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Post by 78jacket on Aug 27, 2023 18:58:44 GMT -5
Looks like Georgia Tech will be competitive again this season. It would be easier to gauge level of success if they played Florida as well this weekend but leaving 2-0 was unexpected. Another season of Louisville and Pitt slugging it out with Georgia Tech waiting patiently for their opportunity to strike. Unfortunately it seems to be a bit of a drop off in the conference after those three. Georgia Tech looked pretty dominant this weekend in both wins against USF and Penn State. They have a much bigger team overall and a much deeper team than in years past with some transfer middles and another talented Brazilian outside hitter in Mendes who made the all tournament team in Tampa. They will be tested again this coming weekend playing two matches up at Ohio State. Will be interesting to see if they are really that good or if Penn State was way over rated. Maybe it is a little of both.
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Post by aardvark on Aug 28, 2023 6:08:09 GMT -5
Georgia Tech looked pretty dominant this weekend in both wins against USF and Penn State. They have a much bigger team overall and a much deeper team than in years past with some transfer middles and another talented Brazilian outside hitter in Mendes who made the all tournament team in Tampa. They will be tested again this coming weekend playing two matches up at Ohio State. Will be interesting to see if they are really that good or if Penn State was way over rated. Maybe it is a little of both. GT's team isn't bigger. They have the same starters as last year with three exceptions. Julia Bergmann, Erin Moss, and Breland Morrissette were 6'5", 6'2", and 6'1". They were replaced by Larissa Mendes, Liv Mogridge, and DeAndra Pierce - 6'2', 6'4", and 6'1". Admittedly, DeAndra jumps like a freaking kangaroo, and seems to play taller than she is because of that. But height-wise, it really is much the same as before. It probably seems like GT is taller mostly because the new MB pair was much more disruptive in their blocking defense the first weekend than last year's duo. Without Julia, this team will need to rely on a more distributed offense to be effective. The OH trio of Otene/Bertolino/Mendes will see about equal work near the start of the season. However, barring injuries, it is reasonable to expect Larissa to shoulder more and more of the load as the season progresses. She's two inches taller and being a frosh has much more to learn. How well she develops will have a large bearing on GT's upside as a team this year. I don't expect GT depth to matter much this year. The OH trio will share work in two positions, and the starters elsewhere should own the lion's share of the court time. Laura Fischer seems to lead incoming transfer Afedo Manyang as the #3 MB (both are 6'3"). Elizabeth Patterson will get some time as a DS. Leia Harper will see spot duty as the #4 OH. The most exciting GT bench player to me is the frosh backup setter, Heloise Soares. But she will not see much time this year with senior Isabella D'Amico running the show. Look for her to shine next year.
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Post by volleyheels10 on Aug 28, 2023 7:24:25 GMT -5
I think the ACC is going to be a gauntlet from about the top 10 and up. Teams lost some they shouldnt this weekend but that is par the course this year. and other teams won some they werent predicted to. Should be a fun season.
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ACC 2023
Aug 28, 2023 9:06:23 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Matt Minas on Aug 28, 2023 9:06:23 GMT -5
Georgia Tech looked pretty dominant this weekend in both wins against USF and Penn State. They have a much bigger team overall and a much deeper team than in years past with some transfer middles and another talented Brazilian outside hitter in Mendes who made the all tournament team in Tampa. They will be tested again this coming weekend playing two matches up at Ohio State. Will be interesting to see if they are really that good or if Penn State was way over rated. Maybe it is a little of both. The OH trio of Otene/Bertolino/Mendes will see about equal work near the start of the season. However, barring injuries, it is reasonable to expect Larissa to shoulder more and more of the load as the season progresses. She's two inches taller and being a frosh has much more to learn. How well she develops will have a large bearing on GT's upside as a team this year. Larissa is the most experient and tested player of them all. She has already played pro for 1 and a half seasons in a club that reached every single final in the past 2 years in Brazil. She hasn't had much time on the court, but she shared a locker room with olympic gold and silver medalists, played matches in the club world championship against the best teams in the world, from Turkey and Italy, and also entered the court in the middle of the most tense matches a pro player could ever experience, such as playing the brazilian league final against the home team with 8k people in the stands. She is the youngest, but by far the most experient.
