honeybadger88
Sophomore
Smrek bowled me out for a duck and scored another quadruple century.
Posts: 151
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Post by honeybadger88 on Jun 10, 2024 12:39:27 GMT -5
I'm really interested to see what the trajectory of her pro career will be. She would have an extremely long way to be a high level 6-ro opp and im not sure if the lateral speed is there to be an elite MB. She can really destroy a 1 ball tho This is really what I was trying to ask. Offensively, I think she’’d be strong at either position. Defensively, we haven’t seen her show off the lateral agility needed by a pro middle, and I struggle to imagine her playing 3 rotations in the back row. I guess what I’m ultimately asking is, has any badger fan heard tell/hints that Smrek gets significant reps during practice blocking in the middle or playing 6 rotations? I back that Smrek can do it if she puts in time and effort to learning to defend for three rotations in the back row while providing strong backrow attack. In NCAA we can afford to sub her out with a DS which isn't really possible (unless coaches can get very creative in subbing) in international due to very fewer subs. If Stysiak and Kipp can do it, no reason why Smrek can't unless we actually see her do it for an extended time and her lateral agility being too slow to reach balls defensively in the back row which that would be a problem. I'm also pretty sure Merete Lutz played 6ro OPP in Korea too where she was dominant and won finals MVP. As a MB, her blocking is good but not great but she has a higher reach than Dana who is an elite blocker. Is she too slow to cover the pins because Dana isn't the quickest as well yet she's an Olympic calibre player. As a middle I'm curious what does Dana have that Anna lacks as an elite middle and its not height, leap and reach? |
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honeybadger88
Sophomore
Smrek bowled me out for a duck and scored another quadruple century.
Posts: 151
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Post by honeybadger88 on Jun 10, 2024 12:56:39 GMT -5
This is really what I was trying to ask. Offensively, I think she’’d be strong at either position. Defensively, we haven’t seen her show off the lateral agility needed by a pro middle, and I struggle to imagine her playing 3 rotations in the back row. I guess what I’m ultimately asking is, has any badger fan heard tell/hints that Smrek gets significant reps during practice blocking in the middle or playing 6 rotations? Smrek will almost for sure me playing as a RS in the pros IMO, don’t forget she was the most efficient RS/MB in the NCAA last year and poses a huge block on the RS, helping to stop even more so in the pros, a big OH. Yes we have not seen her BR defense, but you can bet that Kelly and Co have been and will continue to train her BR as they know they know that’s likely her position long term wise, and she can have a much bigger impact as a RS than a MB in a game. Not many players her height can play RS as efficiently as she can (In and OOS). Even so, worst case wouldn’t you expect pro European coaches to train her in the BR? Even if that means developing for 1-2 years first, plenty of coaches do this. The ceiling is just too high to not develop her back row game. Agreed, don't think she has classes now that she formally graduated along with Julia, CC and Frank but has a final season of eligibility left. She could be putting extra reps in back row defending and attacking for her long term future playing as an OPP. She poses a huge threat on the RS block (she blocks better at RS than MB since she doesn't have to worry about closing both pin sides and can only focus on the OH pin) due to her size and leap which will force the oppo to alter their attack which is valuable to us and any other pro team she's playing. She's probably the only player who's equally efficient in both in system and OOS attacks which is rare attribute a player can have due to the fact she gets soo high and hits over a well set block anyway and if its OOS then the oppo has to be worried about the OOS attack from her. |
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Post by chibadgerfan on Jun 10, 2024 15:02:53 GMT -5
