi-final, but lost at home in the championship to USD in a sweep. That marks the third appearance in the Summit finals in Matt Buttermore's four seasons at Omaha. In the NIVC they dropped a match to University of the Pacific in four sets. Statistically, The 2022 Omaha squad was probably the best offensive Summit team, and 3rd or 4th best defensively. Omaha finished first in Points (18/set), Kills (14/set), Assists (13/set) and Service Aces (1.6/set). They also had a great serve-receive, finishing 2nd in opponent service aces (allowed 1.2/set). Defensively they finished in the upper-half of the conference, generally. Their worst team stat was opponent's blocking. They allowed 2.1 Blocks a set, which is an interesting stat, given their offensive output. Individually the team was led by: 5'-11" Soph OH, Shayla McCormick (First-team All-Conference) 6'-2" Junior MB McKenna Ruch (First Team All-conference) 6'-0" Junior OH Marriah Buss (HM All-Conference) 5'-11" Senior Setter, Sami Clarkson (HM All-Conference) 6'-1" Freshman OH Kali Jurgensmeier (Freshman of the Year, All-Freshman Team) __________________________________________________________________ 2023 Roster:linkLeaving the team for 2023 are: S Sami Clarkson (Grad) ........4-year starter, 2021 Setter of the Year, 4-year all-summit L/DS Jaiden Centeno (Grad) 1.5-year starter, Summit HM 2021 OH Marriah Buss (Grad) .........2-year starter, Summit HM 2021-22 MB Mariah Murdie (Grad)The Mavericks lose:27% of Kills (Buss was #2) 75% of Assists (Clarkson & Centeno were #1 and #3)36% of Aces (Clarkson & Centeno were #2 and #3) 42% of Digs (Centeno & Clarkson were #1 and #4) 27% of Blocks (Murdie was #4) Key Returning Liberos/ Defensive Specialists:Junior Brilee Wieseler (#3 Digs, 2.19 D/Set) Brilee Wieseler Key Returning Setters:Senior Olivia Curry (#2 Assists, 4.81 Asst/Set, .27 Ace/Serve, 1.54 Dig/Set) Olivia Curry Key Returning Outside Hitters:Junior Shayla McCormick (#1 Kills, 3.74 K/Set,#4 Assist, #1 Aces, #2 Digs, #3 Blocks) Soph Kali Jurgensmeier (#4 Kills, 2.32 K/Set, #2 Hitting%, #2 Blocks)5th Year Rachel Fairbanks (#5 Kills, #5 Digs) Rachel Fairbanks Key Returning Middle Blockers:Senior McKenna Ruch (#1 Blocks, 1.24 B/Set, #3 Kills, 2.61 K/Set, #1 Hitting % .341)Soph Morgan DeBow (#5 Blocks, 0.77 B/Set) Morgan DeBow Key Newcomers:6'-0" Freshman Setter: Olivia Tukuafu (from Mesa, AZ/ Aspire AAU) 5'-9" Freshman Setter: Ivy Leuck (Omaha, NE/ Skutt Catholic/ Premier AAU) 5'-8" Junior Transfer DS: Erica Fava (Italy/ Western NE CC) - 2x NJCAA First Team All-AmericanOlivia Tukuafu Erica Fava 2023 Outlook:
The Mavs have been knocking on the door for a tournament championship for a few years now, and Coach Buttermore has done a bang-up job in recruiting and roster management IMHO. Is this the year they break through? Well.... from a roster standpoint, they have the opposite problem that South Dakota has. USD: - loses their 4-year starter star outside hitter- loses their #2 hitter, and 2-year starting Libero - keeps their all-conference MB Omaha: - loses their 4-year starting star setter- loses their #2 hitter and 2-year starting Libero - keeps their all-conference MB ... OK, that sounds pretty similar. One might think that Juhnke is the bigger loss, but the Setter is the QB of the offense. I think Clarkson being gone will be far more disruptive. Also, Omaha lacks depth at DS, and South Dakota returns a couple of experienced players there. Omaha will probably again have the best front row in the conference with McCormick and Ruch starring, and Jurgensmeier, Fairbanks and DeBow providing ample size and skill behind them. (all but McCormick are 6-1 and above). So the big question is if the setter and Libero positions go to returning backups Curry and Weiseler, or one of the many (9) newcomers? You don't bring in two setters and three DS in a class if you are 100% confident in the replacement. It will be fun to see who emerges from that competition, and if they can get back up to a level of play needed to win the conference. My money is on Fava for starting Libero (experience) and Tukuafu for Setter (size). But who knows? I'll pick them to finish #2 again, setting up another epic championship match. (also, McCormick wins POY)
