Minnesota Golden Gophers 2024

[pavsec5row10]

Nov 12, 2024 12:58:01 GMT -5 mcmike said:

Q from braceminn
Cline did an excellent job at the service line. Did she specifically target anyone and do you have any serve receive insights from the game and who are our strongest passers? How should we adjust for Thursday match? I saw at one point we had 2 players in serve receive, I can’t remember who was back there with Z but that didn’t last long

I did a detailed analysis, but once again, forgot to save it before it disappeared.  DRAT!!
 
In set 2 we were ahead 7-6 when Cline (setter) went to the service line.
We were in ro1 with Grote on the left and Wookie on the right
Wookie shanked left and behind herself off the court
Then she was aced on a short float to the attack line
t.o. MN at 7-8
Wookie's midcourt pass (behind attack line) came back to her as a backset and she went line but missed
Wookie passed a short float (badly) near the antenna and made a one handed save across net after Shaff put pass in the air, but Ore scored in transition after Grote was dug later in the point
Acevedo subbed for Wookie and was immediately targeted hard and deep (ended on Taraflex), Grote got the set, hit a ball that was dug and Ore scored 1BiT
at 7-12 Z dimed a short float and Phoebe scored middle FBSO
Cline also had a serve at 16-22 that Hanson overpassed.  It was a wicked serve in Zone5 deep to the sideline and Hanson was lucky to get it up.  Ore made a HE.

In set 3 Cline came to the service line after their RS Gregoire?sp? rolled an ankle at 12-12.  We were not in ro1
When the smoke cleared it was 13-18 after Cline went long for a SE.
Acevedo missed high hands
Thibault aced on a short float
Acevedo hitting error into triple block
Ore scored in transition after a great dig
Wookie, in for Acevedo, had a HE into the net (ugly swing)

MN remains susceptible to a Colvin(Pur) or Cline(Ore) or other hard driven low spin serves.
It appears that we are being coached to not receive overhanded.
So our backcourt gets caught trying to set a platform near shoulder height
Our opponents catch us in seams.
Sometimes Wookie's tentativeness leads Z to poach with ill effects.

Oregon, in particular, routinely set triple blocks, when we were OOS leading to conjecture that a set to Hanson or Wookie in the back court might be more successful than giving the OH no hitting angle.

One/some of the services has passing stats:  evollve.net/,  volleydork, volleymetrics

The scary thing is Cline is not really one of the better servers for Oregon, at least for aces.  

Gophers are 98th in points won receiving serve.  Yikes.

[pavsec5row10]

Nov 13, 2024 10:35:45 GMT -5 douglass9 said:

I expect this team to go 5 and 1. We beat Wisconsin. We should again. Yes I know we play there and etc etc. Kegan needs to coach his team to victory.

Love the optimism, but have you seen Wisconsin play since that early season match at the Pav?

We will be heavy underdogs against the Badgers at the Fieldhouse with the way they are playing now.

[gopherhim]

I like our chances at Nebraska more than at Wisconsin. Like Mel touched on in the presser video that was posted yesterday, the environment at the Field House is a lot more hostile. I don't think the crowd comes into play as much at Nebraska. I've never been to either venue but even on tv the vibe is just so different. I'm assuming it's student section related.

Nebraska: Big Red crowd rooting for their team
Wisconsin: big, red crowd rooting for their team AND against yours

Mel saying she doesn't want to speak too much on the passing since she never passes was so funny to me. Diplomatic lol

[sptimes2]

Personally, I do not have high expectations for the Nebraska match, but maybe that's based upon last weekend's performance. Also, Nebraska seems to be playing really well, and I expect TL will play like she has something to prove, which perplexes me.

[pavsec5row10]

Nov 13, 2024 12:46:52 GMT -5 gopherhim said:

I like our chances at Nebraska more than at Wisconsin. Like Mel touched on in the presser video that was posted yesterday, the environment at the Field House is a lot more hostile. I don't think the crowd comes into play as much at Nebraska. I've never been to either venue but even on tv the vibe is just so different. I'm assuming it's student section related.

Nebraska: Big Red crowd rooting for their team
Wisconsin: big, red crowd rooting for their team AND against yours

Mel saying she doesn't want to speak too much on the passing since she never passes was so funny to me. Diplomatic lol

I just hope we can get to the 50's against Nebraska and can beat Michigan again. 

[mop]

Anyone know if Jacobs is back for Michigan? I hope they prepare for her regardless. Not even thinking about Nebraska lol

[mcmike]

Nov 13, 2024 7:44:37 GMT -5 douglass9 said:

I looked at the passing stats from Evollve and they show us 16th. 16th in the country, I will take it. Nine Big10 teams are ranked in the top 30. Maybe we have a tough conference.  Most of any conference.  Thanks for the states Mcmike.

