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Post by Chewblocka on Sept 21, 2024 16:05:07 GMT -5
Passing is like most skills, some are better than others, and good coaching can help players improve. Our passing has shown so little improvement in the past three years one has to conclude whoever is responsible for coaching passing is not doing their job effectively. Defensively, it is not an accident CMM is digs balls others don’t even touch. She reads the play, particularly the location of the block, knows the opposing hitters, goes to a spot and gets down. When a player who played almost every set last year and has been in the program for over a year can’t read a play, go to a spot and get down, that is on the position coach as much as it is on the player. First thing, we need a new passing/defense coach. All the tips drive me as crazy as everyone else. I would rather be blocked than give an opponent an easy transition swing. Enough good things happen when players take good swings in the long run we will have a positive result. Cook benches players for tipping. Pull someone a few times for tipping rather than swinging and the message will be delivered. Part of the problem is Raina, who has to be on the court for obvious reasons, tips a lot, which gives other players license to tip. Her tipping makes more sense as players play her deeper and have a tendency to rock back. Plus, many of her tips are because the pass is too low for her swing. Tamas has tried more different looks this year than in past years and for that I give him credit. He has not done a good job of getting subs meaningful playing time in prepareation for when they may be needed. He has not done a good job of insisting his passing/defense coach be accountable for the unsatisfactory results. He has not done a good job of making adjustments during a game. I cannot believe there was no one on the bench who could replace a receiver in the middle of getting served off the court. Decent D3 players could have stepped in and done a better job of passing yesterday. Couldn't have said any of this better myself. I know I am super critical of this team, and I apologize to those who have to constantly read my posts, but yesterday greatly infuriated me (especially in the heat of the moment). That was a team we should have beaten. The only player who should be tipping regularly is Raina. Granted, Laynie's tips are usually due to poor sets. The passing was unacceptable for how many DS's we have on that bench. Running the same player out there point after point and expecting different results is insanity. Yes, Mizzou's Illis had a great serve, but practically every server on their team was putting us out of system. I really hope we can win in dominant fashion tonight. A loss and I will be sounding the alarms. We will be without Barnes again and if we struggle early or even lose an early set due to passing, there is no good reason for Tamas not to try keeping Reilly in there all 3 rotations. Let's win this final nonconference game and head into conference play 8-2. I don’t really blame Brooke rather how they are trying to make her all things to all people. They have diluted her effectiveness by how they are playing her. I actually think Reilly might be the better setter all around . Just my opinion. Let’s have best setting in the conference over a little here and a little there (minus serving of course but even that is hit or miss right now). We have seen this movie before when we get into bigger hitting teams where Brooke got shut down quickly and effectively, maybe it’s about time to play to our strengths . I’d say it’s scattered and fragmented at times. But I blame coaching for this one. |
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Post by ill4life on Sept 21, 2024 17:09:18 GMT -5
I agree that we tip way too much! However I think the problem is 25% hitters 75% setter. Explain how in a 5 set match our setter only gets 38 assists or 7.8 assists/game? The sets are still all over the place and they needed to be focused on. If Mosher can’t can’t manage to focus on setting, hitting, and her jump serve, then maybe it’s time to take on away so she can focus on the others. I actually really like Reilly setting and wouldn’t mind seeing a full 6-2 at least attempted. Another frustration, Why AREN’T WE SETTING MIDDLE MORE?! We had a set where Ashlynn and Cari were unstoppable and then preceded to get very limited sets the remaining match. I’m not giving up hope on this team for a loss like this, but I’d really like to see our coaching staff spending time fixing the clear issues. I also never thought I’d say this, but we need Barnes back, Barry was a target for serves and didn’t add much to our defense. Hoping we can see a new team tonight that can manage to play confidently and believe they can win any match! Mosher doesn’t set for an entire rotation, how are you confused her assists are low lmao, especially when Illinois is also a high ace team (AND gets aced a decent bit). her assists would easily be over 9 per set if she set 6ro. also you can’t just magically set the middle. you have to have passing that allows you to run the middle and your passing has been rough PLUS even worse last match without Barnes available. Mosher sets Philpot when she can🙃 also Averie is never going to survive B1G play with slow sets. she needs Brooke to push all the tempo she can to try and beat the block or she will hit .000 or worse perpetually I never said I was confused on why her sets were low, rather I was pointing out that she doesn’t get enough productions on her sets…. Which proves my point of her sets being a large part of our lack of offense. I can do simple math and logic and as exit237a has said breaking down the math, will obviously add more, but still puts her too far down the totem pole of big ten setters. As for the middles, Aslynn had a beautiful swing on a ball that Brooke forced to her when she was already behind Ashlynn. Point being, we need to FORCE middles more often, teams are camping out on our pins and even with a good pass many time Mosher will opt for an outside or right side. When the opportunity for a middle is there I’d like to see us use that! I agree with everyone in saying I’d love to see our hitters swing, but I think they need to be put in good situations to make those swings so they don’t get roofed every time. If these lower teams are blocking us this much, the big ten teams will have walls for us to hit around. She needs to focus on her main role which is setting and getting her players the best opportunity to score. Not saying that it’s easy or she’s a bad setter, just think we could do a little more in practice for consistency. I also feel like our whole team never seems to have the confidence in themselves or the team. As soon as we start a match rough I almost immediately get ready for a let down. It seems where we start in a match is where we stay and players and coaches don’t make adjustments very well. Again his is probably a lot of the past seasons fears coming out, so let’s hope tonight we can end non con with a statement win and build from there. |
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Post by oldmanvb on Sept 21, 2024 17:18:59 GMT -5
I agree with Chewblocka, it is too easy to blame the setter. There are areas in which Brooke could improve, of course. Her fast pace sets to Averie work because Averie’s approach and swing mesh with. Brooke’s sets to her. A good setter knows who is hitting her sets and adjusts the height, pace and location to her hitter. Brooke tries to set Raina the same way she sets Averie and it just doesn’t work. Of course, while she is processing her setting choice she has to be aware of where each of three blockers is located, adjusting her setting choice based on which blocker is where. Brooke has to improve her setting to Raina and it is not as simple as giving her a higher, slower ball. She also has to improve her set selection when we are in transition. There were a number of times yesterday when we picked up a tip, we had a middle available who would have been hitting against a single block and she defaulted to the left pin. Brooke is getting better at reading the defensive blockers, but running so many plays out of system significantly reduces her options. Coupled with how easy it is to revert to Raina … well, you get the idea.