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Post by kiyoat on Aug 16, 2023 15:12:26 GMT -5
#3 North Dakota State University (NDSU) "Bison" (pronounced "bi-zun")Last 5 Years' Results:year | all | conf | postseason | coach | 2018 | 9-20 | 6-10 (#6) | Summit Semifinal | Jennifer Lopez | 2019 | 13-16 | 8-8 (#5) | Summit Quarterfinal | Jennifer Lopez | 2020 | 10-8 | 8-8 (#5) | * | Jennifer Lopez
| 2021 | 12-18 | 6-12 (#7) | - | Jennifer Lopez
| 2022 | 21-12 | 13-5 (#3) | Summit Semifinal | Jennifer Lopez
| 2023 | ? | ? | ? | Jennifer Lopez
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* only four teams in 2020 2022 Recap:NDSU was picked #7 in the 2022 preseason coaches' poll. They went 7-5 in the non-conference season, with a relatively light schedule. Things were up and down, but the strongest performances might have been narrowly losing a 5-set match to Central Michigan, followed by sweeping Montana State the next day at home. In conference play the Bison seemed to hit their stride, finishing 13-5 for third-place; the best conference record in Coach Lopez's 6 seasons. They Swept their series vs top ranked USD, but lost both matches vs SDSU. They also split the series with 3 teams: Omaha, Denver and UND. In the Conference Tournament they swept rival North Dakota in the quarter-final, but lost to Omaha in the semi-final. In the NIVC they dropped their opening match to Davidson in five sets. Statistically, The 2022 NDSU squad had a potent offense, finishing 2nd in Kills, Assists hitting %, and opponent's digs. In other team stats and defensive stats they finished about average for the league. Individually the team was led by: 5'-10" Senior Setter, Kelley Johnson (First-team All-Conference, Setter of the Year) 5'-10" Senior MB Michelle Artis (Glover) (First Team All-conference) 6'-0" Junior OH Ali Hinze (First Team All-Conference) 6'-1" Senior OH, Syra Tanchin (First Team All-Conference) 6'-1" Freshman MB Ally Barth (All-Freshman Team) __________________________________________________________________ 2023 Roster:linkLeaving the team for 2023 are: OH Syra Tanchin (Grad xfer to FIU) 2-year starter, All-Summit League 2022 MB Michelle Artis/Glover (Graduated) 2-year starter, All-Summit League 2022 The Bison lose:44% of Kills (Tanchin & Artis were #1 and #3) 3% of Assists19% of Aces (Tanchin was #2) 17% of Digs40% of Blocks (Artis & Tanchin were #1 and #4) Key Returning Liberos/ Defensive Specialists:Junior Logan O'Brian (#1 Digs, 3.39 D/Set, #2 Assists) Senior Taylor Quan (#5 Digs, 2.05 D/Set) Logan O'Brien Key Returning Setters:Senior Kelley Johnson (#1 Assists, 10.58 Asst/Set, #2 Digs, #3 Aces)Kelley Johnson Key Returning Outside Hitters:Senior Ali Hinze (#2 Kills, 3.63 K/Set, #1 Aces, #2 Digs, #2 Blocks) Junior Morgan Middleton (#7 Kills, 1.40 K/Set, .204 Hitting%)
Ali Hinze Key Returning Middle Blockers:Junior Alexis Boling (#2 Blocks, 0.42 B/Set, #4 Kills, 1.84 K/Set, .248 Hitting %)
Soph Ally Barth (#5 Blocks, #2 Blocks/Set 0.87, #5 Kills, #3 Hitting % .295) Alexis Boling Key Newcomers:6'-1" Freshman MB: Arianna Blohm (Spring Valley, MN/ Northern Lights AAU) 5'-11" Freshman OH: Lauren Jansen (Plainfield IL) 6'-2" Freshman MB: Emma Tallman (Johnson, IA/ Dowling Catholic) Arianna Blohm Lauren Jansen 2023 Outlook:
If I told you the #3 finishing team in the Summit League was only losing 2 players to graduation and transfer, brought in 3 freshmen in the lost positions, and also returned 2 All-conference players, and last year's Setter-of-the-Year, ..... You'd probably tell me they are primed for a championship, right? Here's the hang-up I have about that: Last year they had one of the best offenses in the league, powered by a three-headed monster of Hitters Hinze and Tanchin, and Middle Artis(Glover)... The two departing players are Tanchin and Glover... this weakens their greatest strength IMO. The Bison's other non-offense stats were pretty average, as well. The lack of turnover should lead to a team that doesn't beat itself. I don't think you will see them dropping a head-scratcher in 2023. But they may lack the offensive firepower to knock out the biggest dogs of the conference, like they did last year. So I could be wrong, but I predict they will be a great, consistent team, but just shy of championship-level. Probably finish right in that #3 spot again, and with a puncher's chance in the Tournament. Lopez has done a great job in Fargo, bringing Conference Blue-Blood NDSU back to the top tier. I'll give credit to the NDSU AD as well, with the patience to allow her time to build. As far as freshmen, all three have opportunities due to Tanchin and Artis(Glover) departing. I'm going to guess Blohm gets the most court time at MB, but that's just based on her coming from Northern Lights.
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Post by kiyoat on Aug 16, 2023 15:12:52 GMT -5
#4 University of Denver (Denver) "Pioneers" (Pios)Last 5 Years' Results:year | all | conf | postseason | coach | 2018 | 27-3 | 15-0 (#1) | Summit Runner-up | Tom Hogan
| 2019 | 23-9 | 13-3 (#2) | Summit Champions | Tom Hogan
| 2020 | 14-3 | 13-2 (#1) | Summit Runner-up
| Tom Hogan
| 2021 | 23-6 | 14-4 (#3) | Summit Quarterfinals | Tom Hogan | 2022 | 19-12 | 12-6 (#4) | Summit Semifinals | Jim Stone(interim) | 2023 | ? | ? | ? | Megan Pendergast |
2022 Recap:Denver was picked #1 in the 2022 preseason coaches' poll. Denver was the dominant team in the Summit League since they joined it under Coach Tom Hogan for about 8 seasons (2013-2020), appearing in the championship match every year, winning 5 times, and 6 regular-season titles! At the start of the 2022 season the Pios were only one season removed from a regular season title and appearance in the finals. Coach Hogan had worked the transfer portal well, bringing in a lot of talent.... and then a sledgehammer hit the program in the form of a cancer diagnosis for the future HOF coach. While still the head coach in name, veteran assistant Jim Stone (former longtime OSU coach) took the reins for the 2022 season. They went 6-5 in the non-conference season, losing every road match and winning every home match. Things were up and down, but they finished strong, winning 9 of 10 sets in the final home tournament vs USAF, San Francisco, and UC-San Diego. In conference play the Pios seemed to be more stable, finishing 12-6 for fourth-place. Although that was the worst finish for Denver in their 9-year Summit history, for the most part, they took care of business against weaker opponents and struggled against USD and Omaha. They split the series with NDSU, but their worst match might have been losing to Kansas City at home in four sets, late in the season. In the Conference Tournament they struggled to take down SDSU (5 sets) in the quarterfinal, and were swept by USD in the semifinal. Statistically, The 2022 Denver squad appears to have been the best defensive team in the conference, finishing first in Blocks, Opponent Hitting %, Opponent Kills, Opponent Assists, and Opponent Service Aces! Their offense was seemingly pretty average to above-average, finishing 4th or 5th in most offensive stats. Their worst stats were Digs and opponent blocks. Often a team that gets a ton of blocks will struggle in dig numbers by default, but the fact that their hitters were getting blocked 2.26 times a set (worst in conference) was probably a big factor in their lack of success vs USD and Omaha. Individually the team was led by: 6'-1" Senior MB, Brianna Green (First-team All-Conference) 5'-11" Senior S Lorrin Poulter (First Team All-conference) 5'-11" Senior OH Memphis Glasgow6'-2" Soph MB Hailey Green5'-7" Junior L/DS Gianna Bartalo__________________________________________________________________ 2023 Roster:linkLeaving the team for 2023 are: Setter Lorrin Poulter (Grad xfer to Purdue) 2-year starter, All-Summit League 2022 Setter Emma Ziegler ...