Evolive is a very sophisticated addressable database.
What were the parameters by which our passing stats would rank us 16th?   I believe you were looking at: 16th in their db of chances of winning a point  "against an average opponent determined by adjusting team performance for schedule strength"
The next column is for points won serving and two columns over is for points won receiving where we are ranked 30th.  

We are winning just under 60% of the points played when receiving serve which ranks 98th and 10th of 18 in the B1G.
If you look at the 4th column, Evollve rating the top 30
B1G 9
ACC 7
B12 6
SEC 5.  
But you can't solve for conference stats only (not full season) and, even if you could, some teams may have a super tough or super easy end of season schedule. 

There's no argument that the level of play in the power 4 conferences is better than "an average opponent" and their algorithm IS identifying strong teams.  Although I have almost no experience with evollve I would NOT be looking at their columns adjusted for SOS & average opps when we are competing, for the most part, against much stronger than average teams. 

I actually tried to find a stat relating just to passing efficiency, but without success.

Volleymetrics is probably the site to tease that out.

[douglass9]

The players going to Montana State can't find any rankings on them. (not that that means anything)

[mcmike]

AI produced this blurb:
"In the cold, hard light of day" means that something is being examined or considered with harsh, clear, and unfiltered scrutiny, where all the details are revealed without any embellishment or positive bias, often leading to a less favorable or realistic assessment of a situation.

I was going to use the Apocalypse Now (Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness') quote  "Oh the horror!"  but that seems extreme.

I don't know anything about these these two past VB champions, but they pull no punches:
the Minnesota discussion which starts around 2'25" and lasts for nearly 10'



They roasted Penn State as well for being totally unprepared and unable to make changes vs. Wisconsin

I used to bristle at Karch Kiraly's harsh commentary in televised Final Fours.  Is it fair to look through  champions' lenses at student athletes who are not NT bound?  Is it fair to expect that a B1G team ought to be able to give their setter more than one option on their reception of serve?

For a more accurate description of this channel substitute uncompromising for 'real':  Real Talk for Uncompromising VB Fans
A certain poster who I have blocked would eat this stuff up.

I sincerely hope that the squad has worked hard on their serve/pass skills and they demonstrate worthiness to start the tourney at home.
It will take a serious trajectory/performance shift to achieve that goal. But it is certainly doable
GET/KEEP YOUR OPPONENT OOS
DON'T CEDE TEMPO
GET THE FIRST KILL
AGAIN AND AGAIN.

LET'S GO GOPHERS

[eskerjaz]

"PAIGE" WUCHERER LMAO at least get her name right.

I can appreciate the matter-of-factness. I think this is something you tell a player one-on-one, and I imagine this does happen on all teams when you need to start looking deep within yourself (something something sports psychology, I'm sure Pavan was subject to something 10x harsher in her playing years), but it definitely needs to be delivered by the right person. High praise for Hanson from Pavan, that's not something she gives easily.

[eskerjaz]

At least they're pretty equally harsh on everyone. Not so Canadian lol but at least consistent. Harsh but with some backhanded compliments. I know I'd slap a b**** if someone outside of my circle tried this %*$# with me lol and yes it helps that Pavan is a vet who probably received even worse comments especially while she was a student athlete.

[huskergopher]

Nov 13, 2024 18:49:59 GMT -5 eskerjaz said:

At least they're pretty equally harsh on everyone. Not so Canadian lol but at least consistent. Harsh but with some backhanded compliments. I know I'd slap a b**** if someone outside of my circle tried this %*$# with me lol and yes it helps that Pavan is a vet who probably received even worse comments especially while she was a student athlete.

Pavan has always been a pretty intensively competitive person. I know it caused some friction at Nebraska, and she didn't always help herself when it came to her lack of media training. I've watched a bunch of her youtube content. She is much more well-spoken now, which might only make her seem more harsh. I couldn't disagree with a lot of what she said, but she was doing a bit much when talking about Wucherer.

[comet]

Yeah, that was pretty blunt and harsh. Not incorrect, but they're just laying it all out there, pulling no punches.

[mplsgopher]

Sick of the weak excuse of poor passing as the reason for lack of middle involvement in the offense.


That's like a QB who holds the ball for 10sec on every dropback pass and then blames the OL for getting sacked.

[zero-rotation outside hitter]

Aside from the "Paige" errors, that video is completely spot-on. I don't think they were ignoring Shaffmaster's limitations, but she's not the biggest problem right now. And I'm no stranger to criticizing Mel.