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Post by tditman2 on Oct 9, 2024 16:35:30 GMT -5
Heads up for Saturday's MSU match. Due to the conflict with football, the radio broadcast will be online only at fightingillini.com. But, the start time is listed at 12am. Remember when oldmanvb pointed this out for a previous match and it was never fixed despite my pleadings? Well, it's happening again. So if you want to get the hometown call with inside info you won't get anywhere else (and I'm actually on site unlike FS1 this past week), start emailing DIA folks with your displeasure. If this isn't fixed, this might be my retirement post  This was fixed, no thanks to anyone local. You all are stuck with my yapping for another weekend. |
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Post by ilalum92 on Oct 9, 2024 17:14:10 GMT -5
Early Bracketology has us making the tourney - lets gets soke wins this weekend and keep hope alive!
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Post by ilalum92 on Oct 9, 2024 19:46:03 GMT -5
EspnW Instagram page showing Coach Tamas pass that out of bounds ball perfectly & with good form is peak IRONY! LOL
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Post by illinivbfan1992 on Oct 9, 2024 20:54:08 GMT -5
Hi everyone,
First-time poster here. (The "1992" in the name refers to the year I saw my first Illini VB match, where I was wowed by the likes of Kirsten Gleis and Tina Rogers. From then on, I was hooked.)
Just a comment on the Barnes situation, based not on inside info but on the view from my seat. On Thursday night, she came out for the national anthem (she was next to Brooke) but didn't join the team on the bench. On Sunday, however, she was on the bench: During a first-set time-out when we'd struggled with passing, she was very animated talking with CMM and seemed to be conveying something she'd seen from the bench. FWIW, from that point on, our communication and passing mostly improved for the rest of the match.
We'd previously heard Barnes was ill, not injured: Presumably she stayed away from the team Thursday to avoid exposure. Just a guess, but given the amount of time she missed, maybe it was a case of Covid. (They probably still use the two-week time frame on the team to be extra cautious.) If so, she'd need to work her way back into game shape, but you'd think she'll be back within a week or two, not out for the season.
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Post by illinivbfan1992 on Oct 9, 2024 21:21:34 GMT -5
This post from Lily Barry is a few months old, but it's an important reminder of the mental-health issues student-athletes struggle with. She talks about how she lost her confidence during her freshman season, how she questioned whether she had a place in volleyball any more, and how she found the strength to reach out for professional help (which first meant overcoming the fear of looking "weak"): http://instagram.com/p/C51vZGbNP3_ I thought of this post in recent weeks when some fans on this board who were (understandably) frustrated by her struggles were calling for her to be subbed out. Chris Tamas, however, knew it was important to let her work through those growing pains and rebuild her confidence. He did it because he cares about his players as people and he did it because Caroline was going to be out for a while, so we'd have to ride with Lily no matter what. (The alternatives: Bianca May, a converted setter who got picked on in serve receive last year, and two freshmen who'd barely or never played in college.) Again, I understand the frustrations: I share them. But stories like this are helpful reminders of the things our young women may be going through. (None of us feel nearly as frustrated as they do.) And they're also helpful reminders of how much the coaches know that we don't -- and why they tend to focus on positive reinforcement, especially in their public comments. |
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Post by Chewblocka on Oct 10, 2024 0:45:55 GMT -5
This post from Lily Barry is a few months old, but it's an important reminder of the mental-health issues student-athletes struggle with. She talks about how she lost her confidence during her freshman season, how she questioned whether she had a place in volleyball any more, and how she found the strength to reach out for professional help (which first meant overcoming the fear of looking "weak"): http://instagram.com/p/C51vZGbNP3_ I thought of this post in recent weeks when some fans on this board who were (understandably) frustrated by her struggles were calling for her to be subbed out. Chris Tamas, however, knew it was important to let her work through those growing pains and rebuild her confidence. He did it because he cares about his players as people and he did it because Caroline was going to be out for a while, so we'd have to ride with Lily no matter what. (The alternatives: Bianca May, a converted setter who got picked on in serve receive last year, and two freshmen who'd barely or never played in college.) Again, I understand the frustrations: I share them. But stories like this are helpful reminders of the things our young women may be going through. (None of us feel nearly as frustrated as they do.) And they're also helpful reminders of how much the coaches know that we don't -- and why they tend to focus on positive reinforcement, especially in their public comments. Fantastic post and share, illinivbfan1992. You absolutely nailed it. Playing Big Ten volleyball is like running a marathon, but being told you only get water at the finish line—if you’re lucky. Players like Lily are working their socks off, but unless someone twists an ankle or gets some other injury it feels like she’s stuck in ‘waiting room purgatory.’ I’ve got to wonder if Coach Tamas is really developing Lily, or if she’s just his emergency ‘break glass’ option when things go sideways. Is he really committed to a “Lily Barry” development plan or his own self interest? Lily’s post about mental health is an eye-opener. These athletes aren’t just volleyball machines to be used and discarded —they’re young humans with emotions and vulnerability. When Lily finally gets to play, it’s like releasing a caged tiger—pure intensity. Meanwhile, some of the starters look like they’re playing a leisurely game of Sunday brunch volleyball laughing and smiling when we are down 10 points. Yet, somehow, they keep their positions like their jerseys came with seasonal ownership- good performance or not. For Lily though it’s the volleyball version of ‘Hey, here’s your chance, no pressure though… if you could play like an All-American in the next 30 seconds, that’d be great!’ There have been so many games where players like Lily and others could’ve been rotated in, given a real shot to find their rhythm, and make an impact. But nope, it seems like we’re holding out for those high-pressure moments when a starter is unavailable, which, honestly, might not be the best strategy. Meanwhile, other Big Ten teams are rotating their players, developing their depth, and thinking ahead. I’ve even seen coaches take their top players out for a breather when they’re not performing at their best—what a refreshing approach. You don't see those superstars looking sour on the bench, nope, they are encouraging the younger players to step up and find their legs- that is what true sportsmanship & teamwork is all about. Winning together. |
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Post by ilalum92 on Oct 10, 2024 11:52:28 GMT -5
This post from Lily Barry is a few months old, but it's an important reminder of the mental-health issues student-athletes struggle with. She talks about how she lost her confidence during her freshman season, how she questioned whether she had a place in volleyball any more, and how she found the strength to reach out for professional help (which first meant overcoming the fear of looking "weak"): http://instagram.com/p/C51vZGbNP3_ I thought of this post in recent weeks when some fans on this board who were (understandably) frustrated by her struggles were calling for her to be subbed out. Chris Tamas, however, knew it was important to let her work through those growing pains and rebuild her confidence. He did it because he cares about his players as people and he did it because Caroline was going to be out for a while, so we'd have to ride with Lily no matter what. (The alternatives: Bianca May, a converted setter who got picked on in serve receive last year, and two freshmen who'd barely or never played in college.) Again, I understand the frustrations: I share them. But stories like this are helpful reminders of the things our young women may be going through. (None of us feel nearly as frustrated as they do.) And they're also helpful reminders of how much the coaches know that we don't -- and why they tend to focus on positive reinforcement, especially in their public comments. Fantastic post and share, illinivbfan1992 . You absolutely nailed it. Playing Big Ten volleyball is like running a marathon, but being told you only get water at the finish line—if you’re lucky. Players like Lily are working their socks off, but unless someone twists an ankle or gets some other injury it feels like she’s stuck in ‘waiting room purgatory.’ I’ve got to wonder if Coach Tamas is really developing Lily, or if she’s just his emergency ‘break glass’ option when things go sideways. Is he really committed to a “Lily Barry” development plan or his own self interest? Lily’s post about mental health is an eye-opener. These athletes aren’t just volleyball machines to be used and discarded —they’re young humans with emotions and vulnerability. When Lily finally gets to play, it’s like releasing a caged tiger—pure intensity. Meanwhile, some of the starters look like they’re playing a leisurely game of Sunday brunch volleyball laughing and smiling when we are down 10 points. Yet, somehow, they keep their positions like their jerseys came with seasonal ownership- good performance or not. For Lily though it’s the volleyball version of ‘Hey, here’s your chance, no pressure though… if you could play like an All-American in the next 30 seconds, that’d be great!’ There have been so many games where players like Lily and others could’ve been rotated in, given a real shot to find their rhythm, and make an impact. But nope, it seems like we’re holding out for those high-pressure moments when a starter is unavailable, which, honestly, might not be the best strategy. Meanwhile, other Big Ten teams are rotating their players, developing their depth, and thinking ahead. I’ve even seen coaches take their top players out for a breather when they’re not performing at their best—what a refreshing approach. You don't see those superstars looking sour on the bench, nope, they are encouraging the younger players to step up and find their legs- that is what true sportsmanship & teamwork is all about. Winning together. This situation is more common than not in the jump from HS to college athletics. In HS you are the star player, getting the accolades, recruited wined & dined by coaches. You get to college and realize that you went from big fish in the small pond to little fish in the big pond. You come in and don't start, realize you are not the star & unless you have the foundation to be able to deal with it, it can destroy an athlete. It's a double edged sword. Glad she had the self -awareness to seek help. |
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Post by oldmanvb on Oct 10, 2024 13:08:17 GMT -5
I am persuaded one of the primary reasons we lost to Nebraska in the Final Four in 2018 was because Jackie Quade ran out of gas in the 4th and 5th sets. She never left the court, took 76 of our 177 swings. Prince, Bastianelli, Fleming and Cooney took a combined 89 swings. I couldn’t find a box score that showed how often she was served, but my recollection is she was frequently targeted. A mid-match rest, even just across the back row, might have made the difference. It’s not as though Tamas didn’t have any options.
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Post by jade58 on Oct 10, 2024 15:23:35 GMT -5
I am persuaded one of the primary reasons we lost to Nebraska in the Final Four in 2018 was because Jackie Quade ran out of gas in the 4th and 5th sets. She never left the court, took 76 of our 177 swings. Prince, Bastianelli, Fleming and Cooney took a combined 89 swings. I couldn’t find a box score that showed how often she was served, but my recollection is she was frequently targeted. A mid-match rest, even just across the back row, might have made the difference. It’s not as though Tamas didn’t have any options. Great recall oldmanvb, I remember that. All sports, Basketball, Baseball, Hockey, Soccer, use their bench to win. It’s not just the physical rest, it’s also the mental side as well. These girls are young people not nearly fully developed mentally and yet we critique like they have developed brains. I will never critique the athletes here but I will certainly critique the coaching staff. They are paid to win, yes. But how we win is subject to our criticism. Raina is a stud, one of our best of all time for the Illini, in my humble opinion. But she deserves a rest sometimes. Think back to our last 2 seasons and the last 3 games from each. When we needed a win against Indiana and Northwestern, we lost both, and again in my opinion, lost a chance at the tourney. The team looked mentally and physically spent, they made mental and physical mistakes. They needed a break but Tamas pushed them too far. I’ll say it again, it takes a team of consistent play, interchangeable pieces/players and mental health to win. When you are tired you make mistakes and you get injured. Our track record of injuries could be correlated to how we train and not enough rest in and out of games. It takes 4 lines rolling in the NHL to win the Stanley Cup. It takes multiple pitchers , pinch hitters and relievers to win the World Series. No team can win with half a team only. If Tamas needs to change anything, he needs to look at his bench to sub for rest sometimes, sub for performance and sub for strategy. Our competition is too good and to deep otherwise. Our 3rd sets aren’t pretty and it’s my belief these girls are fatigued after 13 games. Maybe it’s not our passing or serve receive, maybe, just maybe the girls need a mental or physical break. After all they are little humans who are subject to mistakes just like all of us here. |
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Post by ilalum92 on Oct 10, 2024 15:54:36 GMT -5
I am persuaded one of the primary reasons we lost to Nebraska in the Final Four in 2018 was because Jackie Quade ran out of gas in the 4th and 5th sets. She never left the court, took 76 of our 177 swings. Prince, Bastianelli, Fleming and Cooney took a combined 89 swings. I couldn’t find a box score that showed how often she was served, but my recollection is she was frequently targeted. A mid-match rest, even just across the back row, might have made the difference. It’s not as though Tamas didn’t have any options. We were up 2-0. We should have closed it out. You have to be ready to go 5. I will agree she looked tired towards the end and she wasn't jumping as high. That isn't a substitution problem, that's a conditioning problem. |