(xfer to Creighton) Setter Lauren Carter ....(xfer to Northwestern) MB Brianna Green ....(Grad xfer to TCU) 2-year starter, All-Summit League 2022 MB Hailey Green .........(Grad xfer to WVU) MB Maddy Hanson .......(xfer to Iowa) MB Merle Weidt ...........(Graduated) OH Memphis Glasgow (Graduated)OH Jordan Lockwood ....(Graduated) OH Isabella Vasquez .....(Graduated) The Pios lose:82% of Kills 91% of Assists 69% of Aces49% of Digs74% of Blocks Key Returning Liberos/ Defensive Specialists:Senior Gianna Bartalo (#1 Digs, 3.52 D/Set, #3 Assists, #4 Aces)Senior Ryan Wilkens (#2 Digs, 2.63 D/Set, #5 Assists, #5 Aces) Soph Alayna Finucan (#6 Digs) Ryan Wilkens Key Returning Setters:(NONE)Key Returning Outside Hitters:5th Yr Mackenzie Fidelak (#6 Kills, #6 Aces, #7 Digs, #6 Blocks) Soph Ava Reynolds (#9 Kills) Soph Genevieve LewisMackenzie Fidelak Key Returning Middle Blockers:5th Year Cadi Boyer (#2 Blocks, 1.08 B/Set, #5 Kills, 1.63 K/Set, #1 Hitting % .379)Cadi Boyer Key Newcomers (all transfers):6'-1" R Freshman S: Briley Decker (BYU) 6'-4" 5th Year OH: Cassie Davis (Baylor)6'-2" Senior MB: Molly Mirabelli (Purdue-Ft Wayne)6'-2" R Soph MB: Kate Perryman (Gard. City CC/ USAF) 6'-1" Soph OH: Emma Mirabelli (Purdue-Ft Wayne) Briley Decker Cassie Davis Molly Mirabelli 2023 Outlook:
Despite all the talented transfers into the program ahead of the 2022 season, I voiced my doubts if the Pios would be title contenders, given the lack of cohesiveness with roster turnover of that magnitude. Things were further pushed into chaos with Coach Hogan's departure right before the season started. They were picked #1 in the preseason and finished #4. For most programs a top-4 finish is something to celebrate, but not for Denver. Some players entered the portal even before Coach Hogan announced his resignation for medical reasons this Spring. When it was all said and done, 4 players graduated and 7 transferred out for a total of 10 leaving the program. Huge turnover. On the bright side, the 2022 roster contained 19 players, so they still have 9 returning. Included in that number are 4 Defensive Specialists (#1 and #2 dig-getters), 4 Hitters (3 are opposites), ONE Middle Blocker, and ZERO Setters. New Coach Pendergast has done a nice job filling the holes in this roster with quality transfers, a number of who will likely be starters. The strongest group of returners are the defensive specialists, which, statistically speaking, looked like the weakest group. But numbers can be deceiving. Denver was such a dominant blocking team that dig totals will be naturally lower. Gianna Bartalo should be a standout again this season, as she does a little bit of everything. She was #3 in assists, which should take a little pressure off of the new starting setter. In terms of newcomers, there will only be one Setter on the roster, so transfer player Decker be thrust into the role. She comes from BYU, and at 6-1 should be able to help in the blocking game, too. Davis from Baylor should be an immediate help as well as Mirabelli in the front court. All in all, I think the Pioneers can't help but take a step back this year, even with the talent a school like Denver attracts. New coach, new schemes, new players, new roles. They should be better come tournament time than they are early, but I'll guess they end up 6th in the standings, just making the Tournament field. Brighter days are ahead, but this is clearly a transition year for Denver.
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