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Post by aardvark on Aug 28, 2023 9:26:43 GMT -5
I'm aware of Larissa's time spent with clubs and Team Brazil. She's the youngest of the GT OH trio and has the most room for improvement (despite her accomplishments so far). Lots of potential. That's why I stated that GT's prospects as a team this year largely rest on her.
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Post by 78jacket on Aug 28, 2023 12:05:11 GMT -5
Georgia Tech looked pretty dominant this weekend in both wins against USF and Penn State. They have a much bigger team overall and a much deeper team than in years past with some transfer middles and another talented Brazilian outside hitter in Mendes who made the all tournament team in Tampa. They will be tested again this coming weekend playing two matches up at Ohio State. Will be interesting to see if they are really that good or if Penn State was way over rated. Maybe it is a little of both. GT's team isn't bigger. They have the same starters as last year with three exceptions. Julia Bergmann, Erin Moss, and Breland Morrissette were 6'5", 6'2", and 6'1". They were replaced by Larissa Mendes, Liv Mogridge, and DeAndra Pierce - 6'2', 6'4", and 6'1". Admittedly, DeAndra jumps like a freaking kangaroo, and seems to play taller than she is because of that. But height-wise, it really is much the same as before. It probably seems like GT is taller mostly because the new MB pair was much more disruptive in their blocking defense the first weekend than last year's duo. Without Julia, this team will need to rely on a more distributed offense to be effective. The OH trio of Otene/Bertolino/Mendes will see about equal work near the start of the season. However, barring injuries, it is reasonable to expect Larissa to shoulder more and more of the load as the season progresses. She's two inches taller and being a frosh has much more to learn. How well she develops will have a large bearing on GT's upside as a team this year. I don't expect GT depth to matter much this year. The OH trio will share work in two positions, and the starters elsewhere should own the lion's share of the court time. Laura Fischer seems to lead incoming transfer Afedo Manyang as the #3 MB (both are 6'3"). Elizabeth Patterson will get some time as a DS. Leia Harper will see spot duty as the #4 OH. The most exciting GT bench player to me is the frosh backup setter, Heloise Soares. But she will not see much time this year with senior Isabella D'Amico running the show. Look for her to shine next year. I don't disagree with anything you have said as far as the total height not being that much different. But having that powerful 6'5" middle makes a big difference. She had 15 blocks last weekend. And, as you said, bringing in Pierce who is quicker and can jump out of the gym as a secondary middle just makes them a different team this year even though they had two middles last year that were very productive. And I agree wholeheartedly about Soares. I think she could step in right now as a freshman and you wouldn't see much drop off in production from D'Amico. Having the luxury of two very high end setters is a big plus.
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Post by skullars on Aug 29, 2023 12:04:49 GMT -5
Chester has GT as her "Team of the Week"
Haven't seen any of their matches from this past weekend but will try to watch at least some of the Penn ST match. PSU seemingly over-ranked in the blind pre-season ranking but it's still a good win against a quality B1G team. Only Week 1 but GT looks solidly in the same place they've been and basically the same the ACC has been the last few seasons, namely LOU & PIT as Tier 1, GT alone in Tier 2, then a bunch of others in battle for Tier 3 supremacy. LOU especially getting a lot of love from voters in this new poll. Personally not too concerned about the PIT loss given it's game 1 of season and a quality & motivated opponent. They've got quality competition over next 2.5 wks so that stretch will reveal where they really stand.
Funny how BC seems to stand at the top of the standings & upper tier of a lot of statistics after first week or two of season then those numbers pull way back once ACC play gets started. The upcoming San Diego tourney should be a good measuring stick for them.