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Post by Chewblocka on Oct 11, 2024 0:40:40 GMT -5
Fantastic post and share, illinivbfan1992 . You absolutely nailed it. Playing Big Ten volleyball is like running a marathon, but being told you only get water at the finish line—if you’re lucky. Players like Lily are working their socks off, but unless someone twists an ankle or gets some other injury it feels like she’s stuck in ‘waiting room purgatory.’ I’ve got to wonder if Coach Tamas is really developing Lily, or if she’s just his emergency ‘break glass’ option when things go sideways. Is he really committed to a “Lily Barry” development plan or his own self interest? Lily’s post about mental health is an eye-opener. These athletes aren’t just volleyball machines to be used and discarded —they’re young humans with emotions and vulnerability. When Lily finally gets to play, it’s like releasing a caged tiger—pure intensity. Meanwhile, some of the starters look like they’re playing a leisurely game of Sunday brunch volleyball laughing and smiling when we are down 10 points. Yet, somehow, they keep their positions like their jerseys came with seasonal ownership- good performance or not. For Lily though it’s the volleyball version of ‘Hey, here’s your chance, no pressure though… if you could play like an All-American in the next 30 seconds, that’d be great!’ There have been so many games where players like Lily and others could’ve been rotated in, given a real shot to find their rhythm, and make an impact. But nope, it seems like we’re holding out for those high-pressure moments when a starter is unavailable, which, honestly, might not be the best strategy. Meanwhile, other Big Ten teams are rotating their players, developing their depth, and thinking ahead. I’ve even seen coaches take their top players out for a breather when they’re not performing at their best—what a refreshing approach. You don't see those superstars looking sour on the bench, nope, they are encouraging the younger players to step up and find their legs- that is what true sportsmanship & teamwork is all about. Winning together. This situation is more common than not in the jump from HS to college athletics. In HS you are the star player, getting the accolades, recruited wined & dined by coaches. You get to college and realize that you went from big fish in the small pond to little fish in the big pond. You come in and don't start, realize you are not the star & unless you have the foundation to be able to deal with it, it can destroy an athlete. It's a double edged sword. Glad she had the self -awareness to seek help. I personally think its misguided to suggest that Lily and others can’t adjust to their roles simply because they’ve gone from ‘big fish in a small pond’ to ‘little fish in a big pond.’ That narrative might make sense if the team were performing well, but we’re currently at the bottom of the Big Ten. Our “big fish” in our “big pond” are not looking so big or good right now. For high-performance athletes, watching their team fail repeatedly without the chance to contribute must be incredibly frustrating, especially when they were recruited and had chances to play at other high performing programs in the big 10- teams above us right now. Least of all we brought them here to use their skills and abilities to make an impact. It’s not about struggling to accept a reduced role—I think it’s about talented players being sidelined while the same “cut and paste” lineup underperforms over and over again with no consequences. In a true competitive program, performance should dictate playing time. If the team is not achieving success, it’s time to reconsider the lineup and shake it up. Lily has stepped up/in when asked to and it’s a great example of giving the future of our program some court time and a chance to prove herself. Without the injury/illness by Caroline she would not get a shot. That is where her inclusion in the lineup is “self serving” for Tamas not a developmental opportunity for Lily. I would like to see a much more competitive gym in illinois that is built for true competitive athletes not those who can ride the starting lineup with mediocre performances day in and day out. Sorry to judge but it’s a competitive sport right? That also includes Raina btw if she is not performing. I know that she is considered an “untouchable” but maybe that is the essence of our big problem in Illinois, we have lost sight of what a competitive gym looks like. The standards are set by the Raina and if she is struggling why not give her a break and send a message to the team that even Queen Raina herself has to perform to stay on the court? Let them know that there is equality in that gym and performance is not negotiable. No freebies here! She is certainly not producing like she has in other years and seems to be rising to the same low performance level of our OH/OP. You can’t convince me that our combined average of 115% in B1G 10 conference is the best we have. Pretty sure we are not making any big moves toward the tournament with those numbers. Sitting at 15/18 in the biggie doesn't tell me that we should stick with this plan, maybe it’s time to move the deck chairs around on the titanic and try to avoid a few icebergs. Could it get worse? ??? Then again, If we lose to Michigan State this weekend I am calling the season. |