While I am not a fan of running a 6-2, if Caroline is not available tonight we should run Reilly all the way across the back row. I seem to recall last year when her team needed help at DS for a few matches she played DS while another setter took over. What we did yesterday simply did not work.
I wasn’t kidding about there existing D3 passers who could have stepped in yesterday. Every year my daughter’s team had at least one who could have helped our passing yesterday. (Sorry to say my daughter was not one of them.) Recruiting backrow players is tough. Don’t forget one of our best liberos, Brandi Donnelly, did not have any other D1 offers, her only other scholarship offer was to play softball at a D2 school.
This team has all the tools. Hopefully we play to our potential before it is too late.
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Post by ilalum92 on Sept 21, 2024 21:08:01 GMT -5
Ok, glad we came out with a win against Lipscomb. We should have gone 2-0. On to Wash / ORE. It will be a real test to see how we play on the road against these teams!
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Post by exit237a on Sept 21, 2024 21:37:49 GMT -5
Way to rebound today, Illinois! Storming back in Sets 4 and 5 to close out the W and close out an 8-2 non-con. Well done!
Lots of plaudits to hand out on the win but want to give a shout-out to Christy on a massive performance on D. So many crucial digs keeping us in the point. Especially important play with Caroline out this weekend. Well done, CMM!
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Post by Chewblocka on Sept 21, 2024 23:24:30 GMT -5
Way to rebound today, Illinois! Storming back in Sets 4 and 5 to close out the W and close out an 8-2 non-con. Well done!
Lots of plaudits to hand out on the win but want to give a shout-out to Christy on a massive performance on D. So many crucial digs keeping us in the point. Especially important play with Caroline out this weekend. Well done, CMM!
You got that right exit237a! While I am not as excited about a “storm back” given we should not have had to in the first place BUT its a win. CMM was lights out very good- I thought I was watching the Nebraska lib at one point (that is a compliment even though I can’t remember her name, Rodriguez maybe?) |
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Post by ilalum92 on Sept 22, 2024 12:33:40 GMT -5
I hope wveryone is watching NEB ve LOU on ABC. The girls are hitting terminal balls everytime. Set 2 and I can count 2 tips so far. They are swinging for the fences. Tips & rolls don't win games
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Post by exit237a on Sept 22, 2024 16:43:21 GMT -5
Hey fellow Illinois fans! There's a match thread for Friday's match at Oregon: |
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Post by exit237a on Sept 22, 2024 17:02:00 GMT -5
Hey fellow Illinois fans! There's a match thread for Friday's match at Oregon: And here's an early match thread for the following match against Washington, just because it's such a short turnaround between matches: |
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Post by ilalum92 on Sept 22, 2024 23:27:18 GMT -5
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Post by exit237a on Sept 23, 2024 7:05:10 GMT -5
Thanks for the share! Here’s an attempt at embedding the tweet: |
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Post by ilalum92 on Sept 23, 2024 20:00:42 GMT -5
Thanks for the share! Here’s an attempt at embedding the tweet: Glad someone knows how to do it. I tried to insert a pic but dont know how to do it. If Raina can only get those passing numbers up! |
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Post by exit237a on Sept 23, 2024 20:05:03 GMT -5
Thanks for the share! Here’s an attempt at embedding the tweet: Glad someone knows how to do it. I tried to insert a pic but dont know how to do it. If Raina can only get those passing numbers up!
Happy to help! The trick is switching the URL from "X.com" to "twitter.com" before using the embed tweet tool.
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Post by ilalum92 on Sept 23, 2024 20:27:12 GMT -5
We have a HUGE weekend ahead of us. Two conf foes ranked in the Top 25. Id love to go 1-1 this weekend.
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Post by exit237a on Sept 24, 2024 17:12:54 GMT -5
Congrats, Jess! Can't wait to follow from across the pond!
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