Smrek will almost for sure me playing as a RS in the pros IMO, don’t forget she was the most efficient RS/MB in the NCAA last year and poses a huge block on the RS, helping to stop even more so in the pros, a big OH. Yes we have not seen her BR defense, but you can bet that Kelly and Co have been and will continue to train her BR as they know they know that’s likely her position long term wise, and she can have a much bigger impact as a RS than a MB in a game. Not many players her height can play RS as efficiently as she can (In and OOS). Even so, worst case wouldn’t you expect pro European coaches to train her in the BR? Even if that means developing for 1-2 years first, plenty of coaches do this. The ceiling is just too high to not develop her back row game. Agreed, don't think she has classes now that she formally graduated along with Julia, CC and Frank but has a final season of eligibility left. She could be putting extra reps in back row defending and attacking for her long term future playing as an OPP. She poses a huge threat on the RS block (she blocks better at RS than MB since she doesn't have to worry about closing both pin sides and can only focus on the OH pin) due to her size and leap which will force the oppo to alter their attack which is valuable to us and any other pro team she's playing. She's probably the only player who's equally efficient in both in system and OOS attacks which is rare attribute a player can have due to the fact she gets soo high and hits over a well set block anyway and if its OOS then the oppo has to be worried about the OOS attack from her. While I suppose she can and will work hard on her game during the summer, SAs must take classes in the academic year, even if they graduated. It will just be graduate courses for Smrek and co. I suppose it could be field work in Volleyball Science. |
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Post by tablealgebra on Jun 10, 2024 17:43:42 GMT -5
This is really what I was trying to ask. Offensively, I think she’’d be strong at either position. Defensively, we haven’t seen her show off the lateral agility needed by a pro middle, and I struggle to imagine her playing 3 rotations in the back row. I guess what I’m ultimately asking is, has any badger fan heard tell/hints that Smrek gets significant reps during practice blocking in the middle or playing 6 rotations? I back that Smrek can do it if she puts in time and effort to learning to defend for three rotations in the back row while providing strong backrow attack. In NCAA we can afford to sub her out with a DS which isn't really possible (unless coaches can get very creative in subbing) in international due to very fewer subs. If Stysiak and Kipp can do it, no reason why Smrek can't unless we actually see her do it for an extended time and her lateral agility being too slow to reach balls defensively in the back row which that would be a problem. I'm also pretty sure Merete Lutz played 6ro OPP in Korea too where she was dominant and won finals MVP. As a MB, her blocking is good but not great but she has a higher reach than Dana who is an elite blocker. Is she too slow to cover the pins because Dana isn't the quickest as well yet she's an Olympic calibre player. As a middle I'm curious what does Dana have that Anna lacks as an elite middle and its not height, leap and reach? I see Stysiak as the best "goal player" for Smrek to work towards stylistically if she's going to play opposite. But in my eyes Smrek does not have great movement or coordination - she is strong and explosive, but lateral movement and agility are areas where in my mind she would have to make a big jump. And compared to Dana, sure she gets higher which is why she's such an elite pin blocker when she doesn't have to cover 3 hitters, but yes, Dana's footwork and lateral movement is much better than Anna's. I guess the point is that Anna is a power player at a height where you don't really need power to be successful, and her drawbacks are your typical drawbacks you'd expect from someone 6'9", which for either a 6ro OPP or a MB are significant weaknesses at the pro level. And I think a lot of people with the "oh she will get better she just has to work at it" attitude are pretending that everyone else isn't also going to get better and work hard and improve those areas as much as they can too. Certainly, I hope she proves me wrong and goes on to dominate at the pro level, but I'm not convinced it is necessarily going to happen - she can absolutely play pro ball and will be good in many ways, but I'm not sure she's more than a double-switch sub in the international game (which, if Canada can afford the roster spot, she will do very well at) |
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Post by badgerguru on Jun 10, 2024 22:38:24 GMT -5
So now that Lincoln Arneal posted Nebraska updated 2025 player rankings, I come here to ask if anyone knows what the badger recruits are ranked now?