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Post by Chewblocka on Oct 11, 2024 0:44:08 GMT -5
You raise a valid point, ilalum92 . TdB isn’t quite ready for a full 6-rotation role yet, and that development will come with time. My concern, however, is that if the situation arises where we need to make adjustments, she hasn’t been given enough court time to truly gain her footing. If we were to take a snapshot of other players with limited playing time, many wouldn’t look great either, but they’ve been given the opportunity to build a body of work that’s reliable over time. As for Avery, I like what she brings, but I question whether her passing is stronger than what we could get from a dedicated DS. We’re not utilizing back-row attacks much, so it’s worth considering if her defensive value outweighs that of a DS in that position. The announcers often describe her as a “steady” presence—not flashy, or “high impact” but consistent. While that’s certainly valuable, I think we’re missing some of the explosive swings we need. There’s also a noticeable height difference between TdB and Avery, and we may be leaving some blocking potential on the table. I haven’t dug into the blocking stats yet, but that’s something to consider. Ultimately, I’m hopeful we’ll see what TdB is capable of like the rest of you. She has a lot of potential, and it’s like waiting to unwrap a gift—I know we’re eager to see what she can bring, and I’m sure she’s just as eager to prove herself after all she has been through to stick with volleyball and keep pushing on. I dont disagree with you on putting in a DS for an OH in the back row. In 2018 there were times when we had Kuper, Welsh & O’brien all being used. Our passing and defense were on point. Prince & Cooney never played back row. So what do you think the issue is here with reluctance to shift and pivot? I remember P and Cooney and it was, as you say, “on point” |
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Post by notpriddy (COIF) on Oct 11, 2024 7:27:08 GMT -5
I have finally been able to watch Cari Bohm's "Big Ten Spotlighting" segment on YouTube. She's a gem!
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Post by therefisblind on Oct 11, 2024 10:05:02 GMT -5
I am persuaded one of the primary reasons we lost to Nebraska in the Final Four in 2018 was because Jackie Quade ran out of gas in the 4th and 5th sets. She never left the court, took 76 of our 177 swings. Prince, Bastianelli, Fleming and Cooney took a combined 89 swings. I couldn’t find a box score that showed how often she was served, but my recollection is she was frequently targeted. A mid-match rest, even just across the back row, might have made the difference. It’s not as though Tamas didn’t have any options. We were up 2-0. We should have closed it out. You have to be ready to go 5. I will agree she looked tired towards the end and she wasn't jumping as high. That isn't a substitution problem, that's a conditioning problem. Bit harsh to say it was a fitness issue when really the team gave everything.the unfortunate truth was our inexperience in that moment caused us to come up short. Nebraska were a very seasoned team and they were able to turn it around. We should have got it done but the ladies on that team gave everything that year and I will never fault them. The home game against Wisconsin was one of the greatest atmospheres seen in Huff. |
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Post by ilalum92 on Oct 11, 2024 11:06:23 GMT -5
We were up 2-0. We should have closed it out. You have to be ready to go 5. I will agree she looked tired towards the end and she wasn't jumping as high. That isn't a substitution problem, that's a conditioning problem. Bit harsh to say it was a fitness issue when really the team gave everything.the unfortunate truth was our inexperience in that moment caused us to come up short. Nebraska were a very seasoned team and they were able to turn it around. We should have got it done but the ladies on that team gave everything that year and I will never fault them. The home game against Wisconsin was one of the greatest atmospheres seen in Huff. JQ was definitelty not jumping as high at the end of the match and looked a little winded. Thats not on her. Thats on the conditioning coach. The Wisco match was amazing. Seeing JP take charge when CWelsh had to rotate into the front row. And we still won the set in extra points! Masterclass in leadership |
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