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Post by vballfan17 on Aug 29, 2023 15:11:49 GMT -5
In the first set of 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Volleyball Weekly awards, Louisville's Anna DeBeer was selected the Offensive Player of the Week while Wake Forest's Emma Farrell was named Defensive Player of the Week. Duke's Emma Worthington earned Setter of the Week honors and Clemson's Kennedy Wagner was selected Rookie of the Week. DeBeer led No. 4 Louisville to a perfect 3-0 weekend with 45 kills on a .418 clip as the Cardinals picked up three wins to open the season. The Louisville, Kentucky, native averaged 4.5 kills per set, posted a pair of blocks and an ace to accompany 26 digs. In the Cardinals' win over No. 21 Washington State, DeBeer registered 17 kills and 10 digs. She also recorded 19 kills and 11 digs against Wright State on her way to garnering MVP of the Cardinal Classic. Farrell averaged 5.4 digs per set over the weekend as Wake Forest went 3-0 against Toledo, Northeastern and Grand Canyon. The Norcross, Georgia, native totaled 54 digs across three matches, including 23 against GCU - the 12th time in her career she has recorded 20 or more digs in a match. Worthington amassed 110 assists in Duke's three-match weekend, which ended in an 3-2 upset win over No. 18 Creighton. She dished 52 assists and 16 digs in Duke's first win over a ranked team since 2019. Worthington added seven kills and totaled 32 digs in her weekend performance. The Omaha, Nebraska, native averaged 9.17 assists per set. Wagner put up 32 kills and 16 digs in her first collegiate action at Clemson. The Big Orange Bash MVP recorded 15 kills against MTSU and 17 against Wofford while finishing with 4.57 kills per set and a .343 hitting percentage. She secured her first double-double on Sunday against the Terriers headlined by a 10-kill second set that fueled a come-from-behind set win.
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Post by skullars on Sept 1, 2023 8:53:51 GMT -5
Week 2 continues. Highlights include GT v OSU & PIT v KEN.
Away Home Time Location
Virginia Tech Memphis 10:30 A.M. Toledo, Ohio Louisville South Dakota 2:00 P.M. Columbia, Mo. Virginia Quinnipiac 4:00 P.M. New York, N.Y. Wake Forest Alabama State 4:00 P.M. Orlando, Fla. Western Carolina Clemson 5:00 P.M. Clemson, S.C.
Rutgers NC State 6:00 P.M. Raleigh, NC SMU Florida Sta 6:00 P.M. Tallahassee, FL Virginia Tech Toledo 6:30 P.M. Toledo, Ohio
Boston College Tennessee 7:00 P.M. San Diego, Calif. Georgia Tech Ohio State 7:00 P.M. Columbus, OH Miami South Carolina 7:00 P.M. Columbia, S.C. Notre Dame Villanova 7:00 P.M. Villanova, PA Pitt Kentucky 7:00 P.M. Lexington, KY
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Post by redcard on Sept 1, 2023 9:15:24 GMT -5
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Post by anOPINionATEDbeACH(hookemboo) on Sept 1, 2023 9:21:57 GMT -5
Louisville, Georgia Tech, Pitt, and Stanford in one conference 👀
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Post by bigfan on Sept 1, 2023 9:22:29 GMT -5
Sources: ACC votes to invite Stanford, Cal, SMU The Atlantic Coast Conference is expanding from its Eastern roots. The ACC presidents and chancellors met Friday morning and voted to add three schools -- Stanford, Cal and SMU, sources told ESPN. It will bring the league to 18 members -- 17 will play football full time in the league. The additions are in all sports and will begin in the 2024-25 school year. www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/38304694/sources-acc-votes-invite-stanford-cal-smu
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Post by volleyheels10 on Sept 1, 2023 9:22:44 GMT -5
Duke beat Loyolar MD 3-1 UNC beat West Virginia 3-0
Last night as part of a round robin tournament.
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Post by skullars on Sept 1, 2023 9:48:34 GMT -5
gostanford.com/news/2023/8/17/athletics-2023-hall-of-fame-class.aspxAs an ACC fan I'm excited about seeing new volleyball schools in the conference. It cannot be called the "ACC" for too long after realignment though, given how completely nonsensical it would be. But especially if you go to games of your favorite school, it will be cool to see Stanford especially roll through NC or FL or VA etc. for Friday/SUnday matches. Certainly ups the cachet of the conference overall. Not sure of the quality of the Cal or SMU programs at the moment but haven't seen them much in the national picture so guessing they're far less quality than Stan. Interesting to see what ACC fans think.
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Post by volleyheels10 on Sept 1, 2023 11:42:17 GMT -5
Can you imagine the opportunities?
North Carolina/Duke vs. Stanford Miami/FSU vs. Stanford Lousiville/Nd vs. Stanford.
Not to mention Pitt to. Shew. ACC is about to be very fun.
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