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Post by badgerguru on Jun 10, 2024 22:44:52 GMT -5
Also just totally not fair that volleyball fans have to pay to see player rankings when other sports like football & basketball (mens & womens) are readily available to the public
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crossover2
Sophomore
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Posts: 176
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Post by crossover2 on Jun 10, 2024 22:52:40 GMT -5
So now that Lincoln Arneal posted Nebraska updated 2025 player rankings, I come here to ask if anyone knows what the badger recruits are ranked now? Wisconsin No. 5 class No. 15 Madison Quest, Outside Hitter, MKE Sting No. 16 Kristen Simon, Libero/DS, Adidas KiVa No. 23 Natalie Wardlow, Middle Blocker, Nebraska ONE No. 33 Addison Horner, Setter, 1st Alliance VBC |
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Post by badgerbreath on Jun 10, 2024 23:32:19 GMT -5
This is really what I was trying to ask. Offensively, I think she’’d be strong at either position. Defensively, we haven’t seen her show off the lateral agility needed by a pro middle, and I struggle to imagine her playing 3 rotations in the back row. I guess what I’m ultimately asking is, has any badger fan heard tell/hints that Smrek gets significant reps during practice blocking in the middle or playing 6 rotations? Even so, worst case wouldn’t you expect pro European coaches to train her in the BR? Even if that means developing for 1-2 years first, plenty of coaches do this. The ceiling is just too high to not develop her back row game. I agree. When Sheff says she is not going to reach her true potential until after she leaves college, I think he is referring to your scenario. I do think her upside eventually as a RS is really high. It will take time though. The original post we were responding to, as I understood it, asked about including her in the Canadian national team right now, as she is. I think her skill set right now limits her to playing middle. I can see the dub sub argument for including her, but it feels like a bit of a luxury with a limited roster size, and my feeling is that she is just not experienced enough to take that risk. I’d be more than surprised. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2024 0:20:03 GMT -5
We scored our tix for the Showcase - section 105, row J! Me too! |
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Post by stanfordvb on Jun 11, 2024 6:47:11 GMT -5
Even so, worst case wouldn’t you expect pro European coaches to train her in the BR? Even if that means developing for 1-2 years first, plenty of coaches do this. The ceiling is just too high to not develop her back row game. I agree. When Sheff says she is not going to reach her true potential until after she leaves college, I think he is referring to your scenario. I do think her upside eventually as a RS is really high. It will take time though. Not sure I understand sheffield's take on this if it is what you're suggesting. He could have been training her all-around game for the last 3 seasons like 99% of right side hitters in the ncaa do lol.... I dont see why she has to wait until she graduates to really start reaching her potential? Seems like a disservice to her imo... kipp, rutherford, fingall, levinska, beason, Martin, Babcock, jones, etc. were all trained as 6-ro players from day 1 in their college gyms (regardless of whether they were actually playing all 6 in the matches) I guess my confusion is that IF she's planning to be an opposite as a pro, why is she still treated like a middle who's just temporarily playing opp to help her team? (like philips) |
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Post by slxpress on Jun 11, 2024 7:37:38 GMT -5
I agree. When Sheff says she is not going to reach her true potential until after she leaves college, I think he is referring to your scenario. I do think her upside eventually as a RS is really high. It will take time though. Not sure I understand sheffield's take on this if it is what you're suggesting. He could have been training her all-around game for the last 3 seasons like 99% of right side hitters in the ncaa do lol.... I dont see why she has to wait until she graduates to really start reaching her potential? Seems like a disservice to her imo... kipp, rutherford, fingall, levinska, beason, Martin, Babcock, jones, etc. were all trained as 6-ro players from day 1 in their college gyms (regardless of whether they were actually playing all 6 in the matches) I guess my confusion is that IF she's planning to be an opposite as a pro, why is she still treated like a middle who's just temporarily playing opp to help her team? (like philips) To win matches? I guess I don’t understand what the confusion is. |
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Post by badgerbreath on Jun 11, 2024 14:22:18 GMT -5
I agree. When Sheff says she is not going to reach her true potential until after she leaves college, I think he is referring to your scenario. I do think her upside eventually as a RS is really high. It will take time though. He could have been training her all-around game for the last 3 seasons like 99% of right side hitters in the ncaa do lol.... I dont see why she has to wait until she graduates to really start reaching her potential? Seems like a disservice to her imo... kipp, rutherford, fingall, levinska, beason, Martin, Babcock, jones, etc. were all trained as 6-ro players from day 1 in their college gyms (regardless of whether they were actually playing all 6 in the matches) How do you know he hasn't? Yes, she is 6-9 and from great stock, but not as mobile as the other players you describe, and came quite a bit more raw. She did not pick up volleyball until late, played in weaker Canada leagues as a middle her whole club career and had a ways to go to develop court sense on the pin. She has talked about her problems with ball control in interviews. She has had ups and downs on the court, though lately she has consistently very good. You have to take players as they come to you and work within the contact time allowed by NCAA regulations. Heck, the badgers only had 9 dressed players this spring so they can't even run intersquad scrimmages. People keep expecting the NCAA system to act as a development scheme for pro leagues, but the NCAA is not built for that the way the club system in Europe is. That's why a Haak or an Egonu doesn't show up as a teenager on the USNT. |
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Post by badgervb982597 on Jun 11, 2024 14:31:56 GMT -5
He could have been training her all-around game for the last 3 seasons like 99% of right side hitters in the ncaa do lol.... I dont see why she has to wait until she graduates to really start reaching her potential? Seems like a disservice to her imo... kipp, rutherford, fingall, levinska, beason, Martin, Babcock, jones, etc. were all trained as 6-ro players from day 1 in their college gyms (regardless of whether they were actually playing all 6 in the matches) How do you know he hasn't? Yes, she is 6-9 and from great stock, but not as mobile as the other players you describe, and came quite a bit more raw. She did not pick up volleyball until late, played in weaker Canada leagues as a middle her whole club career and had a ways to go to develop court sense on the pin. She has talked about her problems with ball control in interviews. She has had ups and downs on the court, though lately she has consistently very good. You have to take players as they come to you and work within the contact time allowed by NCAA regulations. Heck, the badgers only had 9 dressed players this spring so they can't even run intersquad scrimmages. People keep expecting the NCAA system to act as a development scheme for pro leagues, but the NCAA is not built for that the way the club system in Europe is. That's why a Haak or an Egonu doesn't show up as a teenager on the USNT. This is exactly it, she came in as a MB, never having played on the pin every before and had to learn the skills and start training as a RS (in addition to training as a MB) which, how many other MBs do you know could start playing effectively at a top 5 program right off the bat as a pin hitter and hitting OOS? This is exemplified by the progress we have seen by Smrek from her freshman year to now, look at some videos and it’s quite a big difference. With the NCAA, yes coaches care about long term development , but their job is to win bottom line, which unfortunately means players move to a role that is needed from them. Even if Smrek let’s say is great in the BR, she probably wouldn’t ever be as a good as a DS or libero (which is the same to be said in the pros and if they could sub as much, they would!) and Wisco needs all the help they can get in the BR we all know that. Optimal case is for Smrek to improve her serve and play that one rotation on her serve in the BR before being subbed out, but again it all depends on how it plays out. |
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Post by BadgerAce42 on Jun 11, 2024 14:41:27 GMT -5
Is there a special camp going on right now? I think Devyn posted something but it doesn’t match up with the camp schedule posted on the site. Maybe one of those workarounds to get recruits on campus?
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Post by ay2013 on Jun 11, 2024 14:45:08 GMT -5
So now that Lincoln Arneal posted Nebraska updated 2025 player rankings, I come here to ask if anyone knows what the badger recruits are ranked now? Wisconsin No. 5 class No. 15 Madison Quest, Outside Hitter, MKE Sting No. 16 Kristen Simon, Libero/DS, Adidas KiVa No. 23 Natalie Wardlow, Middle Blocker, Nebraska ONE No. 33 Addison Horner, Setter, 1st Alliance VBC This class is going to be so good. Madison Quest would easily be a top 3 OH pick in 2024, 2023, 2022, and 2